Caricom perspective, no 70, june 2001

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PERSPECTT\TE '?,-"yrtth-n;

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ECONCMIC VIASILIry

GOOD GOVEKNANCE WI DEN

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IN TAKTNEK9IIIT WITH CIVIL EOCIETY I

NSTITU TIONA L STRENGTHEN I NG

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Issuc No. 70, Jtrrre 2001 ISSN 025.1962X

Cove r:

Concept: Volderine Hackett and Chekama Skeete Design: Chekama Skeete

Chords in Regional Harmony Edwin Carrington

3

Signposts to the Development ofJudicial Institutions: the Caribbean Court ofJustice Sheldon A. McDonalcl 6

Edi tor: Volderine Hackett

Editorial Team: Louis A. Daniel, Jacqueline Wiltshire Forde,

The Nature of Discourse: Latin America and the Caribbean Cum'en Best

-

1l

Steven

McAndrew, Sandra Granger

Crossing All Boundaries: Images in Caribbean Art Ameena Gafoor

Design and

Layout: Jeane Skeete and Amera Jones

-

l8

(Re)conceptualising Caribbean Cultural

Identity: Epistemic Shifts

-

Richard L.W. Clarke

Grateful thanks: (for interviews) Dr. Compton Bourne, Hon. Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Charles Maynard, Hon.John Osborne, Ian Randle, Joel Webbe

(for Photos) Ovid

Edwards, Felton

Ince

(GIS,

Barbados), Caribbean Beat; Association of Caribbean States 2000: Bahamas Handbook 2001 (for French translation) Edward Alexander (other assistance) Rose Blenman, Jewel Crosse, Ovid Edwards, Stella Griffith, Claude Hogan, Dr. Glenford

Howe, Desiree McDonald, Jo1' Wilson, Margaret

Worrel

23

Mainstreaming Youth in Development Armstrong Alexis

26

A Return to Glory? - Donna Symmonds Shell Cricket Academy - Barry Collymore

30 .).)

The Virtual Learning Sociery Glenford D. Howe

34

Haiti - The Other Face (La Face Inconnu d'Haiti) - Interview with Charles Maynard Yolderine Hackett

39-46

Success Stories: -Celebrating Ten Years of Independent Publishing: Interview with Ian Randle Hazel Campbell

-Making the Right

47

Choice:

Interview with Joel Webbe -

The Standard of the Caribbean Communin' features a blue blackground - the upper part being oflight blue representing the sky and the lower part of a dark blue representing the Caribbean Sea. The yellow circle in rhe cenrre of the Standard represents the sun.

::;il:"',t;:tt"g

B i"

black is the logo or the caribbean

The narrorv ring of green around the sun represents the vegetation ofthe Region.

Articles mav be reproduced in part or r-hollv, nith due credit given to the publication.

CARICOM PERSPECTIVE is published oncc a year and reports on the work, achievements and problems of the Caritr_ bean Community. It is issued free of charge to readers in the Communirv.

Published by: The CARICOM Secrerariar Communications Unit, Bank of Guyana Building PO.Box. 10827, Georgetown, Guyana, S.A. Email: carisec3@caricom.org

Volderine Hackett

5l

Caricom Family for 22nd Summit Country Profile: The Bahamas

54

Changing

lolrrr

of the Guards: lrt', \'l()ntsetlat

()shor

Rrlph (lrrrs:rlrt.s. St \iirrccnt & flr<

Intlies

6l

(

lx'n;rciirrcs 64

()onrptorr liorrlnt.'. (IDI] - Volderine Hacke

tt

Governance and Caribbean Elections Neville Duncan

The Case for Power Sharing - David

Hinds

68

72 7b

Offshore Financial Centres, Global Financial

Governance & Resistance: Bringing Caribbean NGOs In - Don Marshall 80

Strengthening Relations among Regional Enyironmental Organisation. --

Vincent Sweene,v

New Challenges for

87

Management-Labour

Relations - Andre Vincent H"enrv Global Food Securiry - Clive y. Thomas

93 9g

Caribbean Trade and Investment Report 2000 - Maurice Odle A Demographic Profile of the Caribbean -

102

References

llt

David Achanfuo PrintedbyCole'sPrinteryLtd.,Vtildey,St.Michael,Barbaclos.l,ibst

'c7

Yeboah

104

CARICOM Perspecti|e June 2001

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fhis issue of Perspective focuses significantly on I tn. future of the Cariblrean Region. It is indeed fitting that in this millennium year we not only address the challenges, but also the available options

before us. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is confronted with twin challenges. On the one hand, it has to accelerate the process towards achieving a single market and single economy. On the other, it has to increase its competitiveness in a global system in which the conferring of preferences as well as

Edwin Carrington Secrctun-General of the Caribbean ConunwtiA'

of small size and r.ulnerability are rapidly being dismantled. In this context, it is

consideration necessary to

outcomes

point out that, in

of the

essence, the projected

C"q.RICOM Single Market and

Economy (CSME) are intended to optimise the allocation of the Region's resources, increase the

output of goods and services through integrated production, and provide greater access for national producers to the Caribbean market as well as to markets further afield.

In pursuit of these positive outcomes, it is also recognised that enhanced competitiveness of regionally produced goods in the global market means that the productive sector will assume greater prominence in revenue earning, and that regional companies stand to benefit from the impact of profitability, but most of all are the benefits identified with free movement of Caribbean people within the CSME and the opportunities for investment, service provision and employment.

While these anticipated benefits

may

appear to be lofty ideals, their achievement is now, more than ever before, vital to the survival of the Community. The Political will, leadership, commit-

ment, private/public sector collaboration, involvement of cir,'il society, and the cultural vitality of

regionalism are all attributes that have been advocated time and time again. The articles in this issue help us to grapple with the elements of the Region's aspirations that go beyond stated intentions.

Like a well ordered symphony, they strike essential chords in which structure and function form part of a

by which each movement produces a finale which resonates beyond the

cohesive process and

boundaries of the imagination. (.\RICOll

PenptLtit r' .lunL' 2()() |

Institutiond Strengthening is an important

r:hord that is common to many articles, but is highlighted most in McDonald's "Signposts to the I)evelopment of Judicial Institutions in the Caribbean ()ommunity: The Referral Procedure of the Agreement listablishing the Caribbean Court OfJustice (CCJ) "and in Sweeney's "Strengthening Relationships among

Ikgional Environmental Organisations".

'ft .l-

is clear that both advocates and adversaries of the

Cu.iUUean Court of Justice (CCJ) recognise irs lundamental value to the sustainability of the CSME. lfhe CQ will function as an international tribunal for

lhe interpretation and application of the revised llreaty of Chaguaramus. One of the salient issues presented and worth emphasising is that the rights :rnd obligations created by the CSME are quite oxtensive. Therefore a permanent, central, regional

judicial institution is essential to deal with the r:stablishment of economic enterprises, the movernent of capital and the acquisition of land for the operation of business.

The Court is also intended to be an entiry ,vith independent authority, moving from country to rrountry in its capacity as a final Court of Appeal in ,:ivil and criminal decisions from the Courts of Appeal

A-* in various Member States of the Caribbean Communigv. This aspect of the Court's actir,itv replaces the Prirl' Council's present role in some It is a significant part of institutional strengthening and consolidates a Caribbean social identity and secures Caribbean nationhood. It also Member States.

deals directly with the presen'ation of the Caribbean

citizen's rights; guarantees constitutional protection; and supenises the benefits of Caribbean integration in a way that no foreign jurisdiction can. The signing of the Agreement to establish the CCJ in February 2001 by all but two Prime Ministers, ar the InrerSessional Meeting of Heads of Government, in Barbados rvas therefore both svmbolic and historic.

The completion of the remaining steps for the establishment of the Court is a crucial and urgent task

of ir.rstitution-building for the Caribbean people.

I nother chord in the Perspective is that of ,( l. Governance, It forms the basis of Neville Dtrncan's "Recent Elections in the Caribbean" rvhich offers a major challenge for greater incltrsiveness in

the structure of

decision-making,

rvith

specific

implications for partnerships throtrgh functional cooperation. This rderv is supported bv the cogent arguments in the contribution "Mainstreaming Youth in the Development Process" by Alexis, which identifies the dynamics as rvell as the imperatives of youth empowerment for the sustainability of regionalism.

The establishment of the Caribbean Youth Ambassadors Programme rvas institutionalised this 1'ear by the signing of the instrumenrs of Office b,v the Communitr"s current Chairman, Prime Minister Orven Arthur. It demonstrates the Communih"s recognition of the significant role that I'ouths plaf in

be highlighted is the CARICOM Quasi Cabinet in rvhich Prime Ministers are allocated Portfolios with regional responsibiliry for specific areas of the Community's programmes. Prime Minister Kennv

Anthonv of Saint Lucia, for example, has responsibiliq' for _|ustice and Governance and has been active in responding to a number of regional issues on go\rernance, particularly with respect to Guyana and Haiti. The Region may well need ro ponder the feasibilitv of Prof. Duncan's suggestion to establish a Permanent Electoral Observer Commission for the Region.

The Community as an expanding zone is in Maynard's contribution on Haiti. It provides insights into the people and their unique illtrstrated

for survival, their undiminished creatiritv expressed through the art form nurtured bv a continuum of oppression and poverty, dictatorship and destruction of an1' mo\/ement towards the democratic processes. Given Haiti's pending entn- into the Communin', its current features, their struggle

demographic conditions reveal the stark realit,v of the challenges confronting both Haiti and the Communin'. The commitment to embrace Haiti within the democratic traditions of the Caribbean Community

is, however, fully demonstrated by CARICOM's determination in monitoring its electoral process, and more recently, in the establishrnent of a CARICOM Office in Haiti to assist that counrry's transition to membership of the Communiq'. one arricle in this volume focuses on Haiti, \Aftt.

Y Y it triggers a reminder that the Community's outreach is also illustrated by a series of special trade agreements with the Dominican Republic and Cuba, as well as systematic cultural exchange programmes

cletermining the future of the Region. However the re are dilemmas to be faced. High ur-remplovnrent, dnrq

rith the latter. The collaboration with

and alcohol abuse and, more recentlr, the high incidence of HIV/AIDS associared rvith the 1444 r'ear old group, particularly among volrng women, require

ACP States (CARIFORUM), and the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) and, the growing links benveen the CARICOM States and the French

urgent attention. CARICOM musr heed the call

partments and tl-re Dutch Caribbean, strike another important chord in an expanding regional scenario. In this regard, the Communitv's emphasis on accelerated language training programmes take on added urgencv and significance. In fact,

by

Armstrong to collaborate with relevant social partners to implement "vouth empowering strategies".

One institutional innovation that needs to

Spanish-

speaking Caribbean through the Caribbean Forum of

De

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r.wt tirL .lutr )t)t)I

*-/'*

CARICOM is intent on collaborating with all partners in bringing language to the people.

Cleveral of the contributions to this volume

)

nur-orliouslv blend into those that mav

be

labeled as Challenges of a multisectoral nature. The anallses bv Thomas orr food secrtritl'; b1' Henry on production patterns ancl labottr management relations; bv Srveenev on ent'ironntental changes; and Yeboah on demographic profiles, all help us to focus on issues that are all related to the development of

human resource capabilities and sustainable development. Indeed, labotrr management strikes a deep chord in the process of labour standards that are

in the evolution of the fiee movement of persons under the CSME. Then in respect of planning for the future, it is instructire to note the polic,v irnplications of an ageing population trend and the requirements for geriatric sen'ices Howe's critical

"Foreign Education Providers and the Changing Face of Education Provisiot'r ir-r the Anglophone Caribbean" and the issue of virtrral eclucation - made more real by telecommunications - forces us to recognise this effective alternative to the traditional class room,

with its possible impact on adult increasing access at variotrs levels of the educational education and

spectrum. Aclditionally, rve have been implored to examine sport as an essential element of development. Insightful relbrms suggested bv Svmmonds to the organisation of our cricket parallel the richness of the outcomes of the Cricket Conference, organised in

ol'investment strategies, it is quite clear that there ls great potential and greater need for organisation. In the context of the contentious OECD ruling on harmfirl tax practices, the need for more coherent and inclusive approaches have been fully recognisecl b), Caribbean Governments. And the response of the USA Government provided the counten'ailing alliance that bolstered the Caribbean's case. However, the future requires urgent attention and continued vigilance and unitv

The important role of Civil Society in strstainable development recurs in almost all presentations. It is recognition that social partnerships extend beyond the traditional party/labour coalitions and embraces the private sector, the NGOs and the wide spectrum of communitv organisations.

The,v dernand a saf in the governance structure and a v<>ice in decision-rnaking. The Commttnitv is rcsponding to this demand b1'organising civil societv consultations at national levels which will evolve into a maior international conference 'Fonvard Togetl-rer'.

The event is intended to provide a

constr-ttctive

dialogue on critical development issues between civil society and regional governmental structures. changes at the helm of regional Qignificant U gouernance are reflected in this issue. This

change

in

governance

in St. Vincent and

the

Grenadines, with the departure of the veteran SirJames Nlitchell and of the coming on board of Dr' Ralph Gonsalves, r'irtualll' completed the changeover from the

the

first post-independence leadership' The situation is nearly matched in historical significance by the

perfbrmance of our West Indies Cricket Team to the

changeover at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)

of earlier years.

Economic viability through investment strategies is the focus of the articles by Odle and Marshall. They offer a range of solutions based on empirical analysis. .Marshall's "Offshore Financial Centres, Global Financial Governance and Resistance: Bringing Caribbean NGOs " presents some interesting polices for anti-monev laundering and tax competition as well as novel ideas about the role of NGOs in "tider public resistance to the arbitrary

from Sir Neville Nicholls to Dr. Compton Bourne.

While some were going and others coming.

2000 bv CARICOM

in

collaboration rvith the ll\trl.

Thel' may prove invaluable in returning standards

Montserrat's John Osborne, who had earlier come and gone, came back at the helm of his cotrntry's

no doubt bringing tons of experience - a product he needs a lot - to deal with the much

aFfairs,

changed Montserrat. We will hear herein from all three incumbents in their o'rvn words.

social hierarchies and exclusions that global financial

It is hoped that this issue of Perspective a profound insight into the path forward to the ftlture of the Caribbean' and an

structures,/regimes seemingl,v encourage"' In the case

enriching experience.

C.\RIC0.\l PL'r\Pt

ti\

r

'liln< :ot)l

provides both

,{-ni.

CARIC O M Perspectite .l u ne 2d) I

)LA Srelposrs To TIE Drvrrcpvrrr oF Jr orcnr lmrrlncNs The Referral Procedure of the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Court Of Justice

a

the Court ofJustice of the Andean Community

a

the Central American Court of Justice the CourtofJustice of the Common Marketfor Eastern and Southern Africa th eJudicial Tribunal of the Economic Community

a

Introduction

-f-h. process of establishin gthe Caribbean Court of L lustir. [CCJ] involves not only logistical tasks, or tasks involving the securing of the necessary resources, physical structures and infrastructure required to ensure its effective operation once inaugurated. Of equal importance is the need to begin developing a body of literature upon which the newjudicial institution can turn for reflections on how similar tribunals operate. The Courr will have two jurisdictions Ban Appellate and an Original. ln the

former sphere, the jurisprudence of the court systems of the Member States, up to and including theJudicial Committee of the Priry Council [where applicable]

will be of inestimable value. In terms of the original jurisdiction, there is almost no jurisprudence indigenous to tl:'e Caribbean Communify. There are a few cases in which national courts have been required to takejudicial notice of the Dickenson BayAgreement Establishing the Cartbbean Free Trade Area and the Treaty of Chaguaramas Establishing the Cartbbean

Community. These however, have not been of sufficient judicial weight to be seen as exceptional. In consequence, the Courtwill be relying heavily a lot on the jurisprudence of other international tribunals concerned with the interpretation and application of the constituent instruments of regional economic

of WestNrican States Naturally, the relevance of each for the work of the CQ/ will vary. The tribunals treating with Developing Country disputes will be of importance

from the point of view of how they apply the law flexibly, given the levels of development of the participants. The DSB of t}:'e WTO will assist in the interpretation and application of universal trade law norms in a >non-sympathetic= context. The IQ and the ITLOS will be able to give guidance in terms of general international law, and that law applied in the more discrete context of one issue-area, the Law of the Sea.

Without a doubt, the potentially

contributors to the growth and development of the new and still emerging legal order of the Caribbean Communitywlll be the Europ ean Court ofJustice, and the Court of First Instance of the European Communities. The newer Courtof the EuropeanFree Trade Area will also be of relevance, given it is interpreting and applying rules between the very

strict European Union and the more

allirms:

integration movements. It will rely, to a lesser extent,

NI

judicial

or international law in

a

specific context.

These tribunals include:

. . o .

InternationalTribunalfor

ideas on the fitture of the Community's sy,stem

musttake into accountthree

findame ntal re quire me nts : - the need to secure the unity of CommuniE

Iaw by means ofa supreme court;

the International Court ofJustice the

flexible

European Free Trade Area, particularly as these have been expressed in the European Economic Area Agreement. An EU document on iuJudicial systems

on tribunals with wider membership concerned with general international law

greatest

the

Lawof the

Sea

the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade

- the need to ensure that thejudicial system

Organization

is transparent, comprehensible and accessible to the public;

the Court ofJustice of the European Communities

and the Court of First Instance of the European

t

dispense justice without

Cp,mmunities

- the need to

theEuropeanFreeTradeAreaCourt

unacceptable delay.l

CARICOM Perspecti'e June 2001

ry Sheldon Mc Donald, P roj e c t Cao rd i n ato r, C CJ

"\-x These requirements are as fundamental for as for the judicial system of the European

Provisions of Constituent Instruments

dealing with the referral procedures

CARICOM

Union.Indeed, it

is arguably the case

that they may be

of greater, more primordial importance to

the

former, given that it is just about to begin the journey of comprehensive, coherent and cohesive legal ordering after a quarter century of existence.

Within the conrexr of the CCJs Original Jurisdiction, the ensuing discussion will focus on tfie in the development of for Referrals from National Tribunals.

approaches the Courtmaywish to take

the Procedure

The discussion rests on the posit that: The preliminary ruIing system ...[wiII bel..the veritable corner stone of the operation of the...[Caribbean Single Market and Economy[...since... [the Court wiII playl ...a findamental role in ensuring that

iu a view to

the law established by the Treaty retains

Community character with

Sheldon

MAonald

guaranteeing that the law has the same effect in all circumstances in aII the Member States...Any weakening, even if only potential, of the uniform application and interpretation of Community law throughout the... [Community]...wiII be

liable to give rise to distortions of competition and discrimination between economic operators, thus jeopardizing

equality of opportunity between those operators and consequently the proper functioning of the internal market.2 One of the essential tasks of the new Courf will be to "...ensure just suclr a uniform interpretation, and

it...[wiil discharge]...that duty by answering

the questions putto itbythe national courts and tribunals.

The discussion will be structured on the basis of a comparative analysis of the empowering prorisions

given to t}l'e CCJ as well as an analvsis of the jurisprudential bases for the new Treaty of Chaguaramas regime will be presented. Recent discussions of this procedure on the European Union,

in an effort to improve the presented, as we may therein.

situation will also be find markers for the future

(i) Referrals The Agreement Establishing The Caribbean Court

of Justice deals in Part II with the Original Jurisdiction There is a provision on

t|r'e Jurtsdiction

of the Court in Contentious Proceedings. Article IX (a) (c) states that subject to tl:'e Treaty, the institution shall have exclusive jurisdiction to deliverjudgment on: "referrals from national courts or tribunals of Contracting Parties to this Agreement."

The requirement thar this be 'subject to the Treaty' is so stated because it is precisely that instrument which juridically empowers the Courf to exercise this jurisdiction. The corresponding provision is Article XXIX of Protocol IX on Dispute Settlement Closely related to this aspecr of the jurisdicrion is

Article IX(f) which makes it clear rhat the jurisdiction is to the exclusion of any and all other tribunals, as well as being compulsory: "7. Contracting Parties agree that they recognize as compulsorf, ipso facto and

without special agreement, the original jurisdiction of the Court provided for in Article I){(a).

2.

In

the event of a dispute as to whether the

Court hasjurisdiction, the matter shall be determined by a decision of the Court."

The corresponding Protocol IX provision is Article XXXV. The entitlement is further elaborated on in Article IX(c) [Protocol IXArticle XXXII.] which srares that:

"Where a nartonal court or tribunal of a Contracting Party is seized of ' an issue whose resolution involves a question concerning the interpretation or application of the Treaty, the court or tribunal

concerned shall,

if it considers that a

decision on the question is necessary to enable it to deliver judgment, refer the question to the Court for determination befo re delive ringj udge me nt. " CARICOM Perspectiye June 2001

*A The first point to be made is that, just as in the constituent instrument of the European Union, it is stipulated that any national court may refer. On the other hand, the provision goes on to state 'or a tribunal.'It will therefore be possible for quasijudicial and other tribunals to refer questions to rhe Court.

