Guyana is in danger of being isolated because of its opposition to signing the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between Cariforum and the European Union in its present format and this could have serious implications for regional integration.
Responding to a question from the floor at the national consultation on the EPA at the Guyana International Con-ference Centre, Liliendaal on Friday, panellist Sir Shridath Ramphal, said that what Guyana does or does not do in relation to the EPA has implications for regional integration.
Sir Shridath has called for the signing to be put on hold until after the grouping of African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) Heads meeting in Accra, Ghana on October 2.
Asked what the implications would be for Guyana, Sir Shridath, who is based in Barbados, said it would have been easier to answer the question if the region were united but “we have to acknowledge that the region is badly divided. And in fact Guyana is in danger of being isolated and that will have serious consequences for regional integration.
“Our priority should be consummating the Caribbean Single Market and Economy. That is what we have committed ourselves to, fundamentally, in terms of regional integration and that should be our guiding star.”
The real value of Friday’s consultation, he said, was that it should arm President Bharrat Jagdeo with the sense that the present initialled EPA was unacceptable; that what was needed was a regional consensus and that the EU has to be re-engaged in renegotiating an alternative acceptable to Guyana and that is a goods-only agreement.
He did not accept the EU’s position that the region had to sign the agreement or face the consequences of tariffs and the Generalised System of Preferences (GSPs) and said it was clear in international law that having initialled the agreement it was open to the parties to agree to be bound by part or all of the initialled text. As such, he said it was incumbent on Caricom and the EU to agree to look again at the possibilities, for example, of a goods-only agreement.
He was convinced that if the region was united in the request for a standstill on the rest of the agreement the EU would negotiate that. “They could hardly refuse it having agreed to do it with so many other regions,” he said.
However, if a part of Caricom was prepared to consent to be bound by only a part of the agreement and another for signing the entire agreement, “that then becomes an issue of considerable difficulty both for the European Union and for Caricom.”
Because of such a scenario, he said, he suggested that no decision to sign be taken on September 10, 2008 in Barbados when Caricom heads meet but that they seek to engage the whole body of the ACP on where the grouping stood in relation to the EPAs. Guyana, he said, should use the Barbados forum to say that the ACP heads were meeting in two weeks in Accra and the region must seek to engage them in the discussions.
There was the possibility that there could be a collective response, which would help to shape the region’s response to Europe. “Europe then has to listen. This agreement is of importance to Europe. We must not think in the context of take it or leave it; that Europe is quite happy with our leaving it, they would not be,” he said.
Answering the same question, the Antigua and Barbuda-based Sir Ron Saunders said much depends on how the EU would respond to Guyana and what its partners in Cariforum would do. If the Caribbean would stand with Guyana and say it accepted that Guyana would like a goods-only agreement and recommend that to the EU, it would have a chance of withstanding the statement made by Deputy Director General for Trade, European Commission Karl Friedrich Falkenburg that the EPA as currently negotiated was virtually a take it or leave it situation.
The question Guyana’s political directorate has to ask itself, he said, was whether it could rely on the support of its Caribbean partners. “I suppose that would be answered on Wednesday when President Bharrat Jagdeo meets other Caricom heads in Barbados,” he said.
He was not sure how reliable the ACP would be, but added that should Guyana gain the solidarity of the Caribbean then Guyana should hold out and if at the ACP there was solidarity, then Guyana could continue to hold out. The question that Guyana has to ask itself and those who said that Guyana should stand up, he said, was what would happen if the EU applied the GSP to sugar and rice. And in the next few months if the economy began to go slightly haywire, would the people then stand up with the government.
He said he did not think that the Guyana government would want to make that kind of decision without the concurrence of the opposition parties and the trades union movement because when the pressure was on all would have to bear it collectively.
