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Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter

The contentious issue of the free movement of CARICOM nationals through the 15 member states remained stalled yesterday as regional leaders closed their 31st heads of government meeting in Montego Bay, St James.

But CARICOM Chairman Bruce Golding argued that efforts are under way to remove stumbling blocks.

"We have not been able to move to absolute free movement. That is the dream ... . That is the intention of the CSME (CARICOM Single Market and Economy) but it is something that will take time and we are going to have to look at the raw, practical difficulties that some countries would have," Golding, Jamaica's prime minister, told the closing media briefing of the heads of government meeting.

Huge disparities

He noted that CARICOM's 15 member states face huge disparities in population numbers, which add to the problems surrounding seamless transit.

"You take a country that has a population of under 100,000 people and it is part of community with countries with populations of almost three million or over 10 million and the issue of having absolute free movement ... places challenges for some of the smaller territories.

"I don't think some of the commentators fully appreciate the dimension and significance of that," Golding said.

He argued that a flood of migrants to a small state could put pressure on that government's ability to provide services like housing, schools and health facilities.

"This is something that we have to work towards, and I don't think we should be crucified because so many years after the CSME was brought in we have not reached there. We need to move more progressively and more steadily towards achieving that," added Golding.

He accepted that there were too many complaints from Caribbean nationals who are treated poorly at ports of entry and urged heads of government to address that matter quickly.

The free movement of skills initiative originated in the 1989 Grand Anse Declaration of CARICOM but has been modified over the years.

It allows the free movement of persons and the right, even without a work permit, to seek employment in any CARICOM state.

CARICOM has so far approved the free movement across the region of persons, including those with university degrees; artists and musicians; sportsmen and sportswomen; nurses, teachers, and domestic helpers.