It

"Where any such question is raised in a pending before a court or tribunal of a Member State against whose decision case

there is no iudicial remedv under national law. that court or tribunal shall brinq the matter before the Court of Iustice. "

is quite understandable that at the outset, while

there will be many issues involving the determination of the rights and obligations of entities or persons under the revised Treaty of Chaguaramzn, some effort

judicial

Many of the senior tribunals in several Members States of the European Communities went through various contortions, before finally acknowledging the foregoing was a complete and perfect legal rule, not

institution from questions which may be frivolous. We a 'filtration' process which the European Court ofJustice is presently requesting. [More on this

easily susceptible to misinterpretation. In fact, the Commission found it necessary to take action before t};e ECJ against those Member States for failure to

infra.l

fulfil their obligations when national courts ignored the Treaty and failed to apply, or misapplied Community law. Tll'e situation is obviously much more settled now. It is also instructive to note that there is even an 'export model of the referral procedure. The Member States of the European Union concluded an Agreement on the European Economic Area with the Member States of the

will still need to be made to insulate the

new

may need

The comparable provision in the European Union regime is to be found at Article 234 of tt'e Consolidated Version of the Treaty Establishing the European Community [formerly Article 177 of the Treaty of Rome.l The Article provides that the Courf

of Justice "...shall have jurisdiction to

gtve

pre liminary rulings concerning:

(a) the interpretation of this Treaty; O) the validity and interpretation of

acts

of

the institutions of the Community and of

the ECB;

(c) the interpretation of the

statutes of bodies established by an act of the Council, where those statutes so provide."

The second paragraph mandates that:

"[w]here such a question is raised before any court or tribunal of aMember State, that court or tribunal may, if it considers

that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment, request the Court of Justice to give a

European Free Trade Area. ThatAgreement required the establishment of a Court of Justice of the EFTA States. That however, did not prevent the Parties to tbe EEA Agreement from elaborating a Protocol whereby courts and tribunals of Member States of Eff[A could have recourse to the European Cowrt of

Justice for decisions on the interpretation of EEA rules corresponding with EC rules. The Protocol has three articles, two of them substantive:

'1.When aquestion ofinterpretation of the provisions of the Agreement, which are identical in substance to the provisions of the Treaties estzblishing the European

ruling thereon."

In other words, and as further discussion will

or of

elaborate on, all courts or tribunals of Member States

arises

have the facility of making a request for a preliminary

ruling from the ECJ. But, there is a discretion as whether this will actually occur or not. On the other hand, the final paragraph closes what could have been a major lacuna:, CARICOM Perspective June 20Ol

Communities, as amended or supplemented, acts adopted

in

pursuance thereof,

in a case pending before a court or tribunal of an EFTA State, the court or tribunal may, if it considers this necessary, Court ofJustice of the European

ask the

Communities to decide on such a question.

,{-x An EFTA State which intends to make use

there could be a crisis of no mean proportions. It may

of this Protocol shall nortty the Depositary and the Court ofJustice of the European Communities to what extent and according to what modalities the Protocol wiII apply to its courts and tribunals." [Protocol t4]

therefore be prudent to assess the findings of the Working Party to ascertain what we may begin to think about when similar problems arise in our own

2.

arrangements.

on

The ensuing discussion therefore draws heavily those findings, repeating some directly and

making an effort to adapt others, or plainly

TacHing some problems before they arise

presenting them and offering relevant comments

I iven the new and extensive rights \-fobligations which will be involved in

and

thereon.

the

The Working Party rejected a suggestion that involved making courts of frnal instance the only

Caribbean Single MarketandEconomy, it iswith every confidence that one anticipates a very healy workload for the Caribbean Court of Justice. Additionally, as with the European experience, certain facets of the

institution's jurisdiction

will

become the beacon, lighting the way forward in the uniform application of Coamunity law. For this reason, there is great empathy with the following declaration from the Commission of the European Communities:

"The preliminaty ruling procedure is undoubtedly the keystone of the Communitys's legal order. Forty years' experience have shown that it is the most effective means of securing the uniform application Co mmunity

of

law throughout

the Union and thatitis an

courts to refer questions. For similar reasons they rejected another proposal which called for excluding only references from national courts offirstinstance.

It has already been indicated that after much discussion CARICOM opted to use the same approach as the European regime. All first instance courts are included. Additionally, the fact that 'other tribunals' could make referrals means that first instance quasi;judicial and other bodies will be able to engage in dialogue with the CCJ. In the case of the Working Party, the decision to reject the proposals arose from the fact that up to the end of 1998, some threequarters of the preliminary questions referred ab initio, came from first instance courtsa Therefore.,. to deny

access

to the Court..,

for

the national courts which have hitherto referred the great m4jority of preliminary guestions would make excessiye inroads

exceptional factor for integration owing to the simple, direct dialogue which it establisft es with national courts.a

into the co-operation and dialogue which must be maintained bettyeen national

With that thought in mind therefore, one may attempt a discussion which is pre-emptive. Certain issues surrounding the judicial system of the EU have

courts and Community Courts.

They took the view that this kind of reform could have a "...perverse eIfect.,. "at the national level. This would occur by way of litigant being encouraged

been the focus of discussion for years and are now the

"...or at least the richer ones, to pursue

subject of consideration by their Inter-Governmental

their

conference. A Working Party was established by the Commission in May 1999 and adopted its report in January of this year. [Report by the Working Party on

in order to gainaccess to the Courtof Justice by referring a question for a preliminary ruling."5

the Future of the Communities' Court Systeml One of the startling features noted was that preliminary

rulings increased from l4l in 1990 to 246 in 1998, a 87Vo increase. If that were to happen in CARICOM,

cases

right through to the very highest

courts

In the words of the report, t}l'e aim is definitely not to create congestion in national courts of first instance. cont'd on p 108 CARICOM Perspectiye June 2d)l

-.&-A Trr Nm

RE

cF Dcpr- Lnp Dsccl

CAIiIBBEAI

Introduction

AID

psE:

LATII.I AI\IEAICA

to fit in, to adjust to global conditions and The latest global maxim to which one now directives. always ours

ry

has to do with interaction. It has to do f-lialoSue action and reaction, give and take. It is also '|--rwith an exercise in the exertion of power. Dialoguing or

has to adhere is

CwwenBest, (Ph.D) Iecmrer, Facultyof Humanities, UWI, Cave

trading (in) words is tantamount to trading in power.

see its nations

Global relations at all levels can be seen in terms of dialogue, in terms of trading (in) words. There is, therefore, an unlimited number of power struggles in all cultures that dialogue will confront. Because of this

bad thing at all, for regional peoples should

inevitability, we must begin to interrogate the nature

of the dialogues between Latin America and the Caribbean, by way of better understanding the potential for future engagement.

In the current juncture of global politics, the will to access power is no less an imperative than it used to be during the Cold War era. The present global structure professes to provide greater access to power for all nations. This is the intention of concepts such as 'free trade', 'parity' and 'interactive technology'.

But, the underlying philosophies that support these developments within the new world order scoff at alternative ways of viewing the present global trend.

National and so-called peripheral territories are therefore silenced for fear of being seen as backward thinkers in this progressive era. It is no secret that current global structures and procedures are created within Europe and the USA; and there is little direct input sought from peripheral territories. In a region like the Caribbean, it is apparent that administrations do not fully grasp the way in which the world is constructed. I deliberately choose the word constructed since, I want to suggest that the current global set-up is not a natural condition, and the world is not as it is by chance. It did not evolve on its own.

There are underlying ideologies and forces of power that help to fashion the world.

The world as we encounter it today is an experience created by a few people, for many. The imperatives of Western industrialised nations have always seemed to dictate the terms of existence for countries in the South. That is why every now and again, our societies are at a moment's notice, suddenly thrown into some new climate; some new trade regime; some new aid Programme. The task is CARICOM Perspecti'e June 2001

that

national cultures are dead!

Regionalism is a better concept, a better word to utter.

Popular political discourse admonishes the region to in blocs and mega-blocs. This is not a be

united. But for what reasons should nations like those in Latin America and the Caribbean harmonise? For what reasons do these nations now think to do so? Is this being done out of personal conviction and with mutual respect for neighbours? Or is the region simply responding to directives from the West?

Cultural Ventriloquism

,t part of the reality of current existence is that ./L..gio^ul territories continue to experience the condition of what I call, cultural ventriloquism. This has to do with the manipulation of societies by external sources. It is significant that while the region struggles to put up the outer structures which Western democracies dictate, we do not assess the underlying

hidden politics which manipulate us and throw us into an infinite spin. Contemporary history has seldom allowed regions like ours in the South to formulate our agendas and consolidate a Position for our-selves, and within wider global politics. Current history also denies us that opportunity by blurring the

of our

situations. We never therefore are allowed to see our- selves. And we never have the opportunity to see our co-related others. Latin America and the Caribbean share a common sPace' yet we are so far apart in so many ways. I want to suggest that our 'farness' is a real concern' and before these societies can contemplate trade, these nations must interrogate those barriers which impede the

reality

transfer of products and cultures.

It is a positive initiative taken by Ministers of Ctrlture of the Region to decide to focus on culture and trade, at the lO'h Annual Meeting in Barbados.

Dialogue is critical, especially when one is able to do so directly, without hindrance. I want to suggest though, that our dialogues, our contact within the region, are marked by the Presence of interference'

Hill

1 {

focwingonculture & Signing the Declantion

of

Santo Domingo-aimed at elabonting a medium-to

long+erm str.ategyforpromotingfunctional ct><tperationandconcened action in theRegion

There is never direct contact really between Latin America and the Caribbean. There is always

naive to think that confrontation, impasse, and the thirst for power are dead in the new millennium.

hindrance and interference. There is always deferral.

A dominant philosophical position holds the view that we are in an age of free trade, interactirifi,,

In the current global climate it is critical

to

understand the nature of the distance and difference

which is constructed between the Caribbean and Latin America. There is need to examine the methods

by which leading economic countries displace our association.

As the world is presenrly consrirured, the major power centres have set themselves up in opposition to other cultures, especially those in the South. I do not need to spell out how this is done, except to say that

the end of the Cold War has seen the further consolidation of power in the USA. The new paradigm which has surfaced is one in which the dominant culture gestures towards others and feigns/ pretends dialogue. Because this dialogue between the

dominant economic nations and their others

is

concocted, there is inherent tension. As in anv such dialogue, there is a struggle for control of discourse.

All human relations are constituted by this struggle. Ir takes place in its most base, open and violent form in

high tension areas like the Middle East. It is therefore

and international dialogue. But regions like ours do not trust that outlook. The peoples of the South are aware that 'free trade' means unlimited access for the more powerful entities. International dialogue means

being given a voice to acquiesce to special interest 'international' agencies. Interactive technologies like

the Internet and satellite media are really, for the most part, still one-way interactive systems. So, this is

the foundation upon which this article.

I build further

ideas in

Virtual Trade speak of trade usually they are guided by the economists. They tend to mean the actual transfer of commodities and services. For example, a country exports raw sugar and imports

\\

/hen people

refined sugar. That is trade

as we perceive

it in

most

cases. However, trade needs

to be understood in other terms, especially in the current global context. There CARICOM Percpectire June 2001

,LA is also what might be termed virtual trade. This has to

do with the process of transfer of culture in rrontraditional ways. Sometimes this trade is clandestine.

It is hidden in many guises, but the reality is that societies are actively involved in virtual trade every day. Every creative act which we nurture within our societies is a virtual product for actual trade.

Uninhibited direct dialogue is to my mind the most promising moment for the creation of trade. Still, direct dialogue is an ideal.

When we speak with others, across cultures, we are immediately set about by a number of ideological

and other barriers. To our dialogues we bring language,/s, history, indeed our cultures. There is no

one who can divest him,/herself of these hindrances, these assets. People are in varying degrees loaded with the ideologies that possess their society. So, in

before there was an infrastructure of communication across the region, and the region was unable to lbrge a unified federated state. There was a division into

approximately 17 separate republics. The establishment of these was marked by mutual dislike, rivalry and hostility. This situation was fostered and perpetuated by foreign commercial interests for their own ends. Foreign interests and foreign migrants from

Europe maintained healy presence in the region overtime. Foreign capital can be said to have modernized Latin America, but the foreign investors have extracted more than their fair share ofresources.

The critical shift in the 20th Century from Europe to the USA did not bring about any better condition for most of the population.

De-education

most cases, we can be found carrying the barriers and

bridges of our particular states. It is not so much the language barrier that divides us, as

it is our own

encounter with history, and an inability to perceive beyond the barriers which history has constructed both for, and between us.

Geographically we are close to each other, yet at the level of dialogue, discourse and communication we do not speak directly to each other. For the most partwe encounter each other (as if) through a cultural translator. That is, the television, the sound and print media, popular culture monoliths which all have their origination in other cultures. For some people in the

Caribbean, Latin America is a hazy area in their overall knowledge of the world. We can barely fill in the names of countries on a map of Latin America. We

do a little Latin American history at school. We encounter Latin America on account of Latin America's experiences with colonial European powers. In some later stage of life, one discovers that

Latin America is a region of great diversity. It

is

problematic to lump that regional area together.

Latin America is made up of societies that possess

rich natural and physical resources. These have been exploited from the early 16'h century, by Spain and Portugal. This was the situation for some three centuries, until some political independence came in the earlv 19'h century. Independence was achieved CARICOM Perspective June 20Ol

rF-rhere is the sense in which the nations of the -L r.glon must go through. what Kamau Brathwaite calls a process of de-education. They must unlearn many of the things that have been fed to them. The Caribbean and Latin America have, in many resPects, only met each other through television, and through images created by external powers. The region needs to begin to interrogate these images.

speaking across cultures CARIFESTA, a meeting

-

place for CaribLrean peoples

Regional governments must begin to consider the new important site of global confrontation. It is in the sphere of popular culture. This is an age where popular culture media are responsible fbr much more than one slrpposes. A frightful realin'is that although

regional peoples and governments convene meetings and introduce themselves for the first time, thev have

already been constructed in the minds of their counterparts. They have alreadv had a vicarious

encounter. These have been had through the television, news items of catastrophies: some natrlral

must be linked to the body politic and body social.

George Lamming makes the point that 'culture' as a concept derives its meaning through a connection with the land, with agriculture. \Ahat he rcalh rneans

is that culture pen'ades all forms of human activity.

And that is rvhv we must be suspicious of the neat assigning of culture to a separate category within political administrations.

Beginning at the national levels we have to think again -what do rve want from each other? What do rve give each other? What are our commonalities? What

and many man-made. Latin America is constructed in the Caribbean through ideologicallv charged networks. In the same way that nenvorks convince us that Saddam Hussein, and Gaddafi are all mad men and that most Muslims are extremist terrorists. There

are our differences? Do we have the will to confront and overcome them? What are the factors and forces

is also a televised construction of Latin America. Latin

present. But, mostlv the,v still have to do with imperial

America is Noriega,

domination, exploitation, access to power, and divide and rule. Language is onlv a sub-section within these larger considerations. Political will, or lack thereof is a much bigger hindrance. But ma1'be this is too harsh a commentary. It is perhaps truer to say, that the lack of insight into the workings of culture and power is a

Pinoche

t, the

Sandinistas,

dictatorships. Latin Americans are extraditable, thev are about a little Carnival now and again, football, USA

led

invasions, unstable regimes,

and Ulbacked

indictments.

At the same time, the Caribbean is

also

constructed in the minds of Latin Americans. But in all this knowing, there must come the realization that

Caribbean and Latin American peoples share a mutual dependence on Europe and the U.S.A. This realization forces the Caribbean and Latin America to see their reflections in each other. This is the truth of our meeting. We cannot talk culture in abstraction, it

that militate against our efforts to dialogue more seriouslv? Some of these problems have to do rvith history, and with the perpetuation of history into the

much bigger problem flor governments.

There are obvious imbalances in the set up of trade structures. It is not a level playing field. Larger trading porvers are engaged actively in daily shipping to the region their cultural products; but, countries in this region do not reciprocate. \4rithin the current

global set up, countries like ours are underrepresented in the trade and transfer of culture. The USA trades its culture to the region every day through music, films and other commodiw forms. In addition

to trading in their own cultural commodities, they also trade to the region in its own cultural products.

Thev trade us images of ourselves,

Curwen Best

for our

own

consumption. Too many of these images of ourselves rvhich we pay-to-view, are passive, stereotypical and negative. For example in the film Godzilla, Godzilla, the monster touches down on the Caribbean. It is a Caribbean of stereobpical icons: beach, boat, bush, passive obsen'ers on life. Individuals who can only

look on in awe at life's larger issues. And so in that movie, an ageing woman rvith head tied and a spaced

out Rastafarian are only statuesque bystanders to the CARICOM Perspectie June 2001

)LA C,ARNIVAL

TlrcBahunas

Tiinidacl andTblmgo

major action which Hollyrvood and the entertainment industn constnlct about us. Once such constructs are institutionalised, it is difficult to erode them.

St. Ifirrs and Nevr's

though is that we are still in many cases backward thinking. We do not perceive the value of recording

things, far less seeing the enhanced value of In the Caribbean in particular, we have not as yet worked out the relationship disseminating them.

The Way Forward

\ [ ]thout a doubt. greater impetus must be given V V ," popular arts, including literature. painting' music, dance, fashion, design, theatre, and television.

between cultural heritage and culture projection. The domain of culture is the least explored and the least

considered resource of our societies. Culture has in many cases been fated to exist under the umbrella of

Latin America has immense experience with television, and particularly film production. The

folklore/tradition, when, in fact, this is only one manifestation of culture. There is need for policy

Caribbean must tap into this rich resource. This is a major potential growth area. Greater interaction and discourse must be sought after. This way, a more vibrant culture trading area can be established. There

initiatives that can set a larger Process into motion.

Cultural creation, production, and dissemination is an undertaking which must be entered into by many agencies. Governments and other private agencies must support this kind of initiative.

Where film is concerned though, it is generally

should be cultural exchanS;es of artistes, exchanges during festivals, student exchanges at various levels of the education spectrum, and exchange of teachers.

But apart from the exchanging of artists

and

personnel of this kind, there should be the trading of experts in variotts asPects of culture, between crafts people, artisans, academics, cultural workers. These would be engaged in programmes where they both teach aspects of their trade and culture, inculcate the cultural features of the culture that they visit, and later on relay their experience back to their native societies.

The popular arts must be given a fillip. Thev must be re corded, and distributed. The realitt' CARICOM Persp?dhe Juna 2001

agreed that in the so-called Third World, national cinema can be a matter only of state Policy, not of

individual effort. But yet, film fits awkwardly within the list of state priority initiatives. It cannot be seen as a governmental achievement in modernization (like

the building of a highway or industrial complex).

Neither is it an aspect of traditional culture' to be promoted internationally along with, say, local crafts' Since national cinemas tend to be socially critical rather than complementary of governments' achievements, it is not seen as an area to encourage.

Nlany leaders are Western-educated, and are sensitive

,\-x of their image abroad, and so the images of a local film

throughout the world and breaking into Western

industry is the last type of product they want to be advertised abroad. So, many governments prefer to allow other producers to mis/represent them globally.

domestic markets (from the 1970s). What I am really

In any case, many governments prefer to extract taxes from film imports and box ofFrce receipts (sometimes at the level of 40 per cent), rather than concern themselves with the problematic issues of art and aesthetics.

Television and Film are critical and viable areas

for

development and future empowerment. Some

have said that the language barrier will not facilitate

the trading of television programmes and films, but everyone in the Caribbean will know the phenomenal success in the Caribbean of the Kung Fu genre of

films. These were largely produced in

Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin),but they have come to us over-dubbed in English. They have given us access to

a culture and a genre that is far removed from Li is a powerful icon. In our

ourselves. Today, Jet

region he is more influential than culture ministers, and even some prime ministers. When he and others are exported abroad, they metamorphose into mega entities. Still stereorypical, but they appear as larger than life icons. They are on the lips of popular cuhure.

You see them in "Rush Hour" and in "Lethal Weapon 4" saving the world. This is the extenr to which the

nurturing of popular culture forms can begin to reposition a culture from the periphery of obscurity, to centre. I am saying that it is impossible for the major world players to ignore self-supporting cultures. They must take notice.

A counter argument to this will suggest that the mainstream will always appropriate, misrepresent

and exploit peripheral cultures even when

they

feature them. That is true, but power relations do not only work like that. Major powers are as dependent on regions like ours as we are on them. In any case, the

in a big way on mainstream for its survival. It is no secret that, in recent times, Hong Kong has produced more feature Kung Fu genre does not depend

films per year than the USA. For example, in 1992, they produced some 364 films to the USA's 261.

Hong Kong has built a flourishing exporr industry in

film, supplying films to Chinese communities

advocating

is not only an interface with

popular

forms, such as video creation and film, but the conscious engagement with the power which these popular media can harness and relay.

