Vernon Daley

The regional integration movement, from the early attempts at Federation to the more benign efforts at economic and social cooperation, has taken its fair share of beating over the years. In many cases, the stick it has received is well deserved.

But even as we bawl out when things go wrong or move too slowly so, too, we must applaud when things go right.

Last week, the Caribbean Com-munity (CARICOM) showed some very progressive thinking when one of its main organs recommended the institutionalisation of talks between Caribbean Heads of Government and Parliamentary Opposition Leaders.

Under this recommendation, it's unclear how much of an input the Opposition Leaders would have in the decision-making that goes on in CARICOM. But whether it's big or small, the move points to a useful expansion of governance in the region.

If handled properly, it has the potential to significantly advance the CARICOM integration movement and protect it from the vagaries of inevitable change in government.

At its 21st meeting in St. Kitts and Nevis last Tuesday, the CARICOM Bureau of Conference of Heads of Government agreed to the proposal, which will now be forwarded to the Caribbean Heads for discussions at the 28th CARICOM summit to be held in St. Vincent and the Grena-dines next year.

The Bureau, which comprises a number of prime ministers and is responsible for initiating proposals and following up on CARICOM decisions, has showed clear and purposeful thinking.

Even at this stage, it's hard to see any reason why the CARICOM heads would not accept this recommendation to include their Opposition counterparts in discussions which affect the region as a whole, irrespective of which parties are occupying power.

Crucial issues

By all accounts, the test run last year went very well, when a number of Opposition Leaders attended the CARICOM summit in St. Lucia and held historic talks on some crucial issues, including the regional single market and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

Jamaica's Opposition Leader Bruce Golding was one of the main spokespersons for the Opposition grouping and seemed to have thought the talks beneficial, based on press reports at the time.

Now that the region is moving along this new path, it seems ridiculous that we are only now getting around to it.

The reality is that Opposition parties represent huge constituencies in their respective countries, not to mention that they are governments-in-waiting. To lock them out of the corridors of power has been bad for decision-making in the Caribbean.

White elephant

In fact, had the Opposition parties been more involved in talks on controversial issues like the CCJ, maybe we wouldn't now have that resplendent white elephant sitting on our hands, never mind the weight it is putting on our pockets.

With some US$100 million invested in the court, it's shameful that only two CARICOM states have so far found use for its appellate jurisdiction.

Some will argue that the CCJ issue is 'politics' and no matter how much talks were held with Opposition parties they would still have used it as fodder for their political manoeuvrings.

Indeed, many parties hold one position in Government and quite another in Opposition. But therein lies the trick. The key thing is not to hold an Opposition party to the word it gave when it was in government but the word in gives while it is in Opposition. That can only happen if there are genuine, ongoing and inclusive discussions.

CARICOM, thankfully, has recognised this.

Vernon Daley is Jamaica editor for the CMC and part-time lecturer in media law at the University of the West Indies.