Price control

An official of the Caricom Competition Commission says Caribbean governments may not be adequately equipped to spearhead price control mechanisms.

The commission’s Executive Director, Barbara Lee, addressing a seminar in St Kitts and Nevis, said many of the governments in the region were still of the view that they need to control the prices of goods and services.

“We learnt a long time ago in other parts of the world that a government is not infused with the kind of information that allows it to really decide the correct price, the competitive price, the price that would benefit (the) consumer best,” she explained.

Lee said that the governments of the region can sometimes be the main perpetrators of anti-competitive practices.
Caricom promotes sharing of resources

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) is calling on member nations to share renewable resources.

Caricom’s Programme Manager for energy, Joseph Williams, made the call at a consultation in Antigua, where the government is seeking to cut its energy costs and protect the environment. He was reflecting the position of the organisation’s Georgetown-based Secretariat which says it is important for the region to tap into its resources for sustainable use.

Williams said member countries can assist each other if they can find a way to share their energy potential.