The OECS was established with the June 18th 1981 signing of the Treaty of Basseterre. OECS Member Governments have taken the decision to move beyond the current areas of functional cooperation, and to establish an OECS Economic Union. The Governments have agreed to have the inauguration of the Economic Union on June 18th 2010, which marks the beginning of the OECS 30th anniversary year.
http://www.oecs.org/Press/news_28th_anniversary.html
Sunday 21 June 2009
Saturday 13 June 2009
CARICOM - a matter of survival
The pressure mounts for CARICOM as rival sub-regional agreements detract from deeper Caribbean integration.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2009/06/090612_goldingcaricom.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2009/06/090612_goldingcaricom.shtml
Wednesday 10 June 2009
CARICOM AT RISK says Jamaica Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, is on to something in his caution, “that the existence of CARICOM, the only organisation dedicated to the economic interests of Caribbean countries, was at risk.”
When he goes on to say, "There are a number of things that are happening now that are destabilising and threatening the existence of CARICOM," and that, "The political integration that is being pursued by Trinidad and a number of countries in the Eastern Caribbean may very well be commendable, but I believe that it is at the detriment to the deepening and strengthening of CARICOM," this is a clear indication that something is already very wrong.
Warning against the support of a rival organisation, Golding said: "I believe that the membership of ALBA (Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas), which now engages three CARICOM countries, is going to have a destabilising effect on CARICOM. It is going to distract, it is going to divert and it is something that I believe that CARICOM leaders need to examine."
What is shocking about this statement is the fact that the Prime Minister saw it fit to raise these views at a public function and not in a private meeting of or with fellow CARICOM leaders. The PM can sense, like so many of us Caribbeanists, that the Caribbean agenda is going askew. This is a desperate and commendable plea by the Jamaican Prime Minister to his colleagues in CARICOM that the Caribbean ship, if not sinking, is at the very least sailing in the wrong direction. Or is it trying to sail in too many directions all at once!
In his conclusion the Prime Minister shared his most foreboding observation when he said, “I do not believe that any of us can believe that we are going to be better off trying to swim in this Caribbean sea on our own, but it is time for us to stop playing games, for us to stop mouthing integration and professing our commitment to this process when the pragmatic demonstration of that commitment is so often not being brought to the fore."
And so I too concur with all that PM Golding had to say. As a post-grad student of International Relations – Globalisation and Governance, and as someone who has worked at the EU Regional level for the past six years, I have found it extremely difficult to understand any linkages or alignment between the myriad of regional-integration initiatives being pursued by the Caribbean region at this given time. Today the main drivers of Caribbean regional-integration appear to be CARICOM, OECS, OECS+T&T, CSME and ALBA.
My every commentary for BBC Caribbean or for any other Caribbean News network has highlighted the confusion for the Caribbean citizenry to make sense of all of these different initiatives. As a senior policy person I find this totally confusing and disconnected. How then is the average Caribbean citizen supposed to make sense of these?
The obvious danger with all these different initiatives is not just the simple fact that they all lead down different paths and not towards a shared common goal or objective, but it is the fact that finite regional resources are having to be spread too thinly in servicing all these initiatives. Therefore no one initiative receives enough concentrated resource and focus to truly deliver real integration for the Caribbean. Because of the spread between and across CARICOM, OECS, OECS+T&T, CSME and ALBA, not enough time and energy are available to truly deepen any one of these to achieve real integration.
We are therefore left with a Caribbean region besieged with a plethora of good regional-integration intentions but no real substance and leadership to allow for true integration. Policy statements launching new regional initiatives coupled with haphazard attempts at a fragmented delivery does not make up for real regional-integration strategy/policy. I should know because I have been the Regional Economic Strategy Manager at a UK Regional Development Agency for the past six years.
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Cuba rejects OAS readmission
The Cuban government has formally rejected a decision of the Organisation of American States allowing it to rejoin the group. http://www.bbc.co.uk/caribbean/news/story/2009/06/090608_cubaoasupdate.shtml
How could so many “leaders” get it so wrongly? Is it sentimentality? Is it nostalgia? Is it the egotistical need of political leaders for their ‘coup de grâce’ – that grand strike by which to be remembered? So, without requiring, bargaining or negotiating any further ounce of freedom and liberty for the Cuban people we have voted to agree Cuba back into the fold of free nations at the OAS level. Fine! Great! I am all for it! I too am a bit sentimental about the iconic Cuban revolution – but I am not a democratically elected leader of anywhere – I do not carry the same level of moral responsibility and ethical obligation that elected leaders do (off-course I am raising the standards too high for our elected members) – but even I would have required more freedom for the Cuban people!
So my question to Caribbean and Latin American leaders is a simple one – why do we believe that the people of Cuba are entitled to less freedom and liberty than the rest of us in Latin America and the Caribbean?
It is becoming more and more apparent as President Obama progresses into his role as President of the U.S.A, especially if you followed his speech in Egypt to the Muslim world, that the days of a confrontational, antagonistic, aggressive, control-freak America is over. President Obama went as far as recognising not just the democratic system of government but other forms/systems of government! Compared to other American administrations over the past 60 years, you will all agree that in this administration Cubans have a friend and not an enemy, and the world has a peacemaker and not an antagonist.
How then are the Castro brothers going to justify denying Cubans rights to freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of opposition, rights to free assembly, rights to free movement, rights to individual/self determination? Can you who sit in Dominica, Venezuela, St Vincent, and other free countries in the Region imagine those basic rights taken away from you? Would you like that for yourself? I would think not!
How could so many “leaders” get it so wrongly? Is it sentimentality? Is it nostalgia? Is it the egotistical need of political leaders for their ‘coup de grâce’ – that grand strike by which to be remembered? So, without requiring, bargaining or negotiating any further ounce of freedom and liberty for the Cuban people we have voted to agree Cuba back into the fold of free nations at the OAS level. Fine! Great! I am all for it! I too am a bit sentimental about the iconic Cuban revolution – but I am not a democratically elected leader of anywhere – I do not carry the same level of moral responsibility and ethical obligation that elected leaders do (off-course I am raising the standards too high for our elected members) – but even I would have required more freedom for the Cuban people!
So my question to Caribbean and Latin American leaders is a simple one – why do we believe that the people of Cuba are entitled to less freedom and liberty than the rest of us in Latin America and the Caribbean?
It is becoming more and more apparent as President Obama progresses into his role as President of the U.S.A, especially if you followed his speech in Egypt to the Muslim world, that the days of a confrontational, antagonistic, aggressive, control-freak America is over. President Obama went as far as recognising not just the democratic system of government but other forms/systems of government! Compared to other American administrations over the past 60 years, you will all agree that in this administration Cubans have a friend and not an enemy, and the world has a peacemaker and not an antagonist.
How then are the Castro brothers going to justify denying Cubans rights to freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of opposition, rights to free assembly, rights to free movement, rights to individual/self determination? Can you who sit in Dominica, Venezuela, St Vincent, and other free countries in the Region imagine those basic rights taken away from you? Would you like that for yourself? I would think not!
Cuba does not want to re-enter the OAS at this moment because the principles of the OAS will impede the Cuban administration ability to keep the Cuban populace under control!
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