Falkenburg, in his response, reiterated that the EU was not imposing an EPA on the region but that it had been negotiated between the region and the EU with its background in the signing of the Cotonou agreement in 1998. The understanding, he said, was that the Cariforum countries would have negotiated an EPA by December 31 2007, that it would be WTO compatible and address investment, services and other issues. Having been jointly negotiated, he said, it was not a diktat as the consultation, which involved a technical team, a ministerial team and even Caricom, appeared to have been making out.
Europe, he said took the unprecedented move to grant market access to Caribbean goods even before the signing of the EPA took place, in good faith at the end of last year with the expectation that the agreement would be effectively implemented. “On that basis we took the risk of putting in place market access for which we could be criticized in the WTO. It is illegal under present WTO rules. Now we have done that because we are committed to the WTO negotiations,” he said.
He said Europe would “deplore very, very seriously if this negotiating result we have achieved after so many years of negotiations would fail.”
The EU, he said, was a player in a multilateral trading system that was collectively designed and under the system, Europe could not maintain market access without the justification of a free trade agreement negotiated, signed and notified with the WTO.
At this point, President Jagdeo intervened, even though the session was being chaired by his advisor on governance, Gail Teixeira, and reiterated what he, Jagdeo had been saying all along that the region could preserve the market access and still be WTO compatible. This was Jagdeo’s second intervention and it prevented Falkenburg from addressing the issue of ‘Most Favoured Nations’; which came as a question from the floor.
Jagdeo said he would be happy if Europe dropped the pretence of development, which it claimed as part of its policies. Lectures on the Millennium Development Goals, environmental issues among ethical issues, he said, were all false. “My point is I am going to continue to battle this,” he said adding that he would refrain from speaking across the region in countries that have agreed to sign the agreement and would argue for a goods-only agreement.
“I want Europe to take me off the list – Annexe One — because I say I want only a goods agreement in Guyana’s case. Take me off that…,” he said contending that he was not alone in the region in his view and that other countries had grave concerns.
Anybody getting the impression Sir Shridath may be running for office in 2011?
The guy seems very active in Guyana politics since leading the Guyana delegation in the Guyana-Suriname-CGX fiasco!
If pressed, can Sir Shridath do better for Guyana than the PPP or Jagdeo?
Guyana-Suriname-CGX fiasco?
What fiasco is that? Guyana won gold under Jagdeo’s leadership and with Rampal’s help. Even the PNCR saw it fit to salute Jagdeo & Rampal on that issue.
If he is running for office in 2011 i thing that will be very good,
i thing that he can win.
So what if he is active in Guyana politices, he is GUYANESE
and Yes, Yes Andy Guyana and Guyanese will be a better
place for all of us.
I must comment President Jagdeo, for looking at the villians straight in the face and telling them to strike out any indication of “assisting in development” from the language of the agreement.
I would not blame him if he has to eventually capitulate and bend to their wishes, because their vicious strangehold is so strong, on all the participating countries, that he may very well find himself standing alone on the floor.
Many of these countries have no other alternative but to shake their heads in the affirmative and stretch their hands out for what ever offering the EU choose to give.
If President Jagdeo finds himself isolated, the EU’s response will be swift and viscious. They have many economic weapons in their arsenal. They can send in their derivitive traders to further devalue the currency. They can close off existing markets, prevent access to the worlds reserve currency, or send in mischievous elements to create unrest and mayhem in the country. They will then use their news media to tell a different story to the world.
Look what they did to Mugabe, for refusing to play along with the rules of the IMF, they destroyed his infracture, then devalued his currency to worthless paper, the ensuing unrest, cornered him like a caged animal in a corner. When he retaliated with the ruthlessness necessary in that part of the world so as to keep his head still attached to his shoulders, they had their media mouthpiece label him a tyrant and murderer.
This is just an example of what the EU and their network of angels of doom and destruction can do to a world leader and have him blamed for his own demise.
The people of Guyana need to stand strong with their president on this grave and serious matter. He is David trying to stand up to Goliath. When the hammer falls, the people will need to galvanise themselves and create community currency systems. This can be done as a paper money or as an electronic money system, as is done by the banks. If Guyana has the skillsets to set up the internet, they can also set up a local electronic monetary system and a community bank using the template of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh.
