From time to time the idea of a renewed federation of the West Indies is brought up. Though it might seem as if such plans are unnecessary for the time being, they are essential in a long term vision of where want our region to be…
CARICOM is in crisis. This is for three reasons….the crisis is sufficiently real to put the very existence of CARICOM in question…
Irwin LaRocque, the still relatively new secretary general of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), arrived at a right conclusion. We are sceptical, however, about his analysis….
A recent statement by the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Irwin La Rocque, that the region has been “overly ambitious in its integration targets”, coming from the person who is expected to drive the regional integration process, is cause for disappointment..
“Crisis” is one of those words that is used so much that it has practically lost its meaning. And if there were a competition among regional organisations on which of them was most often said to be “in crisis”, my bet would be on Caricom winning by a wide margin…
The Peoples Empowerment Party (PEP) embraces the year 2012 as an opportunity for the Barbadian and Caribbean people to “take a fresh guard” in relation to both their individual island nation building projects and to their collective multi-territory Caribbean Community project…
We take note of your express vigour, intended modus operandi and positive approach to regional integration, and the way ahead for CARICOM in the midst of the turmoil and crises in which the region now exists in the wider global context. We also take particular cognizance that your statement made reference to a departure from the “business as usual”, that critical for moving the region forward are governance reform, that the CSME is not on hold, that the use of innovative ways of gaining buy-in from the regional public through use of social media and ICTs is needed and the implementation of the draft strategy for communications…
In the inaugural G. Arthur Brown Memorial Lecture of the Bank of Jamaica, Sir Shridath points to the failure of Caribbean leaders, to, rise to the regional challenge, fixated as they are with retaining the vestiges of ‘local control’—a hangover from the colonial era.,
To have been invited to deliver the G Arthur Brown Lecture is honour enough; to have the opportunity of inaugurating the Lecture Series that memorialises this great son of Jamaica and the Caribbean is beyond deserving. …
Let us admit the fact that as individual islands and certainly in the case of Jamaica, if we continue down our current insular path of Governance and Economic Under-Development we will not survive as a sustainable society. Norman Manley and those who proposed a Federation as the path to sustainable development were correct over 50 years ago and the concept seriously needs revisiting. Here are some simple facts…
Participants at a public forum on The Future of Caribbean Regional Integration held on June 30th at the UWI St Augustine reaffirmed that the people of the Caribbean view integration as crucial for the region’s survival and development; yet there is a strong sense that the process of integration is in decline and is in need of renewed leadership…
The Caribbean Movement for Civil Empowerment (CMCE), a new people-centred organisation established to advance meaningful regional integration in the Caribbean is embarking on a drive to have our Caribbean leaders listen to us citizens and promote true democracy driven by us the people. The most effective way for Caribbean societies to survive the onslaught of the new era in which we live is to forge closer and stronger linkages. We therefore need progressive and genuine action on the part of our leaders.
Caribbean leaders meet in St. Kitts/Nevis from 1-4 July. We can’t afford to let the Caribbean Community fade away into oblivion. Let your voice be heard. Be counted!
Caribbean Movement for Civil Empowerment
Website: http://caribmove.webs.com
Why have the many deficiencies of the current system of Caribbean regional governance not been seriously addressed over a period of more than 40 years? This paper argues that the key blockage is the continued adherence of Caribbean political leaders to a conception of sovereignty and statehood that is inappropriate and outdated…
Prime Minister Tillman Thomas’s proposals to the Heads of Government deal with reforming CARICOM governance to address the ‘implementation deficit’, management of the Secretariat, prioritising the benefits of economic integration, resolving issues in the movement of Community nationals, mobilising civil society in support of integration and an immediate action plan.
Even though the West Indian Commission was completed and reported since 1992, it simply amazes me how well it speaks to the issues affecting the region; how poignantly it points out the problems that needs to be fixed, as well as how applicable and sensible some of its recommendations still are. However, something about it rather bothers me…
Last Sunday, ‘mi head tek mi’ when I saw the poster for the conference on ‘Collective Responsibility for the 21st Century’, jointly hosted by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Commonwealth Secretariat. I simply couldn’t believe it. The advertisement featured 11 men. Not even one token woman! Nor a single young man…
See also “‘Mek West Indies Federate’: Celebrating the Arts of Regional Integration in the Poetry of Louise Bennett,” published in the proceedings of the UWI conference to mark the 30th anniversary of CARICOM: Caribbean Imperatives: Regional Governance and Integrated Development.
