The journeying of skilled Caricom nationals here advances development of not only this country but the entire region, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugh Todd has said, while stating that the government is not worried that when all the impediments to free movement are resolved next year, Guyana may be flooded with job seekers.
“It is a treaty obligation. It is to be able to upgrade the standard of life for the entire community. The treaty is designed to bring economic and social advances to the entire community. We don’t treat it as if one country will benefit and one doesn’t. At the end of the day, the sum of all would be better than thinking of one, such as what if more persons go to Guyana, or Trinidad and Tobago, or Barbados,” the Foreign Affairs Minister told Stabroek News.
“Not everyone will move. People move for various reasons. All of this will have to be bolstered by the transportation policy we have… It is a step in the right direction in achieving the single economy we are trying to achieve,” he added.
At the closing press conference of the 45th Caricom Heads of Government meeting, held earlier this month in Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Prime Minister and Chairman of Caricom Roosevelt Skerrit had announced that the community was aiming for free movement by all from next March and that all country leaders had resolved to remove impediments by then.
“We have taken a decision to have the free movement of all categories of people to live and work… We believe that this is a fundamental part of the integration architecture and at 50, we could not leave Trinidad and Tobago and not speak about the core of the integration movement and that is people’s ability to move freely within the Caribbean Community,” Skerrit was quoted as saying. He noted that the topic was the highlight of the three-day event, in Caricom’s 50th year.
The Caricom Chair had acknowledged that the decision could not be implemented immediately as modalities in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas would have to be dealt with by a legal team.
Sources told Stabroek News that the discussion on the issue “emerged from the CSME discussion which is always on the agenda. Some Heads felt that the 50th anniversary was a good time to make the move which was always on the cards but which they had been approaching incrementally.”
Todd said that the issue triggered “ongoing discussions and the heads felt it was necessary to advance our implementation rate. Although we have done well, we still have an implementation deficit. It looks good that it is the 50th as well. I think the stars are just aligning.”
And with Guyana not having especially skilled people to fill its burgeoning oil and gas sector and even growing non-oil sectors, a source said that although there could be a “possibility for the opening of the floodgates for everyone and its own people be left behind,” it was “not an immediate likelihood.” This is because, the source reasoned, “the non-oil economy will take some time to develop.”
This newspaper understands that some heads of government raised concerns and want to consult with their legal teams at home. “Some concerns were raised in the discussions,” a source said, adding that this is why it was decided to “… delay the implementation to March next year. This is to give the countries’ legal people time to see what the implications for respective countries are.”
In Guyana and according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs data, last year some 120 CSME certificates were issued. The target this year is to process 135.
Remigration applications processed last year totalled 375 and the government said that it anticipates processing 380 this year.
‘Smiling down’
Skerrit had explained that this decision will allow people to access primary and equal health care and educational opportunities. The lifting of restrictions on free travel will also pave the way for better security and hassle-free travel.
He added further that with this decision, they would have served the community and given the people of the region what they needed. “We hope to have it implemented by the 30th of March 2024. This is great news… I believe our founding fathers are smiling down from heaven because we have arrived at this decision,” he said to applause from those present.
Meanwhile, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley confirmed at the press conference that the decision was made to move from the freedom of movement of skills and service to free movement of people.
“It’s all people, there’s no services anymore… This now gives full expression to what Caribbean people have wanted since we had control of our destinies,” Mottley said.
She explained the amendments must be able to guarantee a minimum set of rights for citizens and not open up countries to possible liabilities. Once these rights are established and agreed upon, she stated, they will form part of the amendments to the treaty.
“Out of an abundance of caution and being sure-footed, there are some aspects in the treaty that require amendment and therefore we are giving ourselves until the 30th of March, 2024, to make the amendments,” she informed.
According to Mottley, they will soon look at accessing funds from the Caricom Development Fund to finance mechanisms that will upgrade facilities in each country. This, she noted, is to ensure that citizens are able to benefit from an equal and accessible level of service from the different countries in Caricom.
The Barbadian Prime Minister related that Haiti’s prime minister Ariel Henry, “… asked that the arrangements we have put in place for freedom of movement, that Haiti be excused from those arrangements, a derogation, and we have agreed because Haiti’s circumstances are obviously different at this point… the status quo remains for those countries who require visas for Haitians travelling.”
Mottley also stated that the free movement agenda does not apply to the Bahamas and Montserrat as they are not signatories to the Caricom Single Market and Economy treaty.
Additionally, Skerrit disclosed that at the Caricom leaders’ retreat in Dominica from August 18 to 19, they will spend time reviewing ways in which they can foster functional cooperation, hassle-free travel for citizens, and regional governance that will bring tangible benefits to citizens.
“These are the things which matter to the average person in the streets of the Caribbean Community – that they can see tangible benefits,” he said about the commitment.
The CSME, which forms part of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, was designed to implement provisions for the removal of trade and professional restrictions.
The Single Market space was established to facilitate the free movement of skilled professionals in the various fields of services, capital, technology, university graduates, media workers, artistes, musicians, sportspersons, nurses and teachers, among others.
Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs is optimistic that the CSME movement agenda will be successfully executed as there is “renewed vigour and political will” from the current Heads of Governments.