Lets forget our divisive tendencies for now and come together as one on this issue, for as Sonny Ramphal correctly said, it will adversely affect the lives of generations of people in the West Indies
Joe.
I call on all caribbean islands to unite with guyana on this signing of the epa bill, if not we all perish, a united caribbean is need now and formost.
………………-ra!!…………….stop it……………….have you ever had a dicussion with any caribbean leader on guyana……………..it is well known that the president talk of guyana talk one thing when he is out of guyana and do and say something else when in guyan………………guyana must clean up governance, race relationship, money laundering, gun runnings, drugs, education, telecom, crime, freedom of the press………………..so many social issues……………….bugging down development…………………….who wants to operate a business in an unstable social and economic environment……………………….what would your returns look like when there is poor visability in every government department………….everybody come dig a hole, pollute, contaminate and leave……………..education….we don’t see the importance in removing pit latrin…………….its ok to shoot the police as long you are a government operative………………….if guyana sink today !!!!!!!!!!!!!…………nobody would miss it………………..the cold war is over………..my country is more a wight on the world economy than an asset…………tell me where i am wrong……………….tell me…………..amen……………..-ra..!!!!!!!!………….just look at the government…………and the decision makers…………..
Probably what you are saying, it’s better to do the E.P.A, with Cuba, North Korea Iran and Siria?.
To top it up you may also be thinking of Zimbabwie and Haiti…..
What a Visionary Seefarer………
.
Arnold, my friend
the answer is, if only we were allowed. YES. Allow me to tell a little known story about Haiti. I will leave Zimbabwe for another day.
There was a former black slave by the name of Toussaint Le Overture. He led a seafaring resistance against the French and made rings around them at a time when France was one of the most powerful military naval nations on earth.
They sent an entire naval fleet to corner and capture him, but fortunately for him the then fledgling United States were fighting the British for independence. The king of france ordered the diversion of the naval fleet to assist the United States, since Britain was their sworn enemy and trade compeditor in the region at the time.
France eventually granted Haiti independence but in return for peace and sovreignty, Haiti had to agree to compensate, France to the tune of 200 million Francs, which at that time was approximately equivalent to 200 billion dollars.
Now lets suppose someone gave both of us a beautiful stretch of island filled with coconut trees, in the middle of the Caribbean but held us to the repayment of 200 Billion dollars. Guess what? Instead of beating me at golf. You and me would be beating each other, just like the present day Haitians for mud pies to eat.
Peace my friend.
Joe.
i do think it is a very wise thing to do
all caribbean islands to be united with guyana on signing of the EPA
BILL.
you all will perish if you don.t.
REPLY TO THIS
I don’t think they care if they perish. Everyone is seeing the short and not the long of this deal. God help us all
the jagdeo administration dont have the knowledge and depth to deal with
the europeans , running a small country with your hands always strecth out
for hand outs , their is no significant growth in guyana economy , the population growth is stagnant
the govt,of guyana needs to be isolated and then ultimately vote out of office by
the people of guyana
torbo who get guyana in that positions begging?who rack up $2.something billions in debth and bring our loving guyana to its knees by 1995?who destroy all our infracture and then give free election because they didnt had any idea how to fix what they destroyed?
Sr Andy:
For your enlightment, Shridath Ramphal before Knighted SIR was a rider on the Burnamite train——–
Foriegn Affairs Minister. “Ya al kaan re-mem-ba”
E bin deh wen de late Mr Hoyte was Finance Minister…..and declared
Guyana bankrupt…………..da na soh lang lang……….
i think all carribean should stand with guyana and not sign that aggrement, we are tired of outsiders coming in on us and making us uncomfortable, it is time we all look each other in the face and work together as a region, when will the people in the region stop these people from lableing us as a third world,it is time we learn to trade with each other, i am proud of jagdeo, and i supported him with this decision, this is the time we should move forward as one and unite as a region ,whenever these people see that we are moving ahead without them the will come and pull us down, when we accept them and we fail merciful, the write us up in their media,saying,our people are starving and we are the poorest in the world,come on jagdeo i guess the whole nation will be behind you if you get on the television and speak to the nation in simple language that the grassroot people can understand this deal, hip, hip whoray i tip my hat to you, guyana needs you because you are your own person.
