ECONOMY & TRADE FOCUS
CARICOM Summit 2012 The Impact on Caribbean Business A communiqué issued at the conclusion of the 33rd CARICOM Summit held in Saint Lucia from July 4 to 6 stated that the Caribbean leaders had “re-committed to achieving the original objectives of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) – including free movement of skilled Community nationals, access to the region’s resources and creating the environment for competitive production.” Following an assessment of the status of the CSME, the government heads agreed to focus strategically on the expansion of the categories of skilled CARICOM
nationals who could then move freely for the purpose of working in other member states. They also agreed that citizens of all CARICOM nations would be automatically granted a six-month stay upon entering a member state, provided there were no security problems, in order to ensure that CARICOM nationals were made welcome in all member states. It was also agreed that if any member states were able to proceed with integration at a faster rate they should be allowed to do so, provided that the door is always left open for other member states to join when they are able.
Other commitments made to the strategic focus were: creating the environment for competitive production and making key institutions more effective. With regard to the Single Economy element of the CSME, the heads agreed on specific, but as yet undisclosed, elements of the Work Programme and Timetable for implementation in the short to medium term. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Dr. Kenny Anthony. This section details some of the issues discussed at the Summit.
Secretary General Urges Quicker Steps to Free Movement of CARICOM People “We must stop seeing each other as foreigners”
LAROCQUE...We have to tackle the attitudes at the borders
The difficulties being experienced by CARICOM nationals in moving freely across borders in the region is one of the challenges that Secretary General Irwin LaRocque acknowledges must be resolved if the ideal of integration is to be achieved. It is also an issue that will significantly influence public response to LaRocque's drive to reform the regional bloc in order to make it more relevant to the needs of citizens, particularly the youth. "There's a phobia, and I think we have to stop seeing each other as foreigners," LaRocque declared during a discussion in Jamaica. Admitting that the sense of reBusinessFocus Sept / Oct
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gionalism that existed in the 1960s among the people of the Caribbean had waned significantly, LaRocque said, "The construct we have has probably lost sight of the people of the region... the people have changed." Speaking directly to complaints by CARICOM nationals of border control harassment, LaRocque said, "If we don't address this issue we're going to have a problem; and it's not just how you treat people when they go across the border, or the fact that the hassle makes you feel like a non-belonger, it's a reality. It's a political issue in and of itself, you know. It's one of attitude, it's almost a phobia. I don't know why we're afraid of ourselves." According to LaRocque, immigration laws in the region inhibit rather than encourage movement. "We have to tackle the attitudes at the borders," he insisted. "Our immigration officers wield a lot of authority and discretion and it's going to take a lot to change that mindset." But that, he argued, must be pushed by the region's governments who need to recognise that the movement of people is vital to CARICOM's survival.
"There is a view, particularly among the youth, that CARICOM is too much about business and businessmen and women," he said. "All they hear about is trade and not enough about people. I hear that when I go on the ground among the youth, who are the future of this region. So, to some extent, we need to be aware of that as well." With that in mind, LaRocque said he will give a lot of focus to communication and will utilise social media to get the attention of young people in the region. "What the youth have said to me is: All the fancy brochures that you have prepared, they don't read them; they have no time to read them. The [CARICOM] website is a curiosity they might go on once in a blue moon. They've been very frank and critical in the way we're communicating," said the Secretary General. He said a fear expressed to him by youngsters in one Eastern Caribbean state is that of losing jobs to nationals from other countries. "People want to move, but they're afraid of moving," LaRocque said, but argued that any such movement would balance out because not everybody would move to another country.