Decades after Independence, it cannot be claimed . . . that the post-colonial enterprise has been an unqualified failure. – Ralph Jemmott
The leaders of countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) converged on the beautiful island of St Lucia for the 33rd meeting of the regional grouping this past week.
Over the years the annual caucus has provided opportunity for heads of governments across the region to meet to discuss common problems, share common goals, dreams and aspirations.
CARICOM Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, in his brief to host Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, listed a number of issues which would engage the attention of regional heads of governments. Three issues seemed set to dominate the summit: the ongoing reform of the CARICOM Secretariat that is based in Guyana, developments in Haiti and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Above all, Mr LaRocque said the Secretariat needed to dispel the growing perception that CARICOM was having no practical impact on the lives of the people of the region (New York Carib News).
Recently, I had the distinct pleasure to engage Prime Minister Freundel Stuart on a number of issues and I took the opportunity to ask him whether we had the passion that the former leaders of the regional integration movement exuded.
I recalled the days of the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, the late Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Sir James “Sonnie” Mitchell of St Vincent, Norman Manley of Jamaica and even Sir Eric Matthew Gairy. These leaders bestrode this region like the proverbial colossus. They seemed like regional giants whose vision for integration was clearly ahead of its time.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the vision espoused by those greats died with them and the seeds of integration which they clearly sowed had a stunted germination and subsequently died.
While Prime Minister Stuart expressed his equal dedication to regional integration, the concern he voiced was that while the structure for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) was important, unless it found its way into the nooks and crannies of the lives of the people of the Caribbean, it was good for nothing. In an interview, he restated the view that unless CSME had practical application at our ports of entry, then it indicted us all.
So as 12 of the regional leaders left their national agendas to focus on regional issues, it can easily be said that, as has been the case for sometime, our countries remain at the crossroads. Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul and renowned writer George Lamming have been hammering away for years, and as Ralph Jemmott notes, “have themselves shown a strong political commitment and faith in the region’s struggle”.
Naipaul’s famous words that “history is built on achievement and creation and nothing was created in the West Indies” still calls for analysis as we mandate our leaders to articulate a vision that gives us hope as a region. The fact is that we have limited confidence in what little we have created.
While we must rise above the nostalgia and romance with the past, Barrow’s warning against “loitering on colonial turf after closing time” is as relevant as ever. For in relation to our regional jurisprudence, even after the British law lords have “biffed” us and have vowed not to waste their judicial resources ruling on issues that have no relevance for them, it is ironic that Trinidad and Tobago, which can do better, in an attitude of timidity and self-doubt, is still ambivalent about fully embracing the CCJ which, incidentally, is headquartered in the twin-island republic.
The issues of regional trade and access to one another’s markets were thrashed out last week between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago because the latter had blocked over a dozen of our products from its market on grounds that are suspiciously specious. Even though a trade war has been staved off, the fact that this incident could have occurred after years of regionalism is tragic and does not speak well of our commitment to regionalism.
On the face of it the summit’s agenda, as outlined by Secretary General LaRocque, seemed to be at variance with the people’s agenda. Given the importance of tourism, what about regional travel and the fact that we still have all of our eggs in one basket with prohibitive costs? What about the long promised ferry to provide an alternative means of travel not only for people, but also for goods and produce?
What about the common currency that was so integral to the concept of CSME? Are the systems in place to effect Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller’s desire for the full movement of people of all professions and careers to be operational within three years? On another level, is there tension between the thriving unification taking place in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States territories and the larger CARICOM bloc?
In conclusion, as our heads of government imbibed the hospitality of the St Lucian people, there exists a tension between their agenda and the issues with which the people of the region continue to grapple. A convergence of agendas is urgently needed.
• Matthew D. Farley is a secondary school principal, chairman of the National Forum on Education, and social commentator. Email [email protected]