In the Caribbean we have not experienced film

Latin America has. From as early as the

as

1900s,

countries like Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela have had 'local' productions. In the Caribbean, Cuba has considerable experience with feature films, and film has served a cultural and industrial purpose, in this country. One can count the limited number of feature films in the Anglophone Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago's 1937 "Callaloo" and in the 1970s Jamaica's "The Harder they Come" and recently "Dancehall Queen" represent some of the significant contributions

from the Anglophone Caribbean. These films, though low budget, have created an impact in our territories.

But we have overlooked documentary films, short films and video clips. Many islands of the Caribbean produce these every day. These are potentially highly valuable cultural products as well, and yet we hardly see them throughout the region. We do

not realize

how the global discourse has changed. Television, cyberspace, and interactive technologies are the new conduits for constructing experience. There must be ways of creatively harnessing this power and relaying it within and beyond the region. It is a pity that in the Caribbean we do not share in the culture of Latin America through our own popular media.

The Latin American arena is a much larger bloc and can sustain an autonomous music industry. This

explains the continued interest by the music industry's mainstream. The Caribbean needs to actively reorient music formats and preference in order to tap into the exceedingly big culture areas of Latin America. We should think also of crossing over not only to the American mainstream, but to Latin America. Our music has for a long time borrowed from Latin America. In fact, our musics are related in many ways. Venezuela has influenced Trinidadian Calypso. This explains why in the 1g00s Decca, then a large company, lumped all the music of Latin America

and the Caribbean together as folk music, and began CARICOM Perspective June 2001

,\.,

to record it. It is ironic that others see us as related, but we do not see ourselves

in that

lvay.

At present, many musical acts in the Anglophone Caribbean draw consciously and unconsciously on Latin music aesthetics. It impacts keyboard and synthesizer applications. Guitar chord progressions in the Eastern Caribbean from around 1995 began to revert to Latin styles. Music is an area of enormous

do not on their own uphold power. Militarism rs an overt activity. In our post-Cold War cra, it must be understood that the new tools of confrontation are situated in technological media, in entertainment, in sport and related areas. Our failure to assert Power and inculcate a sense of significance about ourselves springs from the restricted thinking imposed on us by

global structures. We have continued to economics as being linked to traditional sectors.

potential.

Popular culture forms are usually seen as being in opposition to governments, administrations and policy. This is not always the case. That is an old way of seeing the relationship between popular culture and the establishment. The truth is that there is some negotiation that takes place between popular culture and offrcialdom. There is therefore a telling need for

cultural planners and administrations to become current on aspects of the development of popular culture. Popular culture forms should not therefore be left to independent development. Governments should consider the enormous potential for export that an engagement with such phenomena can engender. Take the case of Australia who's Ministry of education in 1988 established the Australian Conte mporary Music Company. A non-profit organization that would receive more than $US 300,000 per year to help turn promising garage bands into international acts. This sPrung from that nation's realization of its Potential. The plan was to use government's stlPport to triple exPort earnings' In the same year, there had been at least 5 Australian performers on the Billboard Topl00 including INX, Midnight Oil, and Kylie Minogue. But, I perhaps expect too much from regional ministers, since a major frllip for the Australian move was the fact that officials in the Australian government were of an age group which grew uP with rock music and recognized both its intrinsic value and its economic Potential.

This reassessment of the popular can lead to

a

transformed relationship between government and popular culture throughout the region. This is a form of dialogue discourse to be encouraged.

I would even suggest that the dominance of major entities is maintained through popular culture'

Aircraft carriers, stealth bombers, marching soldiers CARICOM Pe6pectile June 20Ol

see

Conclusion

/--\ overnments of Latin America and the Caribbean (Jrn.,r, construct their own philosophies. They must reinitialise, reorient thinking in terms of relationships. This calls for a reassessment of education systems and the positioning of each other's region to a more central position within education curricula. Some Caribbean governments have spoken about the importance of foreign languages and this is an extremely vital concern. But even more critical

than the linguistic challenge, is the challenge of overcoming our mis-perceptions of each other' Either there should be an initiative to achieve greater control of satellite or line broadcast facilities, or we must find other media through which we can create more

meaningful representations of ourselves. This is a major barrier to our consolidation of position and the empowerment of our societies.

Excerpt of Paper presented at the Tenth

of the Forum of Ministers of Culture and Offrcials Responsible for

Meeting

Cultural Policy of Latin America and the

Caribbean, Barbados,

1998.

"t-x CRCSSINC ALL BCL NDARIES. Inrners rf

b/

An abidged vercion of a review done by Ameena Gafoor

AmeenaGafoor,

a

Gtryan*author

andlitenryqitic

Cmrssrll

of

collec tion of twelve paintings by Caribbean artists whose

work seek to " deepen ow unde ntanding of our society ( and) which aanscend the political and geogaphic divisions which

sepante ourpeople.

Rpr

The collection brought together twelve artists who, from particular perspectives, allow us to deepen

our understanding of our society in a far more powerful manner than the achievements of our intellectuals and politicians have been able to do.

Twelve brilliant pieces form an artistic prism which

together transcend all political and geographic divisions which seek to separate our people, together they speak to the essence

of

Caribbean

life

with

Since 1992, the annual launching of the Colonial Life

sympathy and compassion for the human condition.

Insurance Company Calendar has become a significant event in the Caribbean. The company has consciously sought year after year to celebrate, through the medium of its calendar, the history and the landscape of the Caribbean, the artistic talents of

What we find running through all of these paintings in the Collection is perhaps an assertion of cultural confidence and a desire to explore the self

its people and the complexity of their life and culture.

CLICO'S 2001 Millennium Calendar,

through an ancestral matrix which

preceded

colonialism. There is also the anxiety to document indigenous cultural traditions which are threatened by the horsemen of progress. Very much in evidence

launched on November 27, 2000 at rhe Jalapenos Restaurant in Port-of-Spain is another leap of faith. It figuratively bridges the archipelago of islands which form the Antilles with Guyana on the rim of

suggestion that these artist have been consciously moving away from the 206 century European traditions in which most were schooled or

continental Arnerica and The Bahamas to the furthest

necessary political act

is the

influenced. Finding their own voice has been a of freedom and survival.

north.

Religion as a Metaphor for a Caribbean

Identity Perhaps the most dominant theme or motif

in the Collection is that of religion and

the

'Caribbeanisation' of the religion of the established church. It cannot be a coincidence that at least four artists who seek to depict the life and culture of the

Caribbean have found a reservoir of inspiration in African revival ceremonies such as Pocomania and "In the Spirit"

Shango.

The calendar features one work by an accomplished Jamaican artist, Bernard Stanley Hoyes, entitled 'In the Spirt 1l'. It is one of a formidable series entitled Journey through the spirit' which captures the ritualistic images of religious workshop through pieces bearing such evocative names as 'Table of the Harvest Moon', ,Midnight Spirit', 'Possession l', and 'Hexing Rites'.

Hoyes said he wanted

"to capture images such

as

meetings at street corners and under mango trees and CMICOM Perspecrtve

lw

20Ol

*-A the authentic sounds of drums before they

are

replaced by modern (stereophonic) equipment", This he achieves through the use of bold colours out of

which emerge the most energetic and vibrant (mostly female) figures which encapsulate the condition of the African-Caribbean man and woman.

^.->

kmard

Sanley Hoyes (Jamaica)

was

bom and spent

hisearlyyears inJamaicabeforehe moved to the U-5.

His natural talent was nurtured at the Institute of JamaicaJunior Art Centre. At school in the U.S. he received a Ford Foundation Scholarship to Iive and study in a summer programme with professional artiss at

the Vennont Academy,

Vermont.

A

promine nt and

"Guardians"

Says Roberts: "My relationship between life and art is

very intense. It is the process of living and creating that moves me, Crossing all boundaries, I respond to the revelation of sugggestive forms and images as they emerge."

successful artist, both inJamaica and in the U.5., Hoyes'

work is to be found in many prestigious private collections worldwide . He currentJy lives and work in Los Angeles, Califo mia.

A painting entitled 'Guardians' by Bahamian artist, Antonius Roberts, comPlements the Collection beautifully. This piece, executed in vibrant golds, yellows and blues, depicts the timeless mother-andchild image and was inspired by what the artist described as "19'h century Ethiopian magic scrolls represents the spirit of hope and love"' Appropriately, it appears in the Collection in the month of December, the season of birth and hope,

and

love and peace.

CARICOM PersPectite June 2001

AntoniwRoberts

4."

Ananius Roberg (The Bahamas)

was

born rn Nassau

and studied art at the Philadelphia C,ollege ofArt whe re he obtained his degree. He has exhibited in many parts

of the world and

has participated

significantly in the

developme nt ofArt Education and national museum

programmes in The Bahamas. Antonius' work can be

found in private collections worldwide and he is particularly proud of havi ng presen ted hk art to Nelson Mandela,

Rosa Parks

and Gloria and Emilio Estefan.

Employing the very theme of cultural retention, Arnold Toulon, a young Dominican artist struggling towards a Caribbean identity, has created an intriguing work, using not a paint brush, but the innovative "discarded-telephone-card technique" to

offer his perspective of the world. His 'Guardian' figures are tall and sturdy African mother-figures daubed in vibrant, tropical colours and set amidst a violent Dominican landscape. These images represent the world's grief and hope.

Toulon was formally trained at the Edna Manley School of Art and states that "the Renaissance,/ Picasso/Surrealism (traditions)

did not really lend

itself to an awesome Dominican landscape where there's a rainbow in every valley and hope on every mountain'. He therefore had to find his own voice, "Guardian of the Fields"

- discarded-telephone card technique

his own idiom for self-expression about who he is and where he comes from. Toulon tries to engage an elemental self, a natural way of life and his works seem to be a rebellion against the ravishment of the

environment on a global scale.

Arnold Toulon (Dominica) was bom in Dominica and now lives in Saint Lucia. His talent was seen early on and he consequently went to the Edna Manley School forVisual Arto inJamaica. He also studied kulpture rnder famous Haitian at tistl-ouise Desire. Amold panicipates in numerous exhibitions yearly both locally an d i nternationally.

CARICOM Perspective June 20Ol

.x-A 'Olc tirrrc bakinu' Lx'ir relativeh \'oung'fobago altist, Jason Nedd, tht' origirrirl t'xectttecl iu oils ott cilrrvas, le('apturcs irr subtle hues a losl rvar of lilc. It dcpicts t\\'() \\'on)en - the shclrt skirts plirce thcur itt tht'lrlst lrall' of the 20"' ('('ntrrr'\' - attettr[il'rq to a tttttr[ o\'('tr tltltt is most likelv lushionccl fi'orrr thc' Ali'iczrn tir,ilisation.

Ne<lcl's proiile inclrrdes pairrtitrus rvhich atl('st t() his prtlstrit of att ,\fi'it'an (lilribllean iderrti$ thr-ouslr tl'rc icliorrt of (lalibbclttt cttltrtral t'lenrcttts such as clnrrtts, rlancing, sti( k flghts, t'itrtals atlcl

folklor-e. IIis rr'orks also speak to tlte llistcln ol thc Calibbean rr'ith its t'halitcteristic sttqal trtills atld rranagcr''s ltottst's. svnrbols rvltich Iirt'ct'et' pcn'arlecl

the cotrsciottsttt'ss ol 1he cololrisetl. Netlcl's imrttecliate plan is t<i t'xtcttcl his not'k lo .\trte t'irlrliirtl ni()(if:s. l() c()nirlit to t'ttltrtt-al rt)rnt()t-\' the intligerrotrs elernents l'lrich existcd befirlc lhe c ouqrtistarlors alr-ivecl itncl lhe nuishtuertt bt'g-alr.

Necltl suvs that ltt' is a vetr leligiorts Pelsoll 'rvho is t'onvirtcctl that Clorl has l'illt'cl Itirn to splcltcl His norrl thr'ouqlt art. Cl()nrlniltecl to a rvorl<l of lo'tc an<l pc:tte. thc vortug al'list ll()l)es tct lt-attsfitt'tll lhc consciorrstrt'ss ol lortths in his societl tht'ottgh tlle '['he spilitual trttlhs t'ttrct'tlirlg florrl ltis t lttlvas. calcndnl is tlcflnitch t'nt'icltecl br' '()le llaking Tirne'.

Ole 7'itne

Bukin.q

rl tcn t n ph' l i i net t J ason N edd ( T r I t ;tgt t ) lxt rn i t t Sc a in l()72. I I<'rttrt I to,sr liottl;tl Rorl;rlottglt Strrrtdttr .5r'lrrxrllr lrrlt' ltn rtitlt u :il anislic l:t/<rtI n;r let ogrtnt rl ancl nurtttt

rirl<':trtisl

tr

t-rl. fhis.tttLrDe'Tob;ti4tt p;tittter is a lirll ltos<' troll se//s tr e/,1 lr t lxilt tlte lt x al ar rl

lon'ign ltrt er. 1It'Jrt t s;urr/ rror*s Tolxy.lo.

(llR/(l)U

I'r

)\Dtttt\' Jr)tt :t1t1l

irt I- ':trtse.Fol

urrri'

4."

The important role of Civil Society in the Caribbean is underlined by CLICO's "sustaining the thrust of a

discipline that is often seen as ephemeral in the corporate world" and is further supported by the work and role played by another Trinidadian artist, Shastri Maharaj.

Shastri Maharaj (1953) was born

in

Siparia,

South Trinidad. He studied Art in Canada. His art works make visual statements about his East Indian ancestry. His paintings can be considered as folk or

practising artist, he has exhibited both nationally and internationally in Europe, North America and the Caribbean. He has chosen not only

Shastri Maharaj

to improve his aesthetic value of the world through his works but to impart this reservoir of knowledge in all areas of educational training - pre-school, primary,

Shastri recognises that there is a void in the Caribbean in writing on the various artistic techniques

primitive

art. A

secondary and tertiary as well as lecturing Teacher's Training College Level.

at

the

and disciplines and the history of art and has chosen to share his wealth of knowledge, talent and teaching skills

for posterity.

"Dingolay" capmres the qpical Tiindad Camiwl that is colour, rhyhms and exuberance, yet in its line and poeuy reveals Shnsti Maharaj's Indian sensibility and conftadicr. what is also typical notions ofwhat is Caribbean or Tiinidadian.

,'.,

-r

**

+-:

N

?^t

re CANCOM Perspective June 20Ol

-,4 (lQr)coricrprl

ALtst

ric CRRtesrnti Cl E

rt pnl lorlttry,

isle-ic Sl,ifi, it were: each framework of traceable genealogy and, thus,

Jt is probably true that Caribbean people, possibly I tif. most people everywhere, assume not only that

use out of thin blue air, as

their identity is something that can simply be pointed out and documented, something that simply exists out there and can as such be empirically apprehended, but also that there is little disagreement as to what exactly constitutes that identity. From this point of view, Caribbean identity is an unproblematic given that we can all, more or less, agree upon. However, such a view of identity, while commonplace, is arguably inaccurate. My argument here is not that Caribbean people do not have an identity: people always do, in fact. It is, rather, that identity is not

specifiable history.

something immutable and transhistorical but, by contrast, something always en procis, as the French would say, a term that is really a double entendre in 'fhat that en procis implies both 'in process/on trial.' ttott tltttl is alrravs llistoricitllv arrcl r:ttltttralh sl;t'ci{ir' :rttcl. ats a t-t'sttlt. c<ltttitrttallv irt f1ttr. auuiting trt'rr' rIt llrtitiol]s its llt'\\' circttttlstati< <'s

is, idcrrtitl

is a yrlrt'ttotrrt

arist', atrcl. tlttts, oltc'tt to rlt libt'r-atiott ltttcl lilrblt' ttr pr'olokc sotttt'tirttt's act'itttot ti< ttts dcb:ttc.

An often overlooked element in the process of defining an identity is one's choice of metaphors

and tropes by which to discuss it.

For

many

philosophers and cultural theorists, tropes are more than mere rhetorical ornaments or garnishes in the in which, since at least Alexander Pope, we have been encouraged to view them. That is, they are more than wit merely to advantage dressed. In fact, sense

to metaphor may be unavoidable in any attempt to apprehend reality. This is why many Phenomenologiss in particular conclude, in ^

recourse

manner disturbing to some' that there are no facts, only interpretations. Their goal in so saying, I should point out, is not to deny that particular phenomena exist per se. People always have, for example, an

identity. It is, rather, to underscore that one's choice of metaphor and, by extension, framework of thinking (what some in the field of cultural and critical theory today would term a paradigm or problematic) entirely determine precisely how one conceptualises

a particular phenomenon and, thus'

what one takes to be factual. It should also be borne in mind that each metaphor/trope does not spring into CARICOM PersPective June 2001

thinking has a

metaphorisation can be glimpsed in the discussions and debates that continue to circle around the issue of how to define Caribbean identity. I do not hope to offer in this small space an exhaustive survey of all the larious wap

Caribbean people have over the yean conceptualised their identity, a process that is argr'rably

in which

not continuous and unbroken but characterised by what some today would call 'epistemic shifs' or revolutionary breaks with the past. Such an undertaking is beyond the limited scope of the present essay. Besides, such an

undertaking assumes that the Caribbean is a monolithic concept that can be defined in unidimensional terms that would inevitably do an injustice to the linguistic' ethnic, racial, etc. diversity and complexity of the actual Caribbean. My own much more modest goal is to discuss merely two or three important concePts of identity that have predominated in the anglophone and francophone Caribbean from about the early rwentieth century and to

/

trope

entire vision of Caribbean identity which can as fact by its most ardent adherents adlanced then be and used to form the basis for political praxisl'

shapes an

One of the most imPortant models of Caribbean identity is centred around the trope of the

root. Since at least the 1930s and the rise to prominence of the Negritude movement in the French-speaking Caribbean and West Africa, eminent

thinkers ranging from Aim6 C6saire (e'g' in The Discourse on Colonialism) to Kamau Brathwaite (see his Roots) more recently have sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly encouraged us to compare our tree and to think of the true source of our being as being found in the root thereof' There is, of course, a temPoral dimension to this trope: the

identity to

a

plant

Nchard

/

life of every plant originates in a seed' Therefore' to understand one's identity in the present necessarily involves one in a quest ultimately for origins, for the seed which brought one into existence' This quest' influenced at least in part by the rise to ascendancy in

the nineteenth century of Romantic historicism in general and the views of thinkers like J' G' Herder in

Clarke,

(Ph.D) Lecturer, Faculty

A good example of this Process of

show that the choice of foundational metaphor

b/

of

Humanities, UWI, CavE

Hil(

particular,

is most

often depicted in terms of a quest for

one's cultural roots. To understand the manifest present, in short, one must make a return of sorts to the past latent therein.

of the European coloniser in the f)escendants lJ Region have long taken great delight in discovering / composing family trees in a quest to identift their ancesrral origins. This always, arguably,

has been almosr

in an effort to

prove their racial purity, that is, the degree to which their identity has

not in fact been 'tainted' by the stain of creole impurity. A similar admiration for their cultural roots in the Indian sutrcontinent and China has also historically been encouraged among the descendants

of the waves of indentured immigrants that arrived in the region in the nineteenth century. ilr t.orrtr.usr, it lras bccrr onlv sirrct' ltt It trsl tht. \cgr-itrrrlt. rnovcrrrt,nt tlurt

tlte

()f t'nslurcrl ,\lrit.:trrs Irurc bc,trr lo t;rkc' uteat rlclight in tlrt.ir .\lri<atr

rlcstt,ncl:utts

e'trcorrr':rgccl

ht'ritugt' itr lrrr cllirrt t() r('(.lll)(.t.al(, urr iclt.trtitr

lrncl

scnsibilitl tlrat plccsistt rl iurrI rr':rs. tlrrrs. unalii,t.tt,rl br tltc lavuges oI EuroP<.an t olonialisrl. Such a view is at the very heart of recent attempts in Barbados, for example, to construct a newly Aficanised, as it were, nationalist discourse that seeks to construct a sense of Barbadian identity that reflects this long denied and denigrated African heritage. This .roots' model of identity arguably continues to be the dominant paradigm of identity informing nor only political

praxis at the national level but also popular consciousness where the articulation of identitv is concerned.

Another model of Caribbean identity that subsequently rose

to prominence, especially in

the

francophone Caribbean, has challenged some of these nodons, especially the almost exclusive focus on

the past. Thinkers like Frantz Fanon (especially in essays like "The Pitfalls of National Consciousness,, and "On National Culture," both of which are to be found in his seminal The Wretched of the Earth) and,

later, Edouard Glissant (the name most closely Antillanit| movement and whose views are outlined in English in his Caribbean associated with the so-called

Discourse), have sought to draw attention to some of. the flaws inherent in the quest for roots and the short_

sightedness of the Negritude movement in particular.

Some thinkers such asJ. Michael Dash consider thar it

is

possible to conceptualise the transition from Negritude to Antillanit6 in rerms of a radical epistemic shift. If for the Negritude thinkers, rhe root is the dominant trope, for thinkers like Glissant, influenced by contemporary French philosophers Deleuze and Guattari, among others, the preferred trope is the rhizome. The root is, in biological terms, the absorbing and anchoring organ of a vascular plant. Negritude-influenced thinkers would seem to have in mind in particular the tap root which is the system in which the primary root, notwithstanding some ancillary branching, forms a dominant central axis that penetrates verticallyand deeply into the soil.

