Go it alone and perish

Charmin Stewart-Williams, Guest Columnist

I wish to respond to Sunday Gleaner contributor Ronald Mason (May 5, 2013), who expressed a desire to 'kick CARICOM to the kerb'.

At a time when most countries of the world are seeking to establish themselves as part of regional blocs (ASEAN, MERCOSUR, NAFTA, Arab League, etc) in an effort to take advantage of the benefits of globalisation, Mr Mason wants Jamaica to go it alone and secede from CARICOM.

I wonder if Mr Mason has ever asked himself why it is that that one of the world's most powerful economies, China, has sought to engage CARICOM in the way that it has, outspending rival Taiwan (Republic of China) and jostling to present itself as a friend of the region. Why China, with 1.3 billion inhabitants, should want political and economic relations with tiny Grenada (105,000 persons)? It is, Mr Mason, because Grenada carries with it the weight of 14 sister countries, a not-insignificant voting bloc in the UN General Assembly.

Let us examine one instance of what happens to countries when they go it alone. They get bullied into signing Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with powerful blocs. This is what happened in the months leading up to 2008 when the European Union, with strategic divide-and-conquer precision, went from one Caribbean country to another forcing EPAs down our individual 'national throats', rather than engaging a collective ACP or CARIFORUM or CARICOM.

From my perspective, what is wrong is not the concept of CARICOM but the lack of leadership and vision of Caribbean leaders, past and present, who have chosen to pander to local politics rather than take a big-picture and visionary approach.

That we have the infamous ATM statement from a head of state (who at the time sounded more like a virago than a dignified stateswoman) is a clear indication that our leaders have not caught the vision. That we have a Shanique Myrie case before the CCJ is not necessarily evidence of a structurally flawed CSME, but again, evidence of a lack of commitment to the greater good of the region by our myopic leaders who purport to act for their respective peoples without educating them as to the strengths of a regional organisation.

DUMPING GROUND

That Jamaica has become a dumping ground for Trinidadian products is testament to the inability of our leaders to engage one another meaningfully and to utilise or strengthen the mechanisms within the regional enterprise of CARICOM to effect fair trade practices and balance.

Here is where, though, I would concede to some structural flaw in CARICOM as the (Revised) Treaty of Chaguaramas makes no provision for decisions taken by heads of government to be enforced against individual countries if they are found to be in breach. Perhaps it is time to consider implementing mechanisms used in an organisation like the European Union, though allowing for retention of important aspects of national identities and considering the economic challenges currently being faced by that body.

Going it alone is not the answer in this increasingly globalised world where economic survival will see us needing to maximise economies of scale and fully utilising the talents of our people and leveraging our voting power to the greater benefit of us all.

I do note Mr Mason's reluctance to part with the CCJ and would wish to merely state that some of the very reasons that we proffer for leaving the Privy Council would be equally applicable to a foreign Canadian appellate court, albeit one that shares our "judicial heritage and philosophy". In any case, who says the Canadians would wish to be burdened with our legal issues without any obvious benefits to them?

Let me remind Mr Mason that it is CARICOM that established a range of institutions in the fields of education, disaster management, telecommunications and meteorology, among others.

On a personal note, I have had the pleasure of visiting a number of our CARICOM sisters as well as residing in two. I kept having the feeling everywhere I went (possibly except for Suriname with its high levels of Javanese, Chinese and Amerindian populations) that I was seeing family and friends, even among the populations that were not predominantly black. I felt at home among the Muslims (blacks and Indians), Hindus, Amerindians and mixed races. Indeed, I am better off for all those interpersonal relations.

This is not to say I am unaware of the myriad of issues in CARICOM, from rude custom officers to government-subsidised Trinidadian companies. I believe, however, that we have it within us to overcome our insularity and catch the vision of what CARICOM could become!

Charmin Stewart-Williams is an attorney-at-law. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and charminstewartwilliams@gmail.com.