July 13, 2016 Source
THE entry of the new leaders into the regional bloc CARICOM breathes new life into the integration movement, the current chairman Roosevelt Skerrit said recently.“You have new heads of Government coming in… who are bringing in fresh perspectives, new energies, a renewed commitment and you have some of us who have been there for some time – 12 to 15 years unbroken,” Skerrit said at the conclusion of the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting here last week.
CARICOM has largely been described by political commentators as not having achieved much, other than free movement in the region.
Over the last two years, seven new Heads-of-Government within the Caribbean Community have been elected. These include: Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda; Brigadier David Granger of Guyana; Donaldson Romeo – Premier of Montserrat; Timothy Harris of St. Kitts and Nevis; Dr Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago; Andrew Holness of Jamaica; and Allen Chastanet of St Lucia.
In light of this, Skerrit, who has been serving as Dominica’s Prime Minister since 2004, reasoned that it is always good to have “fresh perspective” added to the existing ones, and to bring new energies to the integration process.
“People normally criticize CARICOM of not having achieved anything, but this is not true.” Skeritt opined that people tend to look at what they do not have and not what they have. To this end, he pointed to what he described as achievements and positive things the bloc has been able to do for the region.
“The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is a major achievement for us,” he said, adding that the region has been able to move from political independence towards judicial independence.
The CCJ, which was established in 2001, has both an original and appellate jurisdiction. But while most regional countries are signatories to the original jurisdiction, only Guyana, Barbados and Belize are members of the appellate jurisdiction of the court that also serves as an international tribunal, interpreting the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional grouping.
Skerrit also referenced the free movement of people in the region, where, no visa requirement is needed to travel between CARICOM countries. “People are able to move freely within the Caribbean Community and have an automatic six months stay,” he said.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, attending his first summit since assuming office in February, used his opening speech to lament the treatment some Jamaicans face when they try to go into Trinidad.
“Jamaicans have been expressing concerns of increased cases of denial of entry and treatment at ports of entry at other jurisdictions. This must be urgently addressed in a meaningful way,” he stated.
Following the Heads of Government meeting, it was announced that Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley will undertake an official visit to Kingston this week to deliberate further on the issue in an effort to resolve it.
Additionally, the CARICOM chairman noted that the security arrangement that the region has, which includes the sharing of intelligence and efforts to enhance security of community, are all achievements.
“All of those are progress that we have made,” he said, adding that there is always more that could be done, but that the speed at which the region moves is determined by what is done on a national level.
And according to him, at the conference level, CARICOM does not impose its decisions on member states, which means it is left to these states to implement decisions made by the conference of heads of government.