Dear Editor,

Caricom leaders will be meeting for their summit next week in Antigua & Barbuda.

The Caricom region is unique, with a kaleidoscopic variety of people. There were firstly the Amerindian people. Then came enslavement and indenture and a vast number of people were brought in from Africa, China, India, Madeira and elsewhere to labour on the plantations. There is much in common between the people who inhabit the various territories, and there are strong historical and familial links between many of the states in the region, eg The Bahamas, Dominica, Guyana, and Trini-dad from the early 19th century. Historians have recorded that enslaved Africans were moved from The Bahamas and Dominica to develop the plantations in Trinidad and Guyana after the abolition of slave trafficking from Africa in 1807. There are strong links between Barbados and Guyana, Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Suriname, to name but a few examples.

We have seen the extent to which the population of individual Caricom states has been changing over recent decades. The population of Antigua, for example, has been augmented by the settlement of Dominicans, Guyanese and Jamaicans. The population of Barbados has been increased by the settlement of Guyanese and Trinidadians, and that of The Bahamas, by Haitians and Jamaicans. Individual Caricom states, have, however, struggled to cope with economic and social challenges, particularly crime and immigration. The deportation to Caricom states of thousands of persons convicted of criminal offences in the USA, Canada and Europe, has had a significant effect on the criminal statistics of those states.

I would suggest that during the deliberations of Caricom leaders in summit, they consider one of the key issues for the future welfare of the region – a full union of Caricom States. Caricom has made progress in the legal and economic fields, in the establishment of the Caribbean Court of Justice, in addition to the development of the Caricom Single Market. The next stage in the progression ought to be the constitutional reform necessary for strengthening the political bonds between Caricom states. The shackles of Caribbean insularity must now be broken. In this 21st century of powerful nations in the global arena, the best way forward, it is submitted, will be a serious resolve and commitment to a full Caricom Union. In union there will be strength and prosperity.

Yours faithfully,
Colin Bobb-Semple