Fay Jones,
Our fellow bloggers keep missing the point, they keep deteriorating their arguments into the age old PPP /PNC fault syndrome.
Forbes Burnham did not bankrupt the country, on the contrary, the bankruptcy was caused by the very entity that Jagdeo is now trying to confront. Different leader, facing the same beast of nation destruction.
The method they use to lure countries into further and further debt is no different than the method they use on individuals. First they measure you by a credit score which makes you proud when it is excellent. What is really tells the bank is that you are a prime sucker to be saddled with debt.
They then give you a mortgage giving you the false belief that you now own your own home, then they give you a credit card and say go fix up your home, then they extend a home equity loan and say go pay off your credit card. Next thing you know you are in perpetual cycle of never ending debt.
Lets look at the way their system works, First they devalue your dollar so that they can buy your goods and products for pennies on the dollar, then they impose tariffs so that they can obtain the goods for almost free, you on the other must buy their goods at 200 times the price, and they call that free trade and you are not allowed to trade outside of their trading cartel.
What we people of color need to understand is that our ancestors had already developed lucrative and profitable trade systems stretching from Africa thru the middle east all the way into the far east to India and China. All these countries traded in a fair and profitable manner for thousands of years and never had any racial wars with each other.
Along came the European conqueror who dismantled the system, enslaved many of us and took all our wealth for free. Now they have cleverly substituted the overseer on horseback and the whiplash for interest on the dollar, this way we still end up working for nothing but now must pay for our own housing, clothing and food, which used to be the expense of the slave owner.
They cleverly introduced and encouraged racism as part of their strategy of divide and conquer. In a country like Rawanda where all citizens were black,they still managed to stir up resentment between the Tutsi and Hutu, which resulted in mass genocide, while they simple pulled out, after bleeding the country dry and did nothing while the horror unfolded.
We need to start looking at this world through the unbiased and unadultrated eyes of a child, only then will we see, that there is only one racist in the world. That racist the the banking empire who cares nothing about any other color but the color of money.
……my respomnse to this would certainly be “axed’ by SN ,, but just for the sake of daring to be heard ,,,,,,,
IS GY “DEPENDENT” ON ANY of the pieces of rock out-croppings west of us in the c’bean sea that call themselves “countries ” ??? we r not islanders ,, we are part of a larger landscape ,, which is indicative of our mental processes !,,,,,,,
those petite islands need us ever ,,, more than we need them any day of the week !…..
What’s up doc?
WELL SAID!
Guyana’s got miles (square-miles!) more resources than people.
thank you.you said it so right.
Looks like the President is put between a rock and another hard place. Looks also like he’s not lacking in his vision to see through it all either! What a man! Yes, I also agree with him that other countries share his grave concerns, but who will bell the cat? It seems that the EU has not told him in quite explicit terms …that they could infiltrate your trades union movement and the opposition in your country and create strong dissent especially if we devalue your country currency and cut market relations, your own people will rise up against you with the resulting economic choke. No, generally these threats are implicit. How can he stand up to the mighty powers that be? The other countries must firmly stand up and be counted along with the president decision and not put him in the front alone to fight for what they believe in. He too has a country that depends on his decisions. I’ll tell you for sure, if we don’t stand together firmly in this matter we are going down in what has been planned and soon to come.
guyana has no leverage over its caribbean neighbors so i dont know
what this regime going to do but beg beg beg and i hope none of the
caribbean islands come to his rescue.