Region Losing Speed to CSME

Region losing speed to CSME

Published on: 3/16/08.
by: RICKEY SINGH

Source: Nation Newspaper - Barbados

AFTER LAST WEEK'S 19th Inter-Sessional Meeting of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders in The Bahamas, it seems that CARICOM is losing speed in advancing arrangements for the realisation of the promised single economic space by 2015.

There is a growing perception that amid all the intense paperchase associated with rounds and rounds of technical, ministerial and Heads of Government meetings, there continues to be a yawning gap between official assurances and decisions and actual implementation results.

While the ministerial and Heads of Government meetings continue to reflect a spirit of camaraderie the question is whether they are really singing from the same hymn sheet at on specific regional issues.

Like, for instance, crime and security; effective governance (an issue that cannot continue to ignore the need for an administrative mechanism, empowered with executive authority); regional air and sea transportation and, of course, transformation of the region's agriculture sector with a focus on poverty reduction, enhancing food security and job creation.

It is disappointing to note that the multiplicity of meetings, involving valuable time and money, do not seem to be producing the quality of results normally envisioned in the public rhetoric of the leaders.

Nor would it have escaped attention that at the opening session of last week's Nassau summit, the Community's Secretary General, Edwin Carrington, himself felt constrained to sound a warning that the deadline for inauguration of the CSME, seven years from now, may not be met as there are member governments lagging behind in required readiness-arrangements.

Such concerns were previously expressed by others, among them former Barbados Prime Minister, Owen Arthur who until two months ago, had been shouldering for some 14 years CSME-readiness responsibility. This responsibility is now assumed by his successor, David Thompson.

This worrying scenario exists in the face of no known new initiatives to get the establishment of a long promised CARICOM Commission on track, or some similar administrative mechanism to help improve governance of the Community's business.

Then came last week a puzzling declaration from Jamaica's Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, during the Nassau meeting. He resorted to that familiar refrain of past leaders of the Jamaica Labour Party he currently heads: "There is no interest by us (Jamaica) in political union," he said.

Truth is, political union remains taboo within CARICOM--as it has been since the collapse of the short-lived West Indies Federation in 1962. It is not an agenda item for any CARICOM Heads of Government Conference. Most member governments even continue to betray timidity to sever relations with the Privy Council and access, instead, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as their court of last resort.

Of immediate concern, however, about Golding's unnecessary warning on the "ole' talk" on political unity, is that he should have expediently linked this far-fetched development with current efforts to achieve a single economic space through the CSME.

He said that juncture could be the moment for Jamaica's withdrawal (under his JLP administratin of course) from the process because it would also require political integration and, he said, ""once you get there, we have to get off because we are under a mandate that we are not going there . . .".

The crucial question is whether Golding's government is likely to rock the CSME boat when the Community reaches the crucial stage of having to make tough decisions that would involve some measure of devolution of national sovereignty by ALL to give life to the laudable goal of ushering in a common economic space.

At present arrangements are being made for a "special meeting" of Community leaders in Port-of-Spain next month to deal with crime. It also appears that different strokes are being played on different occasions by some, while all leaders keep reassuring us of their "commitment" to make a reality of the policies and programmes of CARICOM.

For example, there is this curious development – as announced from Washington, with no prior signal from the Nassau Summit – of three new CARICOM prime ministers being invited for a White House talk with President George Bush on Thursday. They are Barbados' David Thompson; Belize's Deane Barrow and The Bahamas' Hubert Ingraham (current chairman of CARICOM).

Last June 20, however, there was a full house of CARICOM Heads of Government who had a meeting in Washington with President Bush at the United States State Department as part of a "Conference on the Caribbean".