TOMORROW WE CAN expect to officially learn of new initiatives, if any, taken this week in Trinidad and Tobago by our Heads of Government to advance progress of the 15-member Caribbean Community, now in its 40th year.
Yesterday, following Wednesday’s ceremonial opening of their 34th regular annual summit, the leaders were engaged in a “commemoration” ceremony at Chaguaramas, designed to recall the historic signing – at the same venue – of the CARICOM Treaty by a quartet of then Prime Ministers (all since passed away) to make possible what largely now exists – with varying dimensions – as our economic integration movement.
Today, at a tightly guarded retreat, scheduled for Point-a-Pierre – a famous central hub for the twin-island state’s vital energy sector – Heads of Government will either engage in making the tough, but necessary decisions to achieve the elusive single market and economy (CSME).
Or, simply continue with their customary rationalizations – excuses really – for recurring failures to do what they are so good at promising, only to end up with a prevailing depressing implementation deficit of decisions unfulfilled:
In this year of CARICOM’s 40th anniversary, instead of the inspiring rhetoric and promises to deliver on the reality of “One Community for One People” there is, instead, the debit side, as recalled by affected citizens across the region, of unchecked harassment, and worse, at ports of entry, including bizarre examples of humiliation.
Further, there are recurring wars over intra-regional trade – even as leaders of the business sector and relevant cabinet ministers behave, at times, as if unaware of mechanisms in place to amicably resolve such disputes. They would also know that, ultimately, there is a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), armed with original jurisdiction as a final resort.
Sadly, although the CCJ was inaugurated back in April 1995, only three countries – Barbados, Guyana and Belize – have accessed it as their final court of appeal on all matters instead of hanging on to the colonial apron string of Britain’s Privy Council.
Another useful post-colonial institution, though of less importance than the CCJ, the Assembly of Caribbean Community. Parliamentarians (ACCP) – of which former Barbados Prime Minister, (now Sir) Erskine Sandiford was a primary advocate – had no more than three meetings, following its inaugural meeting in May 1996, before disappearing off the CARICOM radar.
Reminder of another downside for CARICOM at 40, came just earlier this week when the current President of the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL), David Massiah, had to plead before a meeting of the region’s Ministers of Labour for “re-enagement” as was the norm during an earlier dispensation.
The CCL President perhaps is unaware that the region’s private sector is faced with a similar sad tale of being ignored for structured “consultations” – as was the norm during much earlier Heads of Government Conferences, via an established tripartite consultative mechanism.
For now, therefore, amid the ”blues”, we await some “good news” from tomorrow’s closure of the summit.
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist; rickeysingh2000@gmail.com.