It might have been surprising to observers that so soon after the 37th Caricom Heads of Government meeting from the 4th to 6th of this month, the Trinidad & Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley should have chosen to make an official visit to Jamaica to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.
But it will also have been recognized that Dr Rowley, as a relatively new Prime Minister, would have wanted to find an opportunity to ensure specific consultations were held on a focused set of issues which have apparently been bedevilling Trinidad-Jamaica relations for some time now. And perhaps fortuitously, the timing of the meeting, following the death of former Trinidad Prime Minister Patrick Manning and widespread regional expressions of regret, would seem to have created an atmosphere for harmonious discussion, rather than possible confrontation on long-running issues of concern to Jamaican entrepreneurs in particular.
It will also have been the case that Manning’s death will have reminded Jamaican and other heads of government of Trinidad & Tobago’s policy of aid to Caricom states, including in particular his establishment of a Petroleum Stabilisation Fund permitting concessionary terms for the purchase of oil.
As reports on the discussions have indicated, Dr Rowley seems to have decided that the issues being discussed were preferably to be dealt with on a bilateral basis, and not within a framework of the regional discussions as in the recent Georgetown meeting. For in effect, they had specifically emanated from manufacturers in Trinidad & Tobago and not the region in general, and did not really require regional mediation, but rather an approach of specific case-by-case examination of complaints.
In addition, the Jamaican authorities, leading a country also with a strong manufacturing base, would have wished to create conditions for an atmosphere of tolerance so that Jamaica’s own products would not face unwarranted, artificial or tit-for tat interventions aimed at securing Trinidad’s own manufactures in that local market. So the heads of government of both countries seemed to have recognized an appropriate opportunity, and what might be referred to as an atmosphere of ease of consultation, facilitated by the salutations to Patrick Manning’s career from the region as a whole.
Of course, among the contentious matters probably discussed were those other than of an economic nature. Concerning Jamaicans has been what they have long considered unfair treatment of their nationals desiring to enter Trinidad. This is a matter, which, from the Jamaican perspective, not only concerns Trinidad & Tobago, but as readers will recall, entry into other Eastern Caribbean islands, most visibly Barbados, highlighted by the major case of alleged maltreatment of a Jamaican female visitor to that island.
It is probably the case, as well, that in pursuing immediate discussions with the Jamaican authorities, Dr Rowley will have taken cognizance of the recent decision taken by the Jamaican Prime Minister to request former Prime Minister Bruce Golding to undertake an extensive review of Jamaica’s membership of the Caricom; a matter that will also have raised concerns among political actors in the Eastern Caribbean who recall the Jamaican decision to withdraw from the West Indies Federation.
In that respect, longstanding observers will surely have recalled from the recesses of their memories, the decision of the then Jamaican People’s National Party, then led by Norman Manley, taken under pressure from the Jamaica Labour Party then led by Alexander Bustamante, to consult the people on the appropriateness of federation for Jamaica, as against national independence, and the ensuing result. And no doubt, the lesson to be drawn by today’s Caricom leaders, from what would now essentially be seen by many as an historical matter, was that specific discontents should be considered with urgency and despatch.
In that context regional observers will have noticed that on getting notice of Dr Rowley’s intended visit, some Jamaican media commentaries, including initially those of the Jamaica Gleaner, on getting notice of Dr Rowley’s visit, suggested that it should be postponed until a review established by Prime Mini ster Holness under the direction of former Prime Minister Bruce Golding, of the relevance of Caricom to Jamaica had been completed. Wisely, in our view, Prime Minister Holness took the right course; it is one for which the opportunity will have been provided for Mr Golding to observe how the current relations of the Jamaica-Trinidad & Tobago authorities, in respect of particular country-to-country difficulties, will have evolved in practice.
There seems to be reasonable grounds for the belief held by some in Trinidad, that an immediate attempt at resolution of ongoing issues between the two countries, if successful, would also provide an opportunity for timely observation of that process by the Golding Commission. The fact is that it is apparent that Jamaican entrepreneurs, including the major Sandals Group, have been indicating an interest in pursuing investment in Trinidad & Tobago, Tobago being the home and electoral base of Prime Minister Rowley himself. And in that context, an active process of economic diversification, by way of high-level tourism investment, would certainly be welcomed by the Prime Minister.
This approach of welcoming high level, and internationally prominent Jamaican investment seems to be also generally welcomed in Trinidad & Tobago. It would therefore appear to be to the advantage of the new government to seek to take advantage of it, in terms of furthering its economic diversification policy in the direction of significant tourism in the twin-island state, and in addition, providing additional capacity for Caribbean Airlines, the nation’s airline.
We would surmise, then, that Prime Minister Rowley’s visit went beyond the current difficulties relating to imports of regional manufactures, and instead pointed towards a Trinidad & Tobago diversification effort. We look forward to further statements by the Trinidad Prime Minister on these issues.