The rhizome, by contrast, is an underground horizontal stem, often swollen and tuber-shaped because it stores food reserves, and as such a useful trope to connote the richness and inevitability of the self

s

relation to otherness. The use of the trope of the

rhizome conceptualises identity less

in linear or

diachronic or historical terms, that is, less in terms of possessing a single source in the distant past, than in geographical or synchronic or spatial terms, that is, in terms of relations that more often than not commence

in the past but continue to exist in the present.

The comparison of Caribbean identity to the rhizome, rather than the root, is the basic principle

informing what Glissant calls the ,poetics of Relation, in which each and every identity is primarily shaped by the selfs relation ro others, rather than by simply

and unproblematically being grounded in the past.

What matters, in Glissant's schema, is less the selfs roots per se than the relation of self to other. (As another important Caribbean cultural theorist paul Gilroy would put it later, it matters less where you are originally from than where you are at in the present.)

In this schema, there is no identity simply waiting to be found again and, thus, capable of being reasserted in its pristine form. Irlt'rrtitv is cnrir.clr a pr.orision:rl (()lt\lrlL(1. lr ol so<.i:rl intt,r.corrr.st, lrotlr

rlillrirr

1;rrrrlut.l

tht,

r'c11iorr :rrrrl

irrtcr-natiorrLllr

lclatrotrslrilts tlrt'rnsch

t,s

thlt

r

Irangr.s as tlrt,se

vlrrr.

In many

ways, clearly, the model of cultural identity proposed by Glissant et al. isa variarion on the CARICOM Perspectite June 2001

x-A creolisation thesis, itself another popular paradigm (advanced by thinkers like Kamau Brathwaite in his The Development of Creole Socieqv in Jamaica) of Caribbean cultural identity in general and of the process of cultural intermixture in particular which resulted from the confrontation of the severaltaces / cultures in the Region. This is a model that is largely dialectical in thrust, emphasising that out of the

/

combination of thesis and antithesis emerges a synthesis of the best that the thesis and antithesis have respectively to offer. Caribbean cultural identity is, from this perspective, a fusion of component conflict

elements to form a new whole, predicated upon but different from the cultures that comprise it' Where the emphasis of some thinkers like Wilson Harris or Derek Walcott is on the advantages afforded by synthesis and as a result of which the Caribbean person is something akin to a New World Adam in the process of forging and naming a new reality, in the

work of others there is often implied, albeit not always, a certain hankering after cultural / racial purity. From this point of view, creolisation was inevitable but also something of a tragedy that has befallen us in the Region. It is a process that has functioned to dilute the original and pure identities that existed prior to the history of European imperialism, trans-Atlantic slavery, and colonialism.

This is why some thinkers have sought in recent times to critique the creolisation thesis for advancing a brown or mixed or syncretic model of Caribbean identity and downplaying the black or African basis of the identity of the majority of the population in most of the nations of the Region, that is, for elevating the inevitability of syncreticism or intermixture over the necessity to recuperate racial / cultural purity.

A number of questions consequently arises from briefest of overviews is this. Firstly, precisely how do the parameters specific to each paradigm determine how we conceptualise our selves and, by extension, public policy? Has one such paradigm predominated? What are some of the limitations

la.tfris

the root? Exactly how might the various nationalist discourses in the Carribean that have emerged in recent years be reshaped by the different emphases informing those alternative models of Caribbean cultural identity (e.g. that advanced by the Jamaican Stuart Hall) which are beyond the scope of this essay and which may not constitute at Present the dominant discourse on identity in the region (even though some have begun with increasing frequency to be debated

academic centres)? Were we to accept their premises, how might they compel us to rethink how we see ourselves, both individually and en masse?

How, for example, might we be forced to rethink (yet again) what it means to be a Barbadian? What

in regional

governmental policies, beneficial or disadvantageous, might be the practical result of such a process of rethinking? It is the exciting possibilities afforded by questions such as these which may point

in

differences

the way forward to a future in the region untrammeled by sectarian division and ethnic violence. But we will not get to this point if first we do not comprehend that Caribbean identity is not an immutable given but a flexible construct' and if we do

not pay careful attention to something seemingly as the metaphors by which we attempt to make

trivial

as

sense

of such things.

F-.ndnote I.

For fi.rtherdetaik on some aspects ofthe argument found here,see

inherent in any of these models? What difference would it make if, in conceptualising our identity, one were to deploy the metaphor of the rhizome (or,

my "Root Versus Rhizome: An 'Epistemological Break' in Fran copho ne Caribbean Though t? "ktvtpal-pt-lVesLJndizn

indeed, other metaPhors) as opposed to the trope of

Literature

CARICOM PersPective June 2001

9.

I

(2000) : 1 2-4 1.

"\.* fvlru*srprRult:c Yc,t

r

lr. DrvrLCp\lE\T

mainstreaming youth in development as a model for targeting that large secror of the population and

Regional Director,

the Caribbean, as I am sure in many orher Jn I regions of the world, much is said about the future of human existence and the inescapable role that

Commonr+akh

young people must play in development. But there is

development goals.

YouthProgamme,

often the concern expressed both b1'voung people and youth development workers that wirh all the lip

be new, applying it to yourh and

ry ArmstongAlexis,

C,aribbeanArea

service paid to youth development, young people still

feel alienated from the major institutions structures

of decision making, are still to a

extent neglected

and

and large

are the greatest perpetrators

and victims of social problems and

anri-social

behaviour.

C.aribL>ean dircuss

problemsataworkhop

heldin Gurana

Whilst the concept of mainstreaming may not addressing

development issues from the perspective of youth development is certainly a new debate which will receive greater focus and attention as efforts to find innovative means of reversing the downward spiral that many developing countries face today, receive greater levels of attention both at the country level and within the international community.

Despite their persistent calls for a more enabling environment for youth development and for a greater say in matters that concern them, voung people are still marginalised and it is becoming more

While there is no single or commonly accepted definition of what constitutes youth in the

and more evident, that the development of our

is a

societies has been stymied by the very problems that are considered to be youth problems. In this article, I

Yotng poplefromthe

tapping on their innate potential, as we pursue our

posit the view that by mainstreaming vouth inro the general development ethos of Caribbean countries, a platform will be set for the enhancement of life of the society at large. \4rtrether economic, social, political or environmental, national development can only be achieved if there is a focus on the most dominant group of the population. I propose the concept of

Caribbean, there is some degree of consensus that age critical factor. There is also a widely accepted view that social and economic dimensions are critical to a

definition of youth.

Youth is a transitory phase in the life of an individual. It marks that stage that bridges childhood and adulthood. The state of the economy, whether at

the national or community level, becomes an important determinant in defining vouth. Social and cultural specificities dictate the weaning process and drives the determination of when the society places responsibility in the hands of is citizens In a buoyant economy, which has the capacity to absorb young people into viable and satisfactory income-earning activity, the prospects

for responsible participation enables a smooth and early transition from childhood to responsible adulthood, thereby shortening the period of youth. On the other hand, in societies where the economy is slow, there is a greater dependence on the society to provide opportunities for adequately

preparing citizens to

become productive and well-adjusted citizens.

The period of youth may rherefore be expanded to higher age groups.

In the Caribbean, the tendency has been to applv an age definition of CARICOM Pertpective !une

2Nl

youth, which sets the lower age at 15 and the upper age

at 30. Social policy and programming for youth are therefore guided by these age parameters and the society accepts a certain level of responsibility for the socio-cultural and economic welfare of citizens within that age group. Now whilst citizens in this age group may be defined as youth, their sheer demographic

dominance necessitates the placement of special attention to their needs, in order to ensure their full immersion into the formal structures of the society. In order words, young people must be mainstreamed into the development paradigm of their societies.

Youth mainstreaming is an approach for advancing national development The concept goes beyond the general philosophy of caring for the young. It presents national development as an imperative, which, if it is to be achieved, must address the needs, aspirations, concerns and desires of the most dominant sector of the population. It is also a model that presents social policy and development

as

that should be targeted at specific population groups that have been traditionally

constructs

neglected and/or discriminated against but that are significant proportions of the population. It therefore

society as a whole.

The flip side of mainstreaming

is

marginalisation. It is widely recognised that young people are kept on the periphery of the major economic, social, political and other decision making structures of society. Although there is growing recognition that by integrating them, the society is able to generate a broad range of social and economic benefits which otherwise would have been unattain-

able, there is gross inadequacy of opportunity for meaningful involvement of young people in development. The International Labour Organisation is on record as saying

'whereas the full participation of youth in the life of the nation is important for the achievement of social justice..., it has become increasingly evident that far too many young people have been left at the margin of society."

Caribbean countries must therefore adopt a policy and

programmatic posture

of ensuring that

planned

argues that by addressing the employment, economic,

attention is given to that age cohort to guarantee their

health, housing and life needs of youth, the base will be

successful transition into adulthood, since no significant

set

for

addressing

the development needs of

Armstrong ALexis

the

Young people in

discussion with President Bharrat Jagdeo dwing theconfercnce 27

CARICOi4 Perspecriv June 2001

A-*J.

national development can take place without them.

It

G. Huggins (1998) states'r'irtualh'

all Caribbean countries have lone defined vouth as a particular target for social development and welfare planning. \Arhilst the regior-r has a long track record of organised youth actir.in', we do not have a long histon' of formulating youth programmes based on sound empirical data and rigorous analyses of the strategic

requirements

for overall national development.

Youth work has traditionally been carried out as a means of providing young people rvith avenues for

has been a concern

for some time that there

is no clear methodological approach towards measur-

ing, monitoring or evaluating the impact of vouth programming on the vouth population. The sectoral and compartmentalised approach of surrendering I'outh development to the Youth Ministry has created a mindset, that it is the responsibility of the Youth Affairs Ministry to programme for youth development. The result of this approach has been inadequate integration of youth development issues into the

national planning and accounting machinery and

service

trnsubstantiated and often sensational pronouncements of the progress beine made in the youth sector.

women and men, making them rvell-adjusted citizens

There is too, the issue of activity rather than programme planning, thus narrowing the scope for

collective leisure, exploration, talent development and

to communitv. No doubt these events have nurtured strong and positive characters in voung

who were able to contribute positivelv to their societies. But with the advent of people centred development planning, there has been a shift from

such a rvelfare orientation to developing an understanding of rvhat the needs of voung people as citizens are and, more importanth', an trnderstanding of the needs of the socien' and horv fulfillment of the needs and desires of the vouth can lead to the overall

development of the socien'. The data and ernpirical

rigour required for that scientific approach development is only now beginning to happen youth development.

to

in

impact assessment on the targeted beneficiaries. This situation has given rise to the impression that the vouth affairs budget is a strain on the public purse.

The United Nations has recognised that'the development process must promote human dignity.'' It also recognises that the ultimate aim of development is the constant improvement of the rvell being of the entire population on the basis of its full participation in the process of development and a fair distribution of the benefits there from. Whilst the vouth population in Caribbean territories does not encompass the entire population, it is by far the most dominant population group. Studies have shown that between 60 and 70% of the entire (laribbean population is below the age of thirty. It is therefore

arguable that by meeting the ne eds of this dominant population group, the development process will achieve its ultimate goal of improving the well being of the majoriry.

If the

fundamental precepts of promoting human dignitl' and achieving sustainable and equitable social and economic development are to be pursued and maintained, then the needs of loung people must be addressed. \A'hilst it is trtre that the needs of vouth are varied and mr,rltifaceted, there must be sound empirical and scientific means

of determining the priorities of young people

as

these relate to the overall development goals of our

r.arious

nations. Our societies are replete with

evidence that the unemployed, marginalized voung CARICOM Perspectiye June 2001

'x-A man or woman is the one most likely to engage in antisocial and illicit behaviour. Social and economic policy

considerations for this age group is therefore a major challenge.

Effective social policy planning must empha-

the links between education and training, health, employrnent and prosperity. All of these issues have been major concerns for the youth population and sise

have to a large extent all contributed to the slow or lack of growth of our economies. If we consider these to be the principal pillars for development and

recognising that they pose tremendous threats to the integration of the youth population, then we ought to agree that failing to address them is agreeing to keep the development of our region in its current debacle.

It must be recognised however, that general

be addressed by disaggregating youth concerns to reflect specific issues that confront youth must

of the opportunities that are available to them. More importantly, they must create their own opportunities and must develop an understanding of what the issues of youth development are and what it is that young people should be advocating for. Young people must be prepared to advocate by being sensitive to the overall development needs of their country and what they can do to address these.

National Youth Councils (NYCs) have been seen as significant youth structures for the expression of youth views and for taking the desires of youth to the corridors of power and decision-making. The

establishment

of NYCs must be viewed as

an

approach that could create avenues for young people.

The Councils must have as their major focus,

an

interest to advocate on behalf of youth and they must be guided strictly by young people.

It

must be understood that National Youth Councils are youth structures established by youth to serve the interest of youth. They ought not to be the

marginalized youth cohorts. Gender sensitive data is an essential component of this approach as the issues of young men and that of young women are often

youth voice of any established structure. It is essential

times different. Rural and urban disaggregation is also important since the conditions and realities of

to be independent of all external forces, working collaboratively with them, but maintaining

the urban youth are different to that of the rural youth.

their autonomy. Through an NYC, agencies working with youth should receive the perspective of youth.

Youth develoPment must be viewed as a significant pillar of national development. It is not an issue to be pursued solely by the Ministry of Youth Affairs or by citizens who 'like to work' with young people. Youth develoPment must be the concern of all.

It must find expression in the national development plan of every one of our countries. It must receive the attention of development planning units and institutes' There must be a philosophical and concePtual shift

amongst policy makers to recognise that the sustainable development of the region is perched on the capacity of development planners to mainstream youth in the development process. We can no longer continue to treat youth development as the peripheral preoccupation of the socially conscious citizen' In order to achieve youth mainstreaming. young people have to show the willingness' interest, desire and ability to carve sPaces for themselves'

youth are to call for a shift

away

If

from the welfare

approach to youth development, then they must be prepared to present a unified voice, taking advantage CARICOM PersPecti|e June 2001

for

NYCs

They should not dictate, but should be dictated by the

NYCs. The young people must desire to maintain that level of autonomy and independence.

In conclusion, it is important that develop-

ment agencies, policy makers and

governments

recognise the catalytic role they can play in ensuring that young people are encouraged to explore the full

spectrum of possibilities in order to enjoy their fundamental right to equity and young people must display the propensity to cause these stake holders to create the enabling environment for youth development and youth mainstreaming.

t

. I n te matio n al

Labour Conferen c e 7 ?d

Se ssi on

I 986 - Re po n V -

YOUTHpg.6.

2.International l-abour Conference 72'd Session 1 986 - Report

YOUTHpg.6.

V

-

A--J. A RETL IIN TO GLOIIY ? redicting the future is usually fraught with folly.

ry Donna Symmonds,

Some things however are so evident, that

Attorney-at-Law andsytts joumalistfrom

BarLndas.

:

soothsayers are not needed.

One such forecast is that without significant change, West Indian cricket will continue to flounder.

The West Indies team was at the top of the heap and there is no doubt about that. The West Indian view was, as Rohan Kanhai said in his book Blasting for Runs - "[.Inder FnnkWone]l our cricket had become hard

and disciplined....it was harnessed into

a

controlled and

deadlyweapon."

This was not a totally parochial observation, for Bridgette Lawrence wrote in her review - West Indian Test Cricketers - the West Indies reached the top from a place as "underdogs of world cricket ....to dominate the game with

a

spirit and

pbe not preiously

seen

in the in ternational cricket arena".

conduit. To achieve success demands vision from the Board to implement a strategy, to form partnerships with regional entities (not catalyst and

excluding Governments) and to engender a climate of confidence for sponsors. The understanding and patience of the supporters are as essential as positive player cooperation and participation. Furthermore, in the latter case, the professionalism and discipline that were the hallmarks of the triumphant Windies needs to be reactivated.

The concept of partnerships is imperative in the present Caribbean and the Board should accept that it would be prudent to become more forthcoming

with is communication and accountability.

The marketing and financing of

the

Caribbean game will also be a major challenge with the declining results of the product to be sold. Just how serious this is, was starkly set out at the news

The reasons for the present lassitude has been much debated and even documented. Primarily, complacency and lack of vision, have been blamed. During the period from about 1978-1995,

parties

when the West Indies were World Champions, very little was being put in place to guarantee, as far as possible, that this status would continue and there would be like replacements as required.

After the period of paramount performance,

usual".

I pparently. the main concern for the sponsors was -1 \ identified as the performance of the West Indies team on and off the field and any proposal to pay fees

conference held by the Board and its sponsors for the

home series for the next three years. From the two own words, it was made very clear that the negotiations were not conducted as "business as

the Caribbean is now in a "catch-up" period.

Technology, nutrition, training methods, manmanagement, ongoing developments and finance have whipped them into a second rate test side.

In addition, the administrators of the game now have to cope with changes in the school system

to players on a non-performance related scale, would not be considered.

The concluded arrangement did materialise. In exchange for the US 8.325 million dollars sponsorship - for those future Test and One-Day

upon which they relied for so much talent, broader sporting activities and different working environments and aspirations.

Several coaches of recent West Indies' teams have reiterated that, in recent rimes, roo many players have come into the test team with technical flaws which should have been correcred by that advanced stage. This speaks volumes about the beginner and developmental aspects of the Caribbean game.

a far more performance based team sponsorship agreement, increased branding,/ promotional and other such rights and developmental programmes by the Board.This is a most profound unfolding which has to be appreciated by all of the participanrs in rhe

The charge of all those involved and,/ or interested in this sport must be to contribute to a proven remedy.

It cannot be the sole responsibility of the West Indies Cricket Board, though it must be the

Series and team sponsorship - there was insistence on

sport.

The devising of income-generating enterfor the individual boards and the parent body to assist in financing projects is another tricky

prises

problem. Mention has been made of subscribing to a lottery to raise funds but this would have to be very carefully contrived and monitored.

In some recognition of the large mandate CARICOM Perspective June 2M!

*+, the Board has, in late 2000, produced the framework for a development plan that is being fleshed out in consultation with most " stakeholders" in the region.

Inputs from former and present players, the West Indies Players Association, journalists, administra-

tors, umpires and coaches was sought and are now being discussed with territorial Boards. the interest of development, the goal must be to Jn I create a coherent and integrated approach to supplement the ad hoc projects undertaken in the past The present, the medium term and the more distant future will need diverse plans.

There has been put in place, a regional coaching certificate programme to produce Caribbean coaches. Several former test, first class, club players and others have taken the courses at the graded levels. This can only enrich the overall improvement in the game, and is to be fostered.

Youth coaching clinics led by such contributors as Gus Logie and an increased emphasis on the Under 15 and Under 19 regional tournaments and

junior achievement give hope of a return to glory. These undertakings have to be monitored to assure constancy and updated to keep them current, in view of the rapid advances globally. "Kiddy" cricket and women's cricket must not be neglected general

are powerful consumer and marketing groups and the source of the stars of hereafter.

When one considers that women's cricket in Australia, England, South Africa , New Zealand and India has grown and is so vibrant in most that either. They

television coverage and sponsorship is given, what message is conveyed if a comparison is made with the West Indian situation? Far from public and youth enthusiasm for the game falling overseas, as many have complained has happened in the Caribbean, this embracing of women's cricket may have created the environment for full family particiPation and broader interest.

In the revitalization effort, some territories have restructured their premier local competitions.

Jamaica is one such and Barbados has done the same.

Starting in 2001, Barbados introduced covers for the first time, starting with the oneday knock-out competition and extending matches to 50 overs CARICOM Perspective June 2001

(as

played internationally)and changing the division championships to consecutive days of cricket on the weekend. Jamaica has also tried to encourage Caribbean professional cricketers to Play in their domestic league which certainly helped their standard. This was tried on a limited scale in Barbados as well, and Trinidad has some regional

in various tournaments.

With the narrowing of opportunity to

players playing

play

professionally abroad, the need for some professional league has become more pressing. Without it the

West Indies could well return to the inequitable situation where amateurs versus professionals, as most of their opponents are playrng all-year round and professionally. Already, there has been murmurirg and actual comment in the international community that, with the standard of Test Cricket displaying such disparity, two seParate groups of test playrng nations should be created with the strong teams in the "A" group and the rest in the other.

oincidentally, or not, after 120 years and 1500 matches the International Cricket Council has devised and introduced in 2001, a system of ratings

for test playng nations styled the ICC

Test

Champions Trophy that Australia will be presented with this summer.

This Championship has been started suPPosedly to add interest, meaning and excitement to the game at the top level. It will be operated on a rolling

league basis with the

formula used for com-

puting positions being based on the results of the most recent series (a minimum of two Test

series applies), home

and abroad, between each of the teams. The adoption of a co-

ordinated ten year calendar offuture tours

bY

all ICC members

in

February this year has built the long term struc-

Donna Svmmonds

4..".-

ture on which o establish this Championship. results from the most recent full series played Tn. I between countries have been used to draw up the present table. Australia heads the first Championship board, followed by South Africa, England, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. It is reasonable to suppose that the

at an academy?

