Could a moment come when the Caribbean’s partners in Europe and North America reconsider the way they relate to the region? Might the Caribbean’s inability to make the regional integration process work, lead to more emphasis being placed on bilateral or sub-regional relations, with the focus being on those nations and Caribbean institutions that deliver?
Although a policy of supporting regional integration remains, there is a growing sense beyond the region that unless the Caribbean is able to make viable the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, there may be utility in seeking engagement in other ways. These issues have been thrown into sharp relief in the last weeks by the growing disjunction between the myth and reality of the region and have been fuelled by events that have left a sense of uncertainty about whether Caricom, as it is, has the ability ever to deliver a viable regional integration process.
Last month, integration, which at its heart is about people, reached a new low when troubling events relating to the treatment of Caricom nationals wishing to move freely around the region hit the headlines in a manner that can no longer be contained. In circumstances now well known and documented, a bitter dispute erupted between Barbados and Jamaica over the treatment by Barbadian immigration officials of a young Jamaican woman on her arrival at Grantley Adams International Airport. Her case subsequently led to similar and worse allegations being made by others, which apart from their shocking nature ought to raise questions about just how serious certain Caribbean governments are about ensuring that their authorities do not become surrogates for those who wish to deliver a political and xenophobic agenda that undercuts any last hope of retaining popular sentiment about regionalism.
So serious has this become that Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding warned that such developments suggest that the movement towards the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) is at risk from the actions of member countries of Caricom. Prime Minister Golding affirmed that allegations were “not a matter that is new” in Caricom. “As recently as the Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Grenada” (in February), he told Barbados’ Starcom radio network, “the Prime Minister of St Vincent made complaints about the treatment of his nationals when they arrived in Barbados, and at the meeting before that a similar complaint was made by the President of Guyana,” Prime Minister Golding said. “The Deputy Prime Minister” (of Jamaica), he added, “will confirm that at almost every heads of government meeting the matter is raised,” adding, “we must be very careful not to allow an incident, no matter how deplorable or despicable it is reported to be, to undermine the regional integration movement.”
This is the human side, but in recent months the dysfunctional nature of the regional integration process has been matched by developments that in their own context are just as troubling.
When Caribbean heads of government met in Grenada in February, Caricom as usual issued an opaque communiqué. But for the first time it contained language that suggested that desire and reality had parted company and delivery was no longer possible. It stated: “despite their concern at the slow pace of the regional integration movement, Heads of Government urged that the Community should not allow itself to be discouraged by the often expressed views that CARICOM was in crisis. They urged instead, that the Region be viewed as being at the crossroads of opportunity… Heads of Government are of the view that it is time for faith in the onward march of Caribbean civilization and for progressive, enlightened and courageous action by a united Region strengthened by that self-belief.”
Caricom heads have been no more successful in identifying a new Secretary General. Speculation now centres on the appointment of a head of state or prominent Caribbean figure from outside the region. However, it is hard to see, without a binding and sustained commitment by all heads to a structural change in Caricom’s role in regional governance, how any significant successor to Sir Edwin Carrington will find the post attractive enough to take on.
The prospects for Cariforum (the 15 members of Caricom plus Cuba and the Dominican Republic) are little brighter. Recently, when opening a meeting in Belize of Cariforum foreign ministers to consider restructuring its governance arrangements to meet the expanded responsibilities that came with the signing of the 2008 Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe, acting Caricom Secretary General, Lolita Applewhaite, exhorted participants to agree new structures and governance to ensure its efficacy. “The benefits to be derived… such as they are, will surely be maximised through Cariforum speaking with one voice and through co-ordinated and co-operative efforts by all whenever that is possible,” she told participants. Despite this, Caricom members were unable to agree to proposals from the Dominican Republic aimed at ending its marginalisation. It had recommended that the grouping appointed its own Secretary General as it could not accept that it can only report to the Council of Ministers through the Secretary General of Caricom, arguing that its interests were sidelined when major decisions were taken, as it does not sit Caricom heads of government.
At other levels too the integration process is failing. It appears that only two Caribbean nations (Guyana and St Kitts Nevis) have so far met their January 1, 2011 EPA treaty obligations on tariff dismantlement. Key issues relating to food and energy security have not been resolved and more generally implementation of much of what has been argued over for many years been delayed or is subject to further dialogue.
All of which is not to denigrate Caricom’s hard-working specialists who are faced with constant financial, governance and logistical constraints. Nor is it to deny the vital importance of regionalism and integration. Rather it is to suggest that if the region’s member states cannot agree for philosophical, financial or nationalistic reasons to reforming Caricom’s outmoded model, they are in danger of seeing political questions emerge about why external friends should be supporting integration in a region which has ceased to support it in practice.
If this should happen then the Caribbean will find it much harder to obtain the international results it is seeking and individual Caribbean nations will be picked off one by one at the UN or elsewhere through threats to deny financial or other forms of support.
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