May 12
As ‘West Indians’, as ‘Caribbean people’, we face a basic contradiction of oneness and otherness, a basic paradox of kinship and alienation. Much of our history is the interplay of these contrarieties. But they are not of equal weight….Today, CARICOM and all it connotes, is the hallmark of that triumph, and it is well to remember the processes which forged it – lest we forget, and lose it…
Sir Shridath speaks with the voice of one that is inextricably bound with the vision of Caribbean unity. However, he is pragmatic and can see the reality of the bruised reed and smoking flax. He realise that the will to bring the CARICOM vision of onesss to pass is sadly absent. I always remeber his 1995 publication,”˜Vulnerability of Small States”™ in which he poetically described small states of the Caribbean. Small states are like ships in the ocean, he wrote,” free to traverse the expanse, but without oar or sail ““ free also to perish”. The people and leaders did not listen to his voice then, and they are not listening and acting now. Indeed, we have been careless with CARICOM and are losing our way.