To counteract this possible deficit and to the principle, there is informed speculation on the possible formation of a sports school (Barbados has this as an option) where gifted

support

secondarv school athletes would be placed in a school

teaching core and other educational subjects, but

position of the Caribbean team could be used as a negotiating tool for tour fees and TVlmedia rights.

focussing on supreme athletic training as

Should the West Indies fall near the bottom of this list, the financial source (television rights revenue) that

academy or other further training forum.

has kept West Indies cricket in business, if not buoyant, could be jeopardized severely. The home series rights have been negotiated up to 2008,

but will

have to be haggled over thereafter.

These tJpes of considerations emphasise the mistake it would be,

should developmental problems

not be confronted. The reliance on the traditional

then would become a feeder system

well. This for a cricket

f) etter practice and playing facilities must also be a -D priority . Many touring teams have complained about the practice amenities and expressed surprise at the conditions local players have to not just cope with, but use consistently to formulate skills. These certainly have to be improved.

Outside of engineering the resurgence of the regional team, the largest and most momentousjob of

training grounds is, and cannot be sustained to the

the ruling body is the staging of the World Cup in

same degree. Thus the emergence of cricket academies in the Caribbean is timely.

2007. Its credibility and that of the region

The opening of the Shell Academy ar rhe St Georges University in Grenada in May 2001 was done

with sizable fanfare. Former great players were in attendance, support was forthcoming from the Board

and,of greatest importance, the sponsor - Shell. This company had, of course, been the primary sponsor of

the inter-regional first class tourney for twenry-one years and returned to back what may be, at this time, as critical a venture.

What is on offer

at the Academy is

a

structured and multi-faceted programme encompass-

ing fitness, tactics, mental skills and technique.

Presently, twenty-four students between the ages of 18 and.23 have been enrolled in the initial programme.

This rype of training, in an even more intense and lengthy format, has been in use in Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom for at least ren years, and has given those countries a distinct advantage.

Questions have been raised as to whether the programme comes at the right time in the life of an

will be at

stake. However, it is believed that the Board anticipates being able to put in several new and upgraded facilities for the World Cup that will remain for the benefit of its sportspersons. Projections regarding the proceeds of a successful event estimare that this could be of the magnitude to give the game real impetus and sustenance.

Without knowing the plan, one cannot

say

what the outcome will be.Without other interference, the Board will continue to guide the course.

The responsibility is with members of West Indies Board who represent the territories to ensure that this course and those chosen to implement it are working and producing. Moreover, those Board Members and the Associations they represent are duty bound to be vigilant and demanding. Should it be the wrong course or personnel, the obligation is theirs to have it changed or modified or be changed themselves, by choice or design.

The pride of the West Indies dictates this as much as its longevity and prosperity depend upon it.

aspiring youngster, and is the duration adequate.

May it not be that the grounding of the students will impact substantially on possible results and earlier exposure to some system, would augment

the

scheme CARICOM Perspective June 20Ol

li--A* Tr,r Sr,rrr Cptcrrr AcRorvv of Sl Gnong"'s L niuensilg well as for individuals or groups wanting to refine their skills. Already Northamptonshire and Sussex have been using these facilities for

their preseason training and several other teams including the West Indies, Zimbabwe and England

A

teams have had practice camps

there.

Located

on the beautiful True

Blue

Campus in Grenada, the Shell Cricket Academy

of St. George's University can be described as a finishing school for West Indies cricketers. For three months of the year the most promising young cricketers in the Caribbean come to the academy to undergo an intensive three month course.

Under the guidance of former West Indies team manager and performance consultant Dr. Rudi Webster, these cricketers aged 18 to 23, are exposed to a wide ranging cricket curriculum. This cricket programme is combined with an educational and personal development component which is designed to produce a more rounded player and is based on four "corner stones", fitness, mental skills, tactics and strategv and technical skills. This exclusive programme exposes Potential Test stars to past and present West Indies cricketers who are brought in to conduct "master classes"

well as top baseball coaches from Cuba' who teaches fielding and vision techniques.

as

The Shell CricketAcademyof St. George's University, trains players using the most

modern facilities. Players have access to both

turf and artificial practice nets'

"BO[-A'"

borvling machines, excellent centre wickets, a modern and fully equipped gym, and the latest

computer and audio visual technologv for research, and analYsis'

Beyond this three month Programme other persons can access the cricket facilities at is St. George's University. The Cricket Institute available

for preseason and pretour camPs as

CARICOM PersPectite June 2001

Practising on the CamPus

by BarryCollymore, Adminismtor, Shell Cricket Academy, St. George's

University

A.* TI_JE

VRTLAL LEAIQNINC SCCIETY

ry GlenfordHowe, (Ph.D.) Research

Officerfor the Board ofOutreachand Distance Education,

UW,CaveHill

The Changing Face of Education in the Caribbean

An examination of foreign tertiary,/higher in, or impacting on, the Anglophone Caribbean, is primarily and essentially

that investments in higher education had a lower rate

education providers

of

an exploration of the still unfolding dynamics of the increasingly significant virtualization of rerriary education provision in the region. It is also the use of new educational technologies to meet the triple challenges of access, cost and quality. Increasinglv, educational institutions are being challenged and mandated to reach out to, and educate, an ever

the boosting of enrollments in tertiary education and

extending and broadening range of learners, irrespective of their location, disabilities, work or home schedules, or other traditional barriers to formal education. The challenge is not onl,v to educate greater numbers and types of learners, but equally important, to provide rhe rl?e and quality of education which can produce as many enlightened and productive citizens as possible, as the basis for access

continued and enhanced national development, cohesion, prosperity and competitiveness. But achieving these goals with persistently shrinking budgets is no easy task for educational and other national officials.

In the Caribbean, significant efforts have been made, especially since the last 30 years, to increase the capacity of the various Caribbean countries to provide tertiary level education for greater numbers of their people. This development took place despite some quite difficult economic times, particularly during the 1980s, and against the backdrop of influential World Bank studies done by the likes of George psacharopoulos, which argued

turn than investments in

secondary and especially primary education. Now, the link between re

meaningful national development has come to be seen as being largely a positive one.

As it enters the 2l't century the region is well poised to capitalize on its generally high literacy rates,

trained manpower, and increased institutional capacity, to launch a meaningful response to the challenges of access and quality. CARICOM Heads of Governmenr have indicated that they would like to see by 2005,

l5 per cent ofschool graduates, against the

current 7-8 per cent, enrolled in tertiary education.

This would in effect double the enrollment figure which now stands ar about 50,000, in the Anglophone Caribbean. This region of the Caribbean now has between 100 and 130 tertiary level educational institutions (over 60 per cent nationally publicly supported, approximately 30 per cent being fully private and the remainder, private with some degree of government support). In addition to the more recognized tertiary institutions, there are numerous training institutions of various $pes which are now regarding the tertiary education marker as a possible opportunity for them, especially if they can achieve the necessary institutional strengthening and col_ laboration.

It is in the context of

these new develop_

ments that a number of foreign education providers, some located in the Caribbean and others operating

from

bases

in the USA, UK and elsewhere, have been CARICOM Perspective June 2001

x-A to use the new technologies to enter the rapidly expanding regional and especially international tertiary education market, particularly in the areas of business and management related Proseeking

grammes, medical/veterinary studies, and science and technology programmes. Internationally, there has been a

phenomenal growth in what is alternatively

called digital, online, or virtual educational providers, including universities and various consortia.

Formal schooling is now no longer restricted by limitations of space or time, as at a rapid Pace the new communication technologies such as the Internet, have made possible interactive connectivity between learners, teachers, researchers and other stakeholders,

in an ever closely knit virtual learning

society. Even

though there are varying degrees of virtuality being displayed by these education providers' the new educational arrangements and modalities have the capacity to, among other things: more effectively deal with the urgent and hanging needs of employers for certain tlpes

'

of trained workers;

t

enhance students' ability to access better incomes and vocational opportunities;

.

promote the attributes of Iife long learning,

'

transcend time and sPace in the

teaching/learning environment;

'

provide better and more effective

customization of programmes being offered; overcome, in manY waYS, the need for ' large expenditures on physical educational

and administrative structures; and . provide synchronous and asynchronous student-facultY interaction.

There are, of course, many questions and challenges which accomPany the increasing

virtualization of tertiary education' Potential students will, for example, need significant assistance

distinguishing and evaluating the quality of programmes being offered by the virtual mode, while employers will increasingly have to make judgements on the quality of credentials acquired by studens via

in

the virtual mode. While CARICOM PersPectire June 2O0l

it is true that

issues of

Utilising the new communication technologies at UWI

certification and accreditation have always been difficult to address, the advent of the virtualization of higher education has produced unparalleled difliculties for all including students, teachers and employers.

Another major challenge attendant on the virtualization of higher education relates to the issues of access and cost. It may be true that the new technologies such as the Internet transcend limitations of space and time,

but they do little to recti4/ the inequalities disadvantages caused

by

disparities

in

and

income'

Indeed, the new technologies may even exacerbate the inequality of access to tertiary education for not only do, many students and potential students' not have access

to, or training to utilize the new technologies,

those fortunate few who do can now use their access to these enabling and dynamic technologies to

compound the disparities and further widen the educational divide. The challenge then is in making the new technologies work effectively within the context of

developing countries, as those in the Caribbean' As Professor Badri Koul, Director of Distance Education

at the University of the West Indies (UWI)

has

pointed out, the numerous benefits of technology in education can only be realized when we focus our efforts on makingjudicious and affordable applications

of technologies,

as this can then reduce inequalities

and disparities.

At present there are approximately sixty-two (62) "foreign" institutions which have been operating in, or impacting on, the Anglophone Caribbean' in particular. This number may in fact represent an underestimation since new players are always coming have a on the scene. Sixteen (16) of the institutions primarily medical focus; five (5) are either veterinary

A=* education technologies to access student demands in the Caribbean.

The following are eight (8) different deliver-r,

or teaching mode types of tertiary

institutions,

including the indigenous and foreign ones, presenth, operating in the Anglophone Caribbean, and reflects some of the various tvpes of combination of distance

and

face-to-face teaching modalities which are possible. These categories are not rigid since, as

institutions develop and grow or rethink their delivery strategies,

their

methods

of

programme

deliverv mav also reflect changing and varying degrees of use of education technology.

o Caribbean Gove rn m en t-fun ded, primarilv face ro face, (with the exception of U\A'I with its emerging Disrance Education programmes) National Colleges, Community colleges, Universib.' Colleges, and polytechnics.

ktunching of Cave

: : : : : , : : : : , : : , : : : : : : .:_

Hill

Guild

of

Graduates Websites

schools or involved in veterinan. related actirities; twenty-three (23) offer a wide range of subject areas; eleven (ll) are mainly business and management orientecl in focus; four (4) are involved in areas of the

environment and Science and Technologr,; nvo (2) are involved in law programmes; and one (l) is involved in offering theologv relatecl subjects.

Most of the medical and veterinan schools,

while providing a good source of revenue for the countries in which thev are located, seem to be having u"ry little impact on enrollment in local institutions, since the over-whelming majoriq, of their students are drawn from areas outside the Caribbean. Competition

i. mainly being provided from those institutions offering general or multi-disciplinan, programmes and those offering business related programmes.

Although it is difficult to make the point definitivelr., it also seems that greatest competition fbr local tertian,

educational institutions emanates from those rvell established institutions operadng out of the UK and USA, and which are now using the various distance

o Caribbean Private Sector Funded, primarih' face to face, such as Barbaclos Institute of Management and productivin.

(BIMAP) and the numerous other specialist training institutions in the region.

r

\4'ell established or traditional institutions

based

in the UK and USA especially offering to the Caribbean by traditional

programmes

correspondence ( rvith a limited, but perhaps

increasing degree of modern distance educatior.r modality) which may also involve

some risit to the institution's home base for face-to-face teaching. This categon, rvould

include the University of London Law Degree Programme.

o

\4Iell established or traditional

institutions based in the UK, USA, Australia, etc. offering programmes via modern day distance technologies such as the Internet.

o

Foreign Offshore institutions with

phvsical structures in the Caribbean, such as St Ceorges Universiq'Medical School in Grenada, as well as most of the other offshore medical schools. The actual size and sophistication of

these phvsical structures van. considerably among the institutions.

CAMCOM Perspectite June 20Ol

:\t/t

o

Foreign Offshore Virtual Universities based in the Caribbean and offering programmes to all parts of the globe. This would include such institutions as the Eastern Caribbean University based in St Kitts, and the Commonwealth Open University located in the British Virgin Islands.

e

Foreign Offshore (mixed mode ) institutions based in the Caribbean and

of Caribbean Tertiary Institutions (ACTI) restricted

to, or composed of, those institutions regarded as local or indigenous. In many ways some of the socalled, or perceived to be, foreign education institutions including St. Georges University in Grenada, have a very legitimate claim to being categorized as local or indigenous institutions. Apart

off'ering courses to all parts of the globe. This

from the fact that they are located nowhere else, many now play a critical role in the development of the cultural, social and economic infrastructure of the

category would utilize the physical

region.

a

Furthermore, as a grouP, the various foreign

community college since they have no physical structures of their own. Much of the teaching is done using various distance technologies but there are intermittent periods of residency in

institutions operating in the region display some features which might be usefully adopted and adapted by the University of the West Indies and other local tertiary institutions. These include, for

the Caribbean at the facilities of the community college or host institution' One

example:

infrastructure of a local institution such as

in St Kitts, which utilizes the facilities of the Clarence such example is Berne University

Fitzroy Bryant College.

r

Professional Societies (usually with local

branches/chapters) operating out of the USA, UK, Canada, etc and offering professional

to people across the globe.

These would include the Association of qualifications

Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) ' Certified General Accountants (CGA), etc.

Some Future Considerations Given the rapidly changing nature of tertiary

education provision in the region, it seems imperative

that both local and foreign institutions seek, at the earliest possible opportunity to create mechanisms which rvould allow them to learn from each other's experiences and achieve greater efficiencies and effectiveness in the delivery of their Programmes'

.

Flexible admissions policies

and

admission dates.

o

An entrepreneurial approach to

the

marketing of their Programmes and a belief that the world is their market place. o Work internship Programmes which may

count for credits in a given

academic

programme, while bridging the gaP between the academic institution and the workplace'

Closer collaboration among

the

various

institutions in the region can also provide the basis for stemming some of the foreign exchange drain which results from Caribbean students having to do a range

of professional qualifications through foreign bodies located primarily in the USA and UIt Among the professional and accreditation bodies operating in the

region are the:

Likewise, greater collaboration can produce substantial benefits not only in terms of meeting CARICOM and other educational enrollment targets for the tertiary education se ctor, but equally important with resPect to

producing the q?e of trained, productive and enlightened citizen the region requires' It seems somewhat of an anomaly to have membership of an organization like the Association CARICOM Pers7ecti'e Jtne 2001

UWI DITE Distance Education Teaching Initiative

A.* ACCA:Association of Chartered Certified Accountants

inspire and build confidence in our ability to develop such bodies at the tertiary education level.

ACP: Association of Computer Professionals CGA: Certified General Accountants (Canada) CIM: Chartered Institute of Marketing

Conclusion

CIMA:Certified Institute of Management

paradigm shift within the regional education sector which emphasises the development of more effective collaborative frameworks between those institutions regarded as indigenous and those regarded as being

Accounting (British version of CMA) CMA: Certified Management Accountants (Canada and USA)

IMIS: Institute for the Management of Information

Systems

It would be quite informative to find our jusr how much money flows out of the region to these external accreditation bodies. To see the magnitude of the problem, one only needs to reflect on, for example, the fact, that increasingly most accounring

and

management students

feel, or are

being

pressured to acquire professional qualifications such as the ACCA, CGA or CNLA., in order to get a *good"

job.

For the most part we tend to see the operations of these accreditation bodies as being acceptable and

unavoidable, with little reflection on developing Caribbean,/Latin American based accreditation institutions, associations and organizations, which

There is clearly a compelling need for

foreign. Such productive relationships ought necessarily to be the basis for any fundamental changes in curricular content as well as in teaching/ delivery modalities. This type of interface within the

regional education sector is required not only to attain efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery and content of education, but also to properly define and develop quality assurance and bench-marking mechanisms and measures for the region's tertiary education sector. The critical challenge for us is not whether we can afford to develop these collaborative mechanisms and processes, but rather, in the light of the changing face of education world wide, whether we can afford not to institute the desired changes in timely manner.

may possibly be affiliated with those overseas.

Such a move can be seen as desirable for the simple reason that, even if not precisely known, no one can question that the income which goes to these

foreign accrediting organizations on an annual basis is substantial. We may therefore justifiably ask whether a consortia of universities in the Caribbean and Latin America, and including some of the foreign tertiary education providers in the region, through CARICOM or the Association of Caribbean States,

Glenford Howe

could not develop appropriate accreditation programmes for the subject areas, which are comparable

in quality to the ACC,A, CGA, erc. One

should remember that most of these graduates end up working in the Caribbean and Latin America, an way.

The experience of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) as an indigenous testing and accreditation institution, now being used as a model

for other countries around the world, should

a

serve ro

CARICOM Perspective June

2Mj

a

LA l-lAlTl - Trr

Ctrt,

F.rc r

An Intentiew with Charles MaYnard

ry

i n e H acke tt, Proi e c t ()fficer, Ctnmunications, CARICOM Secretariat

Volde

\ A lrh the deposit of the appropriate V Y of Accession, Haiti will become the fifteenth Member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) ' Since its agreement in 1997 to grant Instrument

membership to this country, CARICOM has been working with Haiti at the highest political levels through diplomatic eflbrts and technical assistance, to facilitate its integration into the Community' It has assisted the people and government of Haiti in their efforts to strengthen the democratic institutions and in this regard, provided suPport to the electoral

process. Among its many commitments to this country to assist it in playing its full role in the Communiw, is the development of a project to provide assistance in three areas - Customs Administration and Trade Policy, Implementation of the Single Market and Economy and Information and Communications. A CARICOM office is soon to be established

in Haiti.

Mr' Charles in Government of Minister Maynard, a former Perspective recently spoke with

Dominica. rvhose involvement with Haiti dates back to this country's entry into the ACP grouping and who has sen'ed in Haiti as a USAID consultant to the

of State for Tourism from 1995-1998, and as Deputy Chief of the CARICOM Observer Mission for the Haiti Elections in 2000. Following is the interview with Mr' Maynard, in which he talks about the face of Haiti he would like others in the Communitv to see - the unknown face of Haiti' Secretary

family member

of

As we project Haiti as Q: CARICOM,whataspects of Haitian life would youwant to a new

seeemphasise&

One of the things that has always struck me is the wrong impression that we generally have about the country. I have often asked myself, why is it each time Haiti is spoken about, instead of highlighting the

CM:

positive asPects of the country the most degrading as the aspects are portraved. Haiti is often referred to \'\'hat poorest countn'in the Western Hemisphere' CARICOM PersPectit'e June 2001

does that mean? How, and what does that tell you about the country? So, some of the things that I would like to see emphasised are some more basic facts about everyday life in Haiti. For example, of children, well clad in their uniforms going to school, police

conducting traffic - the civilian police that replaced the army - these are indicative of normal life, but are never portrayed.

I remember a visitor from The Bahamas expressing shock at the rather well stocked, well equipped suPermarkets. According to him' what struck him was the demand that there would be for products. It is accepted that there are some levels of poverty but there are, I would estimate, 3-4 million people out of 8 million with purchasing power which would add substantially to our C'\RICOM markets' These are also some of the things that I would like to see emphasised. There needs to be a lot more

information about Haiti's life, its culture, its art, its education system. Haitians like most of us in the Region, place significant emphasis on education' They would spend whatever it takes in order to give their children the best education.

A-* To cite another example of the positive life, recently I was looking at a TV

organise continuous exchange visits and programmes

_

aspects of Haitian

this is

programme where 10,000 loans rvere provided by a bank. The borrowers were doing excellent business and the loans were being repaid. I must mention that

addressed. \A'hen there are CARICOM conferences,

how the challenge of the

there will ha\â&#x201A;Ź

language could be

to be translations (I

sometimes done). However,

it

believe this

is

is important to note that

there are several banks that are owned bl,Haitians. As as CARICOM members themselves learn more of the culture of the

most of the business people have a fairlv good working knowledge of English.

Haitians, they will find

strate a thirst for knowledge. As many of them as you

Haiti accedes to the Community, and

a highlv informed

and

educated people with a passion for lir-ing and a desire to be integrated into the Caribbean.

One of the things that struck me rvith Haiti in relation to CARICOM specificallv, \{as ven. dramati_ cally illustrated when we wenr rhere as CARICOM Observers for the elections and were uniformed in CARICOM tee-shirts. fu we enrered the various

polling booths, the reception we received was warm and enthusiastic and conveyed to us recognition and respect. More significantlv, it said we are embracing

you and we are accepting this special relationship.

That is something that needs to be built upon and to be shared.

Q:

How do you see fhe rssue of

language

affecting this special relationship?

CM: I see it as a challenge that rve have to deal rvith.

In Dominica and Saint Lucia, creole is spoken, not exactly like the Haitian Creole, but it is similar and we can manage. One of the things that has to be done is to

As I mentioned earlier, Haitians can meet want to learn English.

demon_

I

remember at the all the junior staff there rvanted to learn English and some of them were going to English classes. That is one aspect. The other is, while most of the time Creole is spoken, French and English are spoken when necessary. Notwithstanding,

I

hotel where

stayed, practically

CARICOM has languages

it

to

recognise that there are two has to become more familiar with and

make part of its regular

business; that is, Spanish and French. I am hoping rhar we will see this as a project to work on. As we do exchanges in the arts, culture and

the different aspects of life, whether CARIFESTA or tourism, and so on, we will find there is a compelling need for us to learn their Creole. They have done a lot of work on it - much more than we have done _ and has

it in forms that can be easily assimilated.

You

Q:

other

mentioned exchange visits. Are there any

should be taken very early to promote the integration of Haiti into ()ARICOM, and who should steps that

spearhead those courses ofaction?

CM:

\4Ie need to have put together in French and English, literature abotrt Haiti and the rest of CARICOM in different areas of life - in trade, commerce, education,

Hditian Art

health, small business development, the common relationship under the Lom6 Convention, in joint areas of tourism, art and carnival. I think the Haitiarrs can assist us

in this aspect.

The other area is the

te

levision medium. One

of the things, in my opinion, that will be very effective in developing the relarionship is visual aids. Addition_

allr', there should be radio

programmes, because I

think radio rvill have a srrong impact in Haiti. you could have a radio programme, for example called 'CARICOM-Haiti Radio Time' beamed to the Region.

CARICOM PeNpective June 2001

te-A*

This would assist in showing Haitian life

rvhat Haiti is importing, and from where.

and

not be as difficult as

it

seems once we address our

minds to it, and have a dedicated department - whether

it is the CARICOM office in Haiti or, let's

in

CARICOM should prepare ourselves and not wait to begin to prepare for that opPortunity until we have crossed the "t's" and dotted the "i's" with the various trade protocols. I believe that student

We

simultaneously foster a feeling of belonging. It would

say, some

be organised. CARICOM

office in the CARICOM Secretariat providing literature

exchanges should also

on CARICOM-Haiti relationship. Quite apart from the general lodging of instruments of acceptance, we

should explore with the airlines special rates for students, perhaps in off- peak seasons. Encouragement should be given to the various asPects of civil

are going to have to do this, if we are going to have any

meaningful integration we should begin now.

of

for example, the hotel associations, cultural groups, and the like, to visit Haiti to begin to look at ways in which things can be done together, but all of

Haiti into CARICOM, and

society,

Another area that can make a significant contribution is Haitian Civil Society. I must tell you that Haiti has a very strong tradition of civil sociery.

this has to receive the endorsement of the Heads. The Heads have to make statements, declare a "CARICOM-

Haiti Year" for example, where all tlpes of activities are encouraged, and that people in CARICOM can go to Haiti and learn, understand and foster the kind of relationship that will deepen the bond. There is

Because of Haiti's own peculiar situation and the need

for advocacy in so many of the things that they have to

do, they have developed a strong civil

society.

C"ARICOM itself is about to have a Conference later in

the year with the Region's Civil Society. I remember when we were discussing this in Barbados recently, we found that the civil society experience of Haiti will substantially inform the conference. I should mention that there is a Haiti-CARICOM Institute that

much to discover.

is being proposed by

someone who has been in Haiti, and has projects managing civil society

anTthing?

a project. He has suggested that CARICOM collaborate with him in using it as a vehicle to promote Haiti-C,ARICOM relations' I

CM:

which accounts for significant revenue for many of our islands - comes from visiting friends and relatives (\rFR)' that is how it is classified in the statistics. We find in the rest of the Region that as the season ends we attempt to encourage other activities - cricket, jazz festivals and Crop Over in Barbados. A lot of the people who visit

be headquartered in Saint Lucia but would have offices in different parts of the Region' In my opinion, this could play a great role in helping to

Q:

CARICOM-Haiti relationship.

The suggestions thatyou have made sofarbrings

C,ARICO M to Hai ti. D o n' t you thi nk

it

is n ece ssary to bri n g

Haiti to CARICOM? Andwhatare some recommendations?

This is a very important question. I can tell vou some of the things that I would like to see' I know

CM:

for example, on the business side that there have been suggestions about trade missions from the Region to Haiti. I mentioned the experience of The Bahamian who was rather surprised at the opportunities he saw in Haiti. CARICOM should organise trade missions to

Haiti to see what the oPportunities and prosPects are (IRICOJl PusPccti|e

June )001

that cu]tural tourism has

have touched on some aspects of this. Wouldyou care to add

believe this is a good approach. The institute would

the

has been suggested

strong prospects for development in Haiti. I believe you

prepared

advance

[t

Q:

-

A

large part of tourism

-

are returning Caribbean people and one aspect of that returning group is what they spend. The surveys have shown that many of them spend more than the average tourist from the United States. Returning Haitians form a very substantial part of touriss' They occupy the flights from Miami to Port-au-Prince, which are almost always full. Often times, especially from November throughJanuary, it is diffrcult to get a flight

and many of these people are professionals who have made a good life in the United States and have come back home.

On the cultural tourism side, Haiti has a lot to teach us about their art and craft' Some of the galaries

in Port-au-Prince could hold

CM:

their own anlwhere

would surprise us, you could

have to recently, the former Secretary

easily believe 1'ou are in

Maryse Bennett, was Mce President of the CTO. She rvas

or London, or any other metropolitan city. The

influential in Haiti's re<ntry into this organisation.

We need to do massive promotion. If you go on the Internet you would be surprised by the kind of

and

France

range, extent, level and quality of work there by famous Haitian artists is second to none anlvhere.

Surveys have shown that many people who travel

Maynard, for mer Minister of Government, C har

State

however, has to be done and

it

Q:

total experience with

some details of this?

Tourism,

more,

has to be something

that CARICOM puts on the agenda has a role to play

for

is there on Haiti. A lot

information that

today are not looking for just sand and sea, but for a the

of

.

The CTO also

in this regard.

CARICOM played amajorpartin assistingwith

Haiti's membenhip in the ACP grouping. Could you give us

destination. In other words.

Ies

Dominica

The CTO wants to be more involved, butwe prepare the ground in Haiti as well. Until

CM:

they want to meet the people, see how they live, see their art and craft. Spending two or three days in Haiti, being exposed to a class that would deal with the

This arrangement or special relationship - if you want to call it that - between Haiti and the rest of

of printing, art, cuisine, and being

worked together when Haiti was preparing to become a member of the African, Caribbean and pacific

history

shown

around the various art galaries; going to some of the places where the artists dwell and learning how it is done right there; all this is very artractive to tourists.

And, I think it could expand significantly.

The Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)

Haiti in advancing tourism and they But, there has been some unjustifiable negative reporting and this presents challenges. If there is a protest of some sort that's all has been assisting

have made some strides.

that will be reported. You will never hear, for example, of the excellent museums in Port-au-prince and the

monthly change of artifacts. Often they have portrafng some aspecr of African history or of their own history and you never hear anv reference to that. As mentioned before, there are art galaries that on occasions have special conferences, "specials",

special sessions - and this never reaches CNN. But, as soon as there is a problem, however minute, it's in the

CARICOM started earlier.

Grouping

in

1989.

Haiti and

In the particular

case

CARICOM

of Haiti, it

meant getting into an area which would provide a new

avenue

of resources, new trading relationships

increased opportunities for

its

and

social development.

I recall some of the debates. There were forces tq,ing to put a wedge between Haiti and CARICOM because of the fear of getring less attention based on Haiti's needs as a result of its large population, and so on. We paid particular attention to Haiti because we knew that Haiti had a stronger case

for membership than perhaps rhe

Dominican

Republic. I recall at that time, the present Secretary-

General of CARICOM was head of the ACp Secretariat and there were many Caribbean people who worked very closely with him. Many of them were ministers

of trade at the time, were part of

the

negotiating team and were very forthright in assisting

headlines. So, it gives the impression that you are in a country where you are constantly in danger, which is not so at all.

grouping.

In your view, do you think that the CTO could be more proactive in marketing Haiti as one of iS destinations?

Canyou provide some reflections on howHaiti's Q: membership of CARICOM will advance the goals of the regional grouping, given the rapidly changing interna_

Q:

And what do you

see as the challenges

in

this regar&

Haiti in gerring a place in rhar very important

tion al com pe ti tive e nvi ronme n t?

CARI(OM Perspectiye June 2001

t\-A CM:

As the poet

pus it, "no man

is an island unto

people to register to collect their identity cards. Civil

himself' and this is the reality of the rapidly changing international environment - that is, no country can afford to be in isolation. You have to have friends.

The world is now divided into mega blocs - the EU and

Society has also developed many programmes,

the proposed Free Trade of the Americas (FTAA) . We

including the management of small businesses. They have provided avenues for research on Haiti that was

not possible by Government. Many of them have

need to have our grouping strengthened with a body of negotiating skills. We have an identity as a group based on our common bond - our common culture,

operated in areas of health and education, and have provided and obtained support for many of the artists.

We can learn a lot from Haitian Civil Society. It's very survival in the face of so many difficulties speaks to is

language and history, we can stand up in the rarious

strength.

world. I think, therefore, that Haiti's membership of CARICOM will reinforce that. There councils of the

are some who feel that an additional 8 million people

coming into the Community will have many challenges. I would say, however, that it is a positive development and CARICOM only has to organise itself to maximise the potential of this relationship.

We have to set up the institutions that will make it work.

We will frnd the experiences

of

many of civil

society and of other Haitians - not just in Haiti alone,

but Haitians all over the world who have distinguished themselves - important and useful in this new venture. For example, to the extent that we now have Haiti in CARICOM, there is no reason why we couldn't do some joint undertaking in Florida where we have a large Haitian community.

I think it

will defrnitely enhance the grouping from the point of view of giving us strength - in numbers as well as in quality.

Q:

You said that Haitian Civil Society was very

strong and active. Any suggestions as to howwe can benefit

from ifs members

especially

in the

proposed

Encounter of Civil Society scheduled later in the year?

CM: At one of the planning meetings for the Encounter, the Head of the Haiti-CARICOM Institute was asked to make a presentation. He cited the major role Haitian Civil Society had played in getting people to register and to vote. There was a

time when registration w:rs very slow and there was fear that a significant proportion of people would not register. This changed because many of the Civil Society groups - sometimes to the annolance of some people - produced radio programmes and encouraged CARICOM PersPective June 2001

The Haitian community in Florida,Josephat Celestin, center, the new Mayor of North Miami, Fla., is joined by councilmen Jacques Despinosse, left, and Ossman Desir, at St. Paulb Church in the Little Haiti neighbourhood of Miami, May 2001. The three now form a Haitian-American majority on the Jive-person North Miami city council (AP)

A.* Ll Fncr lrccrrt r o'flnrrr Un interview avec Charles Maynard

aiti deviendra le l5eme membre de

la

voudrez voir accentu4s

?

Communaut6 Caraibe (CARICOM), des que son gouvernement pose I'Instrument de I'Accession.

Aprds I'accord d'accepter Haiti comme membre de CARICOM, la Communaut6 travaillait avec Haiti au

niveau politique, diplomatique et technique, pour I'int6gration du pays dans la Communaut6. Ces efforts cherchent

i renforcer les institutions

d6mocratiques et

6lectorales. Un bureau de CARICOM va s'ouwir en Haiti pour donner I'assistance en trois secteurs :

a.. b. c.

Administration des Douanes, Marchd Commun et

Information et Communication.

Les gens g6n6ralement cherchent souligner les aspecs les plus n€gatifs et d6gradants au lieu des choses positives.

On parle souvent d'Haiti comme

pays le plus pauwe de l'h6misphdre de I'Ouest.

i

le

Quandje

je

pr6fdre de parler des enfans bien habill6s en uniforme de l'6cole, de la police qui dirige bien les voitures sur la route, de la police civile qui a parle d'Haiti,

remplacd I'arm6e. On ne parlejamais de ces choses-la, la

vie normale des Haitiens.

Je me rappelle comment un visiteur de Bahamas fut

6tonn6 en voyant un supermarch6 rempli

de

marchandises. Il ne crolait pas qu'il y avait de demandes

pour Nous avons parl6 avec M. Charles Maynard, ancien ministre de gouvernementde la Dominique. Il a

:

CM:

qu'un certain niveau de pauwetd existe en Haiti, mais il y a trois ou qr,ratre millions de personnes qui ont de pouvoir d'achat, et cela est ces friandises. Nous savons

i nos march6s en C,ARICOM. Ces choses-laje voir souligndes. Il faut beaucoup plus

6t6 aussi expert-conseil auprds de la Secr6taire d'Etat

important

pour le Tourisme en Haiti de 1995 a 1998, et chef-

voudrais

adjoint de la Mission Obsewatrice de CARICOM pour

d'information sur la vie, la culnrre, I'art et le systdme d'6ducation de Haiti. Les Haitiens comme nous autres

Haiti en 2000. M. Maynard parle avec 'C"{RICOM Perspective' de la face d'Haiti qu'il

regardent €ducation comme trds important. Ils

voudrait que d'autres personnes dans la Communaut6

d6penseraient leurs derniers sous

les 6lections en

examine

- La Face Inconnue d'Haiti.

Q:

Haiti

CARICOM, quels aspec* de

plusieurs banques haitiennes qui

fonctionnent avec bon

la vie haitienne vous

les enfants bien habill4s en uniforme de l'6cole

donner

meilleure dducation d leurs enfants.

Il y a va 6tre bient6t un nouveau membre de

pour

succds.

De plus _en plus, le reste de

C,ARICOM

apprendra qu'il y a en Haiti des personnes qui sont trds inform€es et instruites, avec une passion de la vie et un d6sire s'int6grer dans la Caraibe.

Quand nous, les observateurs de CARICOM, €tions en Haiti pour les 6lections, nous 6tions reVu avec enthousiasme et de respect.

Q: c e tte

Commentvoyez-vous la question de langage dans r€lation

sfr ciale?

CM:

A Dominique et a St. Lucie on parle le cr6ole un peu diff6rent de celui des haitiens, mais on se fait

comprendre.

Une chose qu'on doit faire

est

d'organiser des 6changes de visites et de programmes.

C'est important de noter que la plupart des personnes d'affaires en Haiti possddent une connaissance de CARICOM Pqspective June 2001

.l

jr--A*

I'Anglais.

Comme

j'ai mentionn6 plus haut,

les Haitiens

ont soif de savoir. Beaucoup d'entre eux

veulent apprendre I'Anglais. La majorit6 dejeunes travailleurs de

l'h6tel ou

j'ai

r6sid6 voulait apprendre l'Anglais, et certains d'eux suir,aient des classes. En Haiti on parle beaucoup de cr6ole, mais on parle francais et anglais quand c'est n6cessaire. Cependant, CARICOM doit reconnaitre que dans la r6gion, le francais et I'espagnol doivent devenir des plus en plus en usage. J'espdre que c'est un projet que I'on va entreprendre. Quand nous faisons des 6changes dans le domaine des arts, culture et

d'autres aspects de la vie, que ce soit CARIFESTA ou le

tourisme, nous verrons

que ce sera n6cessaire

d'apprendre leur cr6ole.

6tudiants. On peut demander aux lignes d'a6riens pour Q:

Vous parlez des 5changes. Quelle

autre chose

pouvons-nous faire pour acc6l6rer I'intdgration de Haiti en CARICOM, et qui doit faire cela?

CM:

Il faut de la litt6rature en

francais et en

anglais, des articles qui parle d'Haiti et de CARICOM en ce qui concerne le commerce, l'6ducation, la sant6,

des tarifs r6duits pour 6tudiants. On peut encourager des groupes comme les

h6teliers, les groupes culturels

et d'autres pour visiter Haiti pour voir comment on pouvait travailler ensemble, tout cela avec l'appui des chefs de gouvernement. Il faut que ceux-ci fassent des d6clarations, par exemple d6clarer une ann6e Haiti-

CARICOM, pendant laquelle

il peut avoir toures

les petites entreprises, nos r6lations communes sous

esprices d'activit6s pour faire se comprendre et pour

Lom6, la coop6ration dans les secteurs tourisme, les arts et les carnavals. Je crois que les Haitiens peuvent nous assister en cela.

fortifier nos relations.

Il faut aussi regarder la t6l6vision,

la

Voulez vous ajouter quelque chose sur la Q: question de tourisme cultureD

communication visuelle, et la radio. On peut avoir des 6missions CARICOM/Haiti dans roure la r6gion.

CM:

La Soci6t6 Civile est un aurre secteur que I'on doit regarder. La Soci6t6 Civile d'Haiti est trds avanc6e.

Plus tard cette ann6e, C1ARICOM va avoir une

famille sont tres importants, ainsi que des r,isites hors saisons pour les activit6s comme le cricket, des festivals de jazz et des carnavals. Les gens du pavs qui

conf6rence avec la Soci6t6 Civile de la r6gion. Je dois mentionner qu'un projet se pr6pare pour 6tablir un institut Haiti-CARICOM, et le responsable suggdre

qui viennent des pays m6tropolitains. Les Haitiens qui habitent d l'6tranger visitent Haiti en grands

que CARICOM coopdre avec I'institut pour faire avancer les relations Haiti-C,ARICOM. Le son sidge

pleins.

social de I'institut sera

i

Les visites des amis et de membres de la

retourne pour visiter d6pensent plus que les touristes

nombres. Les vols Miami,/Port au Prince sont toujours

Sur le point du tourisme culturel, Haiti

St. Lucie.

a

beaucoup d nous apprendre. Les galeries d'arts et des

Q:

Votrs avez donn6 1es wggestions pour

amener CARICOM a Haiti. Quelle sont

yos suggestions

musdes d Port au Prince peuvent rivaliser celles de

Paris ou de Londres. Les artisans haitiens ont une

poLr amener Haiti a CARICOM?

r6putation mondiale. Les touristes d'aujourd'hui

CM:

cherchent une exp6rience autre que le soleil et le sable.

Premidrement il faut des visites des hommes d'affaires de la r6gion d Haiti. Il faut des dchanges des (.1Rl(O\l P.t\peLriv

Jilnc 20Al

Il

y a le peuple, leur fagon de vivre, leur artisanat.

L'Organisation Caraibe de Tourisme (OCT) donnait assistance

:i Haiti

pour

I'avancement du tourisme.

Il

y a des d6fis cependant.

Les rapports qui sortent d'Haiti sont souvent des choses n€gatives. On

n'entend jamais

les

rapports positifs sur CNN. A I'ext6rieur, on croit que Haiti est un pays

perp6tuellement danger, et cela n'est lrai.

L'art d'Haiti

Q:

en Pas

Croyez-vous Ie OCT peut faire plus pour

vendre Haiti comme destination touristique? Quels

sont les d6fis?

Nous devons pr6parer

d'Haiti en C.ARICOM renforcera cela. Il y en a qui pense que l'addition de huit millions personnes de plus dans la Communaut6 posera des probldmes.

J'ose dire que cela sera un development positif, et CARICOM n'est que s'organiser Pour prendre avantage de cette relation. Il faut des institutions qui vont avoir de succds avec cela.

Les exp6riences de la soci6t6 civile d'Haiti, et

celles des haitiens partout dans le monde seront importantes. Par exemple, CARICOM (avec Haiti) peut avoir des relations sp6ciales avec la communaut6 haitienne de Floride. Je crois que nous seront plus fort avec la croissance de la population.

6 t6 civile d' Hai ti e s t fo rte nous b1n4ftcier de leur et active. Comment Pouvons

Q:

Vo us ave z di t que I a so ci

pr1sence, tenartt compte de la Rencontre de Ia Sociatd Civile

qui doitavoirlieu plus tard cette ann6e?

CM:

cela.

Q:

Nous avons le droit de prendre notre place devant les diffErents conciles mondiaux. Je crois que la pr6sence

le terrain a

Haiti. d'Etat Mme Maryse Pennett, dordnavant Secr6taire pour le Tourisme en Haiti 6tait vice-pr€sidente de l'OCT. Elle avait exerc6 son influence pour r6int6grer d'Haiti dans I'OCT. Nous devons faire une promotion massive, et CARICOM et I'OCT Peuvent aider en

CM:

parmi eux la Communaut6 Europeenne et le Marchd Commun des Am€riques. Nous avons besoin de renforcer la capacit6 de negotiation de notre groupe r6gional. Nous avons une identit6 comme un grouPe - avec notre culture, notre langage et notre histoire.

Voulez-vous nous dire ce que CARICOM a fait

pour faciliter Haiti comme membre

de

ACP

CM:

Je me rappelle qu'il y avait certains pays qui voulaient semer la zizanie entre Haiti et les Pays de CARICOM. L'actuel Secr6taire G6n6ral de CARICOM fut d ce temps-la le Secrdtaire G6n6rale de I'ACP, et il y avait plusieurs Antillais, parmi eux des Ministres de

Le chef de I'Institut Haiti-CARICOM dans une prdsentation disait comment la soci6t6 civile haitienne r6ussit a faire la population haitienne enregistrer comme 6lecteurs. Elle a fait des choses que le gouvernement 6tait imPuissant d faire. Ces groupes ont coop6r6 dans les secteurs de la sant6 et de

l'6ducation, et ont donn6 I'appui i plusieurs artistes.

Nous pouvons apprendre beaucoup de la soci€t6 civile haitienne. Qu'elle a survit en face de tellement de difficult6s est une indication de sa force!

Commerce, qui travaillaient avec lui. Nous avons reuissi de faciliter rentr6 d'Haiti en I'ACP.

l'enironment de compdtition dans Ie monde, comment va Haiti, en tant que membre de CARICOM, avancer 1es bufs de I'organisation Q:

Voyant

rEgionale?

'lIrh ile not a word to word reproduc tion, this translation caprures the essen ce of the interview with Mr. Charles Maynard. "

CM:

Aucun pays peut exister en isolation. On doit avoir des amis. Il y a dans le monde des mega blocs, CARICOM Perspective June 20al

x-A CELEBRATINC TEN VEAI]S OF INDEDENDENT PLBLISI_]IIG An Interview with Ian Randle

it took me the better part of twenty years to become reconciled to my 'accidental' profession. For 20 years I was never certain that, that was where I was going to end. In a way, reconciliation coincided with starting this business, although in fact I had no

years and

Jn.fanuary 1991. Ian Randle Publishers Ltd. I op.rr.d its cloors for business after proprietor Ian Randle's decision to break his links with Heineman Caribbean and launch out on his own in the perilous

of independent publishing in the Caribbean.

The ten years have seen his company grow to the point where it can be described as the largest publisher in the English-speaking Caribbean. In response to how he got into publishing, Mr. Randle

waters

lT Hazel Campbell, Jamaican author and poet

ambitions of running my own business until it actually happened. One can almost wdte off Fventy years.

Every book is a high point. Its very hard for me to isolate any one thing, since I tend to value what has happened in terms of actual books published rather

than events or even personal accolades.

said Accidentally. I didn't start out with publishing as a career option. I happened to know John

IR:

\ F., I'm happy with the growth! It has been I ph"norn"nal. It's now over 150 book titles that we have published in those ten years, which is on par with

MacPherson who was the publications officer at what

many publishers in metropolitan countries. Also, the

was then the School of Education. He was leaving to

fact that we are not school book publishers means that

set up the Caribbean Universities Press with headquarters in Barbados. He invited me after

our volumes are fairly large and substantial. On

graduation to work with the Jamaican office, so I literally stepped out of my last exams at UWI into publishing and

I

have never done anything else.

reflection, however, I would say that the high point is the break through into legal publishing. It's 96 per cent of a joint venture with a South African Company to produce legal material both in print and electronic

Your company is described as the largest

forms. We got into CD production in 1996. I think it is very safe to say that we are the only legal publishers in

publishing house in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Doyou agree with this description?

the Caribbean We have a separate comPany, the Caribbean Law Publishing Company, which only

a:

publishes legal material.

IR:

You can

I don't know how you're defining define size by your turn over; by your number of titles size.

published; by the size of your staff; how much moneyyou

invested. The only measure I would think that is appropriate is in tems of the number of titles published each year. But nobody really knows for sure. Nobody has checked. For example, the University Press putrlishes many titles. We are probably doing more titles per year now than the University Press. This year, for instance, we have on the cards 30 new books to be published. As to whether we'll actually get there, that's another matter.

What have been the high points of your publishing experience so far? What has given you the

Q:

most satisfaction? Are you happy with your growth?

IR:

I have to go back a bit. One important factor have been in the business now for over 30

is that

I

()RIC)ll

Perspcdite hrne 2001

Ian Randle

A* ur focus is on primary legal material. Things like statutes - the laws of a country and law reports both of which are critical for the administration of justice in any country You'd be amazed how many jurisdictions in the Caribbean do not have law reports which is the very basis of the legal system, because we operate on a precedence system. If reports are not available, how then are we going to cite previous judgements? So now we publish the law

reports for Jamaica. We have something volumes out, with an average

of

like

18

600 pages each. We

also now produce the law reports for Trinidad and Tobago. They have never had properly published law reports before, and we are about to begin publishing the law reports for the OECS countries.

When I think about it, it's the foray into legal

publishing which would be the high point publishing experience.

of

my

Your general books as well?

IR:

No. We are talking about the legal material.

But

I think the time will come when we start to put

some of our other books online. One of the most recent books we have done is a 1200 page student text book on Sociology. It is the first text book ever published on Caribbean Sociology. It not only has a large number of pages but weighs 2.5 kilos. Even before it was published it was placed on the CXC/ CAPE list. It is a measure of the sort of pioneering effort that we have made. Can you imagine one generation after political independence and it's the first time we are producing a book on Caribbean Sociology? A book like that, or a collection like that is a good example of something that could go on- line in the future.

A

Q:

You mentioned

IR:

At the moment we have just the laws of on CD. So the complete statutes book of

Jamaica

IR.'

CD's.

.|amaica is available on CD. We also have all the law reports that have come out ofJamaica since the lg30s.

These are available on CD. But we probably will not

expand the CD ROM aspect of the production, to me that technology has now been bypassed. We are negotiating with a Canadian company to put all our legal material online, and in because

future anything thar is published on paper will also be published online.

What are the problem areas of publishing in

theCaribbean?

IR:

The first and most important one is that we are really not a literate society so there is no real tradition of publishing in the region, and it is a kind of "Cinderella profession". We don't get access to the kind of necessary financing, for we are not attractive as an investment option. Young people don't see publishing as a career. They don't apply for jobs in publishing or we don't have entrepreneurs saying let's get into publishing. It's a profession which is not really recognised and people generally don't know much about it.

'fiinancing

is a

big

problem. Publishing is a highly capital intensive industry. Not only is it capital intensive, but it takes a long period to develop the

I

product and while you are developing it you are also spending money. It takes time to actually get the product accepted on the market, and, in order to get the right kind of cost per unit you have to invest in large stocks and hold large inventories. So it really is very highly capital inrensive.

Additionally, there are no facilities for training, so in addition to the fact that young people don't see it as a viable profession, even when they try to get into ('ARICOM Perspectiv June 2001

publishing there are no means of preparing them.

Further when they join the profession, the firms that exist are so strapped for money, there is no Provision for training. These I would say are the main problems. trading problem, but I think that every other industry in the

[here is also the I is true for virtually

Caribbean. The lines of trade are still very much from

the metropolitan countries to the Caribbean. It is easier for a bookseller in Barbados to import a book from England than it is to import a book fiomJamaica.

In my thirty years of publishing nothing has changed.

There has been absolutely no improvement. If anlthing' it has become worse. Shipping isn't there. The regional mechanisms have done nothing to facilitate the

information, building an information base, for a lot is happening both within individual companies and in individual countries. CAPNET also has to influence the whole area of trading, this is one way in which it is going to have to make its mark. Out of these other will evolve. For instance, there is the whole area of translating books from one language to the other' CAPNET can effect this kind of cross culturalization which to me is absolutely vital for true integration in the Caribbean. You cannot begin to integrate this issues

region until you start to have the exchange at the cultural and literary levels across the language areas.

I have a very strong view, that as publishers we have to be in the vanguard, and if we don't do it, I don't think it will ever happen.

exchange of trade in books within the Caribbean region,

and we still look outside for our supplies.

A

We have been hearing about CAPNET. What

is CAPNET?

The CAPNET document has a list of eight projects to be undertaken in the shortterrn.

a:

What success have you had with these?

They were ambitious but we thought' achievable. It has been slow going. The critical factor

IR:

CAPNET is the Caribbean Publishers Network established to contribute to the socio-

IR:

economic and cultural development of the Caribbean by building and nurturing a professional indigenous publishing industry. It is a pan-Caribbean, non-profit network of Caribbean publishers created to supPort and promote publishing throughout the region'

A

How can CAPNET help to solve the problems

youbave outlined?

for success is, of course, money. We are just beginning to see some light. Three or four of the projects are

actually going to be implemented this year. We of funding to do the surveY of publishing Caribbean

have now identified a source

infrastructure. We have also identified some of the moneY that will go towards

Not to solve the problems, but it can at least start to facilitate exchange which is the first and most important thing. I think the publishers themselves have to start this kind of twcway' three-way, four-way exchange among themselves. Whether it's a simple

IR:

act like my appointing a CAPNET colleague in Belize to represent me in Central America, so that I get my books into Central America or' whether it is my going

into a joint venture with a Trinidad publisher to do a book which is specifically for the Trinidad market' but where I can share my skills and experience in the international market - things like that' CAPNET can

also be very influential in terms of sharing CARICOM PersPectiYe June 2001

a

Caribbean

publishing conference and training workshoP. I think that if you bring PeoPle together

you might as well have a Practical u$pect to it' At the moment we are thinking of having this conference'/ workshop probably here inJamaica, in November' The

third item which I think

we wilt be able to do this year is

to develop and expand the CAPNET website, including

the whole business of putting publishers' books on the website and so on. We are also planning to develop a catalogue to which publishers can submit so we can have one comPosite catalogue'

A

Is CAPNETon the Internet?

,{-*

companies publishing two

IR:

There is a website, but it needs resources to expand it further. One area in which we have been quite successful in getting support, is attendance at book fairs.

For instance, CAPNET has now been invited to be a guest

ofthe Frankfurt Book Fair. They'll pay all our expenses to

or more books on

a

consistent basis. There is a lot of self publishing.

q

What is responsible for this growth in selfpublishing- Obiously people feel the need to be published. Is it the lack of outlets for publishing?

set up a booth, send somebody and generally advertise

IR:

ourselves at the fair.

at

That might be true, but it is also interesting to do an analysis of what is being self-published. It's basically two things - poetry and personal memoirs or

WiII that cover allyour members?

To the extent that they respond. That's part of the problem. One reason we have not been able to achieve more, is that people don't respond. At the end of the day, it'sjust three or four people running the show.

a

Isn't it true that many of those we call

publishing houses are really only occasional publishers?

IR

In both

areas it is extremely difficult to get a publisher to take the risk of

personal experiences.

IR

publishing. What you don't see being published are good works of fiction. You don't see any novels being

self-published; no substantial works of non-fiction; no general histories; no economics texts. It's the sort

of easy personal things which, and I don't want ro sound snobbish, I really don't think is adding to the store of the literature.

Well, I don't define them as publishers

unless they are publishing consistently and have an infrastructure for marketing their books. A lot of

people will say: Oh! Publishing is flourishing in Jamaica. On the contrary, it has taken several steps backwards. What has happened is that there are many

people producing the odd book here and there.

So

every week you can hear of a launch which suggests that the industry is growing, but in fact there are fewer

a:

your personal vkion for publishing in the Caribbean? Howwouldyoulike to see itdevelop?

What

is

I really want to see the creative works of the Caribbean being published from within the region. In IR

fact,

I

have suggested to my colleagues that the theme

of

the upcoming conference be something like,reclaiming our voice.' That, in fact, we have a lot to say and the world wants to hear it but we are not the ones who are giving it to the world. It's other people who are interpreting what

we have to say to the rest of the world. So we need to reclaim that voice, and put the message out ourselves.

And therefore we need notjust to write the material but to publish it. That is my overarching vision and it a_ffects not just the creative works but the researchers and academics, and what we give our children to read and to learn from in school. I would also like to see booksellers

supporting regional books Right now our position is adversarial rather than syrnbiotic. The booksellers would rather represent the interests of foreign publishers against regional or local ones. We have to work with them but they make no effort to support us.

They have no interest in promoting our books.

cont'd on p.

74

CARICOM Perspectite June 2001

*$ Mnrule rnr lQrert Ctctcr

two

countries in the Far East, particularly Taiwan. When I came back to the Caribbean, I found that there were many fertile minds to choose from, and that made it easy to transfer technology. An additional advantage was comparative labour costs. Despite the additional costs of freight, because productivity was higher than

heads a successful group of companies,

in the US, the scales were definitely tipped in our

including W&W Automotives Ltd, W&W Spices Grenada Ltd., W&W Electronics Ltd and GNFM

favour. We were therefore more competitive than similar companies in the US. This has been my experience in Montserrat and Grenada.

Globalisation presents a great opportunity for the Caribbean to create wealth worth billions of dollars and to reduce poverty - so says Joel H. Webbe, President of W&W Group of Companies.

Webbe, who married his love for electronics

to his interest in entrepreneurship more than decades

ago,

Radio Ltd. W&W Electronics, the parent company, was established in the United States in 1975, but

relocated to Montserrat in 1977, and then to Grenada in 1997 as a result of the volcanic eruptions.

Q:

This company presently manufactures different types

some reletant lessons for the Caibbean?

b/ VolderineHackea

in competing with in particular, what are Far East, Taiwan in the companies Based on your experience

of connectors for the

telecommunications and computer industries, and supplies over 100 leaders in

the field. These companies include Cisco Systems, IBM, Hadco, Intel, Sun Micro Systems, Motorola, Teradlne, and Aries Electronics located in the United

I believe that Caribbean people are mentally strong. Their successes in North America are testimony to this. They continuously make significant

JW,

States, Europe, Latin America, and Japan.

A Caribbean success story, W&W Electronics was born with personal savings of US$300, manufacturing facilities in the basement of a house, technical knowledge, and, of course, a vision. Today, this company which has been able to penetrate US markets is worth millions, and employs more than 600 persons with plans for an additional 1000 for its

expansion programme.

In a discourse with 'Perspective' on the many challenges of the journey, particularly of starting out so small, Webbe said: "everything begins small;

it

has

to start as an embryo, but what you do with the embryo and how rapidly you develop it is a function of the soundness

of the idea". 'You. must develop a vision

for the market, it is absolutely

necessary."

Perspec tive asked what influenced the company's

move to the Caribbean in 1977, andwhatspecialadvantage the Caibbean held over the US, at that point in

JW,

You may not believe it,

time-

but in many

areas

of

the United States (US) finding a comPetent, qualified

labour force is sometimes a problem, and businesses are forced to basically settle for who they get. So, we end up with persons whose productivity levels are low'

In

such situations,

it is difficult to

('.lRICO\I Peilpe.li|c hue 2001

compete with

Jbel Webbe

"{-*

contributions to the developmenr of the US, but for some reason, we generally just have not been able to get those at home to do the same thing, and I believe that our governments should look at plans to motivate our people.

resource, we will never be able to meet the challenges

of this new millennium and will remain in a vacuum.

Q:

Whatis the Caribbean'spotential

production senices for

as

asupplierof

the global market?

We offer our children primary and secondary

education and, sometimes even scholarships for tertiary education, but it ends there. There are no economic structures that outline desired goals for national or regional development. So, our studens blindly excel in various academic fields with no specific development plan to fit into.

In contrast to America and Asia, these countries' development programmes are very clear and allow students to choose an area ofstudy relevant to the developmental plans of the country.

Here in the Caribbean, tourism is the only issue that is positively talked about, and adequate supportive action taken. There is talk of improving our technological capacity, but these are merely words without substance, since there is no definite plan in that direction. So, our young people end up with qualifrcations that are inappropriate to our development needs.

Q:

So,

We do have enormous potential, but it is not energised. We have the brain power but we need to turn it on. Again, it comes down to the issue of human

JW'

resource development. If we don't invest in this resource and train people, we are going to have problems. We, at W&W Electronics, recognise that if we are going to take advantage of the growth

opportunities that exist in niche market areas globally, and continue to be competitive and profitable, we must be directly involved in the development of local and regional skills. Each year, up to forty-five youngsters are sent to the US for training and direct exposure to the processes we're trying to implement. You cannot transfer technology

unless

you directly expose the people to

the

technology.

What are the future prospects for high-tech production industries in the Caribbean?

Q:

you'resaying thatinordertoeffectpositive

economic change, one ofthe things thatneeds to

b

done

is

to

review the education system?

JWr Yes, we need to revisit the education system, but our well thought-out development plan must firstly identifr the niche that we can fit into.

Whatever it is - information technolog'y, etc. - we must develop a suitable road map with a proper structure.

be bright but the vision is not yet defined. Our high school students cannot say what is their government's development plan with regards to technology because they have never heard

JW,

The future could

of a fully outlined plan or programme.

Generally,

there is no plan because there is no real vision.

Q:

lstlreonus onlyongovemments?Whataboutthe

role of civil society, in particular the region's private sector?

You may have previously touched on this question Q: -Whatdoyousee as the main assets ofCaribbean business

that make

us

competitive, particularly in the Ameicas?

Human resource is the major asset but, unfortunately, it is taken for granted. We see real estate and machinery as major assets, and that is dangerous. The main asset for the development of any country is its people, and until we recognise this and invest in the development of our human

JWr

JW,

I

agree that civil society has an important role

to play, but, generally, governments listen only when it suits them. On their campaign trails, they seek our support, they, therefore, have a basic responsibility to see what the business community is doing successfully

and form effective partnerships. I go back to Asia because I am so impressed with what the political leadership has done within the Asian continent, and I'm convinced that a similar model will move us along.

CARICOM Perspectile June 2001

t\-A I

o:

am of the impression

that in

those Asian

countries the private sector takes a predominant role while the

govemment acts as facilitator?

JW,

W&Wmanufactures

Your impression is correct. That is the

different q'prc of conneaon for the teleromuniations

perspective, but the facilitator is really your guide.

and computer industies.

Q:

I go back to my previous question. Don' tyou

think

the voices of our private sectors are strong enough to dictate to our g ove rnm e n ts th e way fo rward?

Currently, the Caribbean private sector

do not have the required influence to impact on the

approach to production in this industry. No one will buy our bananas if they are too expensive and, should we continue in our present approach, we will soon be

global market. I have repeated throughout the region

holding on to something that no longer

that globalisation is the best thing to have developed since Jesus Christ walked the earth.

Whatwe are able to do atW&W has to do with total market potential. Companies in the US, Russia

Globalisation will ensure this.

JW,

is

predominantly a 'buy and sell' one. Consequently, we

and Asia are producing the raw materials we use for our products. And that is the benefit of globalisation.

Information is available. You know exactly what others are doing, you can find a niche foryourselfand stay ahead

of the competition.

But look at what's happening in the banana industry as a result of our own apparent refusal to rethink our strategies to meet, not only the challenges

take advantage of the opportunities as well! We are only still in the market because of preferential treatment. We will be forced

posed by globalisation, but to

there. Banana farming in the Windward Islands

JW,

used for production.

Another suggestion would be

to identi$

n

d sell' m en tality of our p ivate

se c to r?

I cannot

reduce poverty.

Q:

is

a

change it by myself but I will my contribution. I hope that the make certainly governments would develop a strategy to bring all businesses together - manufacturing, trading in goods and services, etc.- and advance the most feasible business development programmes as they relate to globalisation and the changing economic structure of our region. This, I'm convinced, will eliminate the high levels of unemployment and

JW,

out ofthe industry ifwe do not review our approach to it. I once made the suggestion - much to the annoyance ofsome persons - that we need to buy land in Latin America and produce the Caribbean's quota done on very steep lands, necessitating transPortation either by donkey or manually. We cannot hope to compete with countries where machines are being

What is Mr. Webbe going to do about changing

Q: this' buy

exists'

en

A final question, who isJoel Webbe outside

of

ginee rin g/ en te pre ne urshiP?

He is someone who believes that challenges and difficulties bear the seeds of both success and failure. But it is for you to determine how you handle your challenges and difficulties. Some people quit while others persevere. Basically, you become what you decide. So all of us can be successful if we so

about I million acres of flat land in Guyana and cultivate the Caribbean's quota and, with some

decide. That's my philosoPhY.

innovation, mechanisms could be found to deal with

region. I really would like too see us elevated to a higher standard of living. The empowerment of all

the financial aspect of this arrangement. This, in my opinion, is more progressive than the fragmented (.1RlCOll Perspectit'e June 2001

I

love people and am concerned about our

our people is very imPortant to me.

CARICCN1 FANIILY FOIQ TI-]E 22"J SL \4N4IT ANTIGUA & BARBUDA

Hon. Lester B. Bird Date of Birth: 2l February 1938 Marital Status.'Married Education: f962 - B.A. University of Michigan; 1969 - Barrister-at-Law, Grays

Inn P

of the

Hon. Said W.

Musa

Hon. Dr. Keith C. Mitchell

of Birth: 19 March. 1944 Mzrital Status: Married Date

Education: 1960: Certificate, Council of Legal Education; 1966: L.L.B. Hons., Manchester Universin'

rofessional / Poli tical Care e r :

1971-1993: Chairman Labour Party [ALP1

GRENADA

BE I,I ZE

Antigua

1977-1976: Senator,Upper House of Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate

1976-1994: Held several Ministerial Portfolios Deputy Prime Minister on two occasions 1993 -1995: Elected Leader of ALP

P rofe ssio n al

/ P ol i ti c al ()a re e r

1968-69: Crorvn Counsel, Office DPP 1970: Attorner-at-Larv

Member: United Black Association for Development (UBAD) Founder Member: People's Action Committee (PAC) and the Society for the

Promotion

of Education and

Research

(SPEAR)

Served as acting Prime Minister on

1974 Joined the People's United

several occasions 1994: Prime Minister.

1974-79: Senator

Parq'

(PUP)

1996: Leader of the People's United Partv 1998 (August): Prime Minister of Belize

BARBADOS

Hon. Pierre of Birtb: 77 October 1949 Marital Status: Married Educztion:L971:B.A. (Upper Second Date

Honours), Economics and History,

IJWI; 1974: M.Sc. Economics, UWI Professional/Political Career: 1979-81: Director of Economics, Jamaica Bauxite Institute 1983-84: Member

of The

1971: BSc, Mathematics and Chemistry 1975: M.Sc, Mathematics, UWI 1979: Ph.D. Mathematics and Statistics

Professional/Political Career: 1977-1983: Maths Professor, Howard Un.

19841995: Professional Consultant 1984.1989: Minister of Govt., Minister of

Works. Communications and Public Utilities 1979-1984: Consultant; Head of Systems Technologl' and Research Corp. (private)

1995: Prime Minister

Senare

1985-86: Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning, 1993: Leader of the Opposirion 1994: Prime Minister

GTJYANA

Charles

H.E. Bharrar Date

of Birth:

1946

Education

DOMINI(]A

The Rt. Hon. Owen Arthur

Class

Date of Birth: 12 November Marital Status: Married

Jagdeo

30 Jtrne 1954

Marital Status.' Married Education:7970-72:Saint Mary's Academy; 1978-79: Teacher's Training College;

Professional/Political Career: 1979-80: Senator, Interim Government 1985-1995: NIember, C'rvealth Parliamentarian Association, Dominica Branch 1986-2000:Opposition Parliamentarian House of Assemblr'; Feb.-Oct., 2000: Minister of Communications and Works; 2000 (Oct): Appointed Prime Minister

Date of Birth: 23 January Marital Status.' Married Education:

1964

1984: Master's Degree in Economics, Friendship Universirv, Moscow.

P ro fe ssi o n al

/ P oli ti c al C are e r : the Progressive

1977: Joined

Youth Organisation, \'outh arm of the PPP 1990: Economist, State Planning Secretariat.

1993: Junior Minister of Finance.

1995: Senior Minister of Finance.

1999: President.

CAIIICON4 FAI\4ILV FOII TI ]E 22"J SL

*-A

MN,,IIT

B

Hon. John A Osborne

H.E. Jean-Bertrand Aristi de Date of Birtht I 5Julv I 953 Madbl Stz'd:s Married Education 1974: College Notre Dame,

Hairian, Haiti;

198235:PhD. PsychologY University of Montreal,

&

Date of Birth:, 27 Ma,v

Martial Cap

Theolog,v,

ProfessionaI / Political Care e r.

1982: ordained Roman C,atholic Priest; 1988: expelled fiom the Salesian Order on

the grounds that he had crossed the

boundaries between Religion and Politics; 198990: leading role in the Movement for Democracy; 1990: elected President - spent seren actire months in office Prior to violent coup; 1991: Military Coup toppled the elected C'overtment imd President forced into exile; 1994: renrmed to Haiti and reinstated to

1936

Status:, Married

Education: Diplomas - Construction/ Hydraulics,/Mechanical Engineering, Manchester School of Engineering England, Juteland College - Denmark.

Honorary Doctorate, American University of the Caribbean Profe ssio nal,/ P olitical Cate e r.

President and Managing Director, Great Western Shipping ComPanY Limited lg6Gpresent: Member of the Legislative Council.

1978-1991: Chief Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development' 1991-2001: Leader of the Opposition

2001: Chief Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Development.

office - completed the last 16 months of Presidential tour of dury; 1996: fotrnded the Aristide Foundation for Democragv 2001: elected President

&

ST. KITTS

MONTSERRAT

HAITI

NEVIS

Dr. the Hon. Denzil L.

Douglas

Date of Birth: L4 Januan' 1953 Mmibl Status: Single Education: Bachelor of Medicine

;rnd

Bachelor of Surgery Desrees, University of the \4'est Indies. (LMII) Prcfessional/ Politial Career National kader, St. Kits l,abour Partyl990: Member, delegation of National Democratic Insdnrte and Council of Freely elected Heads

Govemment which visited Haiti to demonstr-ate intemationzil suPPort for its

of

democratic transition in I'oter registration' 1990: Joined delegation of Council of Freely

elected Heads

of

C'oremment

led

b,v

PresidentJimmv Carter, Carter Centre, iu an intemational observer to (kneral Elections in

Haiti.

1995: Prime Minister

ST

SAINT LUCIA

VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

JAMAICA

Hon. Dr. KennY D. AnthonY

of Birth: 8 January Maribl Sarus: Married Date

The Rt. Hon. Percival J.

Patterson

of Birth: 10 APril 1935 Madbl Starus Single Education:L959: B.A [Hons] - English, tMrI; 1963: I I R. l-ondon School of Date

196970:

PNP

kader of Opposition

Business in

the Senate 1970â&#x201A;Ź0: Elected to House of Representatives

1972: Minister, Industry, Foreign Trade& Tonrism 197&U9: DePun' Prime Minister 1992: Prime Minister

Education: Attome,v at Lrw, Middle Temple, England; B.SC., C'overr-rment and History,

& LL.B. (U\AT), Masters in I-aw, (t)WI) and Doctomte in law Universig' of Birmingharn' Prcfessional / Political Careen 1979: Special Advisor, St. Lucia Ministry of

Economics Prcfessional/ Political C-are e r.

I95&present Member of

1951

Education and Culnrre; 1980: Minister

of Education;

1993: Assistant General Counsel Caribbean

Communiw Secretariat.

1996: Politicrl I-eader Lrbour Panr" 1997: Prime Minister

Hon. Dr. RalPh E

Gonsalves

Date of Birth: 8 Augrnt 1946 Status; Married

Madal

Education: 1969: B.Sc

[Econ.], [Hons.]'

tM'I

1971: M.Sc [C'or't.], L]WI

1974: Ph.D tco\t.1, \4ctoria Univenigv of Manchester, England 1981: Degree

of Utter Barrister, Grar/s Inn

Prcfessional/ Politial 1979-1982: Political

&rc a:

kader, United

Mor,'ement (UPM)

1982

to present

Politiczrl

People's

kader of

the

Movement for National uniq' (MNLI)

19941998: Deputy Politicrl kader of the Unity labour Parry' (ULP) l99U to present: Political Leader of the UI? 1994 to presenu Member of Parliament 2001: Prime Minister

55

CARICON/ FAN/ILV SURINAME H.E. Drs. Runaldo R. Venetiaan Date of Birth:l8Jure

Marital

1936

Starus.' Married

Education:1964: University of l-eiden (the Netherlands), Doctoral Degree in Mathematics and Phpics Professional,/Political C.areer: l96l-1964:Research Assistant

in Mathematics Uni. of Leiden; 196F1973:trcturer,Mathematics and Head, Mathematics Dept., Instinrte for Adranced Teacher Training 19691973: Principal, Algemene Middlebare School; 197&1980: Minister of Education; lg8G 1981:Head, Bureau 198G1988:

for Scientific Education and Research;

lrcturer,

Mathematics, Institute for Adranced

Teacher Training; 198l-1985: Senior ics, Technical Faculty

kcnuer,

Mathemat-

of the Univenity of Suriname;l9gF

1988: Research Advisor, C,eneral Statistics Bureau; l98Z1993: Chairman, Advisory Board, National partij Suriname (NPS); 198&1991: Minister of Education 19891991: Member of the Executive Board of UNESCO; 1991-1996: President of the Republic of Suriname;

1993present Chairman, National parrij, Suriname (NpS); 2000 (August): Elected President

& TOBAGO Hon. Basdeo Panday

TRINIDAD

Ilate of Btuth:2lMay 1933

MafihI

Status: Married

Education: 195754: I I B. lin6eln's Inn

B.ft

(Econ.) [-ondon; Diploma in Drama Profesio nal / PoIiticzl Care e r

1965: Prirate Practice as a lawyer 1966: Contested General Elections as member Worken and Farmers Party ($lFP)

I973:PresidentCeneral. All-Trinidad Sugar

&

of

the

Ceneral

Workers Union;1976:Founder,/Member,/Ieader, LILF 1976 - 86: Opposition I-eader 1986: Minister of Foreign Affain (as member of NAR Government); 1988: Founder/Member of Club gg 1989:Founder/Member,/Political 1990

-

1995: Opposition

1995: Prime Mnister

kader

leader UNC

THT BAhAMAS hotl

fon ll'n

22nJ M"nfing of lhn Confnrnn." of l-lnoJ. of Cou"nn*nnl of fltn Corittnon Co-munilg COMMONWEALTH

OF THE

BAHAMAS

Background The Lucayan Era,/Christopher Colombus Non-Arawak people lived in the islands of The Bahamas as early as 300 to 400 AD. They were later followed by Lucayan Indians. Neither group of people left a written history, but what they did leave drawings, pottery, tools and bones - gives insight into

their daily lives. There were about 40,000 Lucayans when Colombus arrived, but this population soon dwindled to nothing after being enslaved.

Crooked, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, Greta Abaco, Great Inagua, Harbour, Long, Mayaguana and SanSalvador (Watling). The only other large town is Freeport, on Grand Bahama.

Some KeY Dates 1492: Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the New World on the island of San Salvador in the eastern Bahamas. After observing the shallow sea around the islands, he said "baja mar" (low water or sea), and effectively named the area The Bahamas, or The Islands of the Shallow

Sea.

1648: First --,

Location An archipelago of about 700 islands and more 2000 islets, than beginning off the

m:rc3t a

^&ar

European

settlement by English Puritans from Bermuda,

ffi mbui a ri! t

on Eleuthera 9{.icss.

1670-1717:

.**rs r..*'

The

Bahamas were mled by

southeast coast of

the proprietary

Florida extending to 50

nors

of

miles north of Haiti. 29 islands are permanently

of

Carolina, when the

inhabited.

Nassau (Bahamas)

""n.'** 0Dd

$

is a world-famous tourist center, known for its fine beach, colourful tropical vegetation, and the resort community of Paradise island across the harbour. Among the landmarks of the city are the Parliament Building and Court House;

Government House (1801), the oflicial residence of the Governor-General; and Christ Church Cathedral.

Nearby attractions include marine gardens, at the eastern end of the harbour; Fort Charlotte (17871789); Fort Fincastle (1793); Ardastra Gardens, with

many tropical and subtropical plants; and Jumbey Village, a reproduction of an 18th century Bahamian community. The College of the Bahamas (1974) is here.

The Biminis, the westernmost of the group,

are about 97km east of Miami, Florida.

New

Providence is economically the most important of the group and contains more than half of the Bahamas'

total population. The other chief islands, all of which

are low-lying, include Acklins, Andros,

Cat,

gover-

the British colony

British crown assumed direct control of civilian and military affairs.

1684: Spanish invasion

1600s early 1700s: A popular "stopPing off' point for many of the world's most infamous pirates.

l72O early 1900s:: Major influx of

newcomers

arrived in Eleuthera - the Loyalists.

1787: Nassau a freeport; nearly 100 cotton plantations 1838: Final abolition of slavery 1964: Internal selfrule 1973: Independence from Britain

1983: Became a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

II_iE BAhAI\4AS Capital:

Nassau (Nerv Proridence)

agrictrlture: 37o; inclustry: 5%; senices 92Vo (lgg7 est. )

Area:

Total 13 940 sq krn Land: l0 070 sq km

Unemployment rate: 9% (1998

Water: 3 870 sq km

In

dus

tries:

est.)

Tourism, banking, cement, oil refining

and uans-shipment, salt, lrm, aragonite, pharmaceuticals,

Natural Resources: salt, aragonite, timber

spiral-welded steel pipe, and shelllish

Airports: Nassatr International (Nassau,

Neu'

Providence) Freeport International (Freeport, Grand Bahama

Ports and (right): Ship repair facility, Free Port

Harbours: Freeport, Matthew Torvn,

Nassau

Form of State: Representative democracl' Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a Governor-General appointed on the advice of the Cabinet.

Exports:

$362.8 million

pharmaceuticals, cement, Population: 293 261 (1998)

petroleum products

Ethnic groups: Black 85%, White l2To, Asian and

Imports:

Hispanic

37o

Offrcial Language: English l.iteracy: age 15 and over can read and rvrite total population: 98.2 % male: 98.5% female: gBTo glggb es

t.

Religions: Baptist 2Vo, Anglican 20Vo, Roman Catholic l9%, Methodist 6%, Church of God 6Vo, other Protestant

l?Vo ,

none or unknowrr

3Vo

, other

Currency: Bahamian dollar (Bg) per US$l (fixed rate pegged to the dollar) GDP -

real growth rare:

-

ZVo

1.000

37o (1998 est.)

GDP - per capital: purchasing power parit.v - $20,000 (1998 est.)

GDP

- composition by

sector:

$1.74

(1998)

rum, crarvfish,

refined

billion (1998)

foodstuff, manufactured goods, crude oil, vehicles, electronics

Brief Economic Overview The Bahamas is a stable, upper-middle income det'eloping nation, according to a US Department of Commerce Report prepared by the US Embassy in Nassau. The Central Bank of The Bahamas Annual Report

for 1999 reported that the

Bahamian economy grew at a strong pace in 19g9, benefitting from the restored and expanded tourism capacin'in New Proridence, alongside steady growth in the construction and financial services sectors.

Stable money and credit trends sustained growth in external reserves and buoyancy in bank liquidiqr, pnd permitted some relaxation of monetary policy. The

improved tourism performance, coupled

rvith sizeable net reinsurance settlements associated with

Hurricane Floyd, underpinned an appreciable narrowing in the current account deficit, whi.ch continued to be primarilv fin:rnced from healthy levels '- ' '. 'rr.rgrr intestrne nt flows.

of

TT-E BAhAN,IAS lifestyles that it is todaY.

Construction The constmction boom contintres to play a major role in the economv. In 1999, 2,449 constnrction pennits were issued at a \alue of $464.5 million.

Ed ucati o n

Bahzrmian education comes tlnder the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. There are currently 204 schools in The Bahamas. Of these, 151 (74%) are fully maintained by the Government and 53

In New Providence, 39 and 28 independent. In government-orvned

the

Family islands, 112 are government-owned and

25

(26Vo) independent.

are

ArtlMusic/Dance The traditional music of The Bahamas

goombay, which combines the musical traditions from

Africa with that of the European colonial influence' Goombay, the Bantu word fbr "rhythm," also refers to the type of goatskin drum used to produce the rolling rhvthm of this n'Pe ol music.

Rake and scrape bands have been playng goombav mltsic since the time of slaven, when African slaves had ferv resources to create musical instruments' Typically, rake and scrape banks had a drurn fashioned

out of a pork barrel and goatskin, a carpenter's saw that was scraped with a metal file, maracas, rhythm

independent.

sticks and a homemade bass

Tourism

Tourism,

rvhich

F,â&#x201A;Ź=

annually attracts more than three million visitors to The

l.'/

Bahamas, continues to be the

linchpin of the

Bahamian

:*t ;t*lt'l'

of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). At the end of 1999,

banking

Junkanoo Junkanoo is reminisceut of

New Orleans' Mardi Gras and Rio de Janeiro's Carnival, but it is distinctlY

&.

e

indrrstrl'

ernploved more than +.000

d,

Bahamian and

+, began as

Culture is like no other' It culture Bahamian

exists

nowhere else..funkanoo first

Persons.

a temporary celebration of freedom {br

slaves who were given has

panorama of native customs of the indigenous "Indian" people who populated the islands o\rer the eons. Then Bahamian ctrlture suddenly embraced

S# r'iolin (a washttrb with ^ string throrrgh it that rvas t I tied to a tree-foot stick)'

,J:

economy, representing 50%

the

is

a

three days off at Christmas time'

Donning scary-looking masks, slaves played homemade musical instruments (drums and bells) and cavorted

about freelY on the island.

nnder-went an abrupt change, beginning in 1648 when English Puritans settled on the island of Eleuthera' It

The origin of the word 'Junkanoo"

has further evolved over the past fbur centtlries

is

unknown. The most

witnessing the arrival of Bermudan slaves and free blacks, British Lovalists accompanied by slaves) fleeing

popular belief is that it derived from 'John

America after the War of Independence, {ieed AJiicans from slave ships, Black Seminoles from Florida, people fl'om other Caribbean islands, as well as Chinese'

tribal chiel who demanded to be

Syrian and Greek immigrants.

These people - with their different backgrounds, traditions and beliefs - shaped Bahamian culture into the uniqtre, colourful patchrvork of life and

Canoe, an African

allorved the right to ce

lebrate with

his

people even after he was brought to the

ThE BAhAMAS \4'est Indies as a slave. Others belie.r'e the name is from the French "gens inconnus," rvhich means ..the

unknown people" and refers

to people

rvearing

h'avel in Harbour island is mostllt [1, golJ'cart and bicl,cle

disguises and thus being unknown.

Junkanoo probably began in the 16,r' or 17,h century. Around Christmas, Bahamian slaves nere given a ferv da1's off. This allorved rhem ro leave the plantations to be v'ith their families and to celebrate the holidav rvith music, dance and costunles. In the

early years, Junkanoo parricipants \rore gr()tesque masks and rvalked on stilts. Thet' n ere allorved to move

around anonymousll' and let off steam.

After slavery was abolished, Junkanoo a few islanders kept the tradition going. Todal', it is a jovous celebration of freedom. It is an important part of the Chrisrmas almost disappeared, but

season,

and The Bahamas is the onlv collntn,

g;*_

RiE,, -

rvhere

vou can experience it.

Inagua

The naturelot'er's paradise is home

to

Inagua National Park and the rvesrern hemisphere,s

largest flock

populations

of West Indian flamingos, as well as of rvild donker.s, boars and birds,

including the endangered Bahama parrot and White_

crormed pigeon. The Morton Salt Cornpany produces mountains of Inagua salt, rvhich nicknamed the "Bahamian Alps".

are

"These pe opl e - with the ir differe n t backgr-oun ds, t radi tion s and bel i e fs - shaped Bah a m i a n ctil tu re

into the unique, colourful patchwork of \ife and lifestvles that it is today"

Source: Bahamas Handbook 2001: Caribbean Beat. et a!

"LA CHAICINC CF ThE CLARDS J( F\ [ 5[:C F.\E - \tc\ lSERtiAt a'

Chief Minister, having recently assumed oIfice, what

b/

VolcleineHrkett

are some of the major challenges facing your gover:nmenP

CM:

One of the major challenges is to provide housing for our people. Many people are still living in shelters and we are still discussing with the British Government how to deal with this problem. We are

also anticipating that CARICOM will deliver the additional l0 houses, I think it is, to complete the CARICOM Village of 25, which has been a very welcome project for the families so far.

hn Osborne

Jo

We are now trying to do as much as we can to promote

Q.

What aboutalternative sources

ve n tures

offunding - partnenhip

with Montsenatians in the diaspon, perhaps?

Alternative sources are vew limited. With

CM:

respect to Montserratians in the diaspora, quite a few of them have returned to Montserrat, not necessarily the people who left as a result of the volcano, but those

our eco-tourism product. There is much potential there, despite the damage to the environment.

Among other things, we have coral reefs and many interesting birds. Our national bird, the Montserrat Oriole is found nowhere else in the entire world and this makes it one of the rarest birds in the entire world.

So we are trying to attract investment in that area of

who were living abroad for many years. They are building houses and so on and this is generating some

tourism.

income in the economy. Almost our entire

and communications infrastructure, I can see very difficult days ahead. The British Government has not yet offered the type of targeted funding that would

infrastructure has been destroyed, and that is, in fact, our major problem as far as economic recovery is concerned. We need to rebuild our infrastructure as

soon as possible, particularly the airport

and

But, until we can rebuild our major transport

create emplopnent and thus the economy is almost at a stand still. The country is going down seriously.

seaports.

4,,

How do you see the lack of infrastructure

airport, seaports, hotels affecting your efforts, particularly with

Q:

regard to tourism?

CM:

CM:

we expect that when they come on stream, they will generate a fair amount of employrnent and much more money will be in circulation.

-

Are there any projects underway?

-

Significantly, but there are still many people who travel to Antigua that would come across to look at the volcano and the destruction in the city. We also have a helicopter service. Most visitors spend the day

and return in the afternoon. If people want to overnight, we still have tlvo hotels and a number of guest-houses. A considerable number of people are coming, but it would have been better if we had the airport and seaport, that certainly would have made

a

significant change in the GNP and create sustainable employrnent opportunities. as

Before the eruptions tourism accounted for much as 42 per cent of our Gross National Product.

C.lRl( ().ll Perspectirr ,htne 200l

a,'

We have many projects to be implemented and

Have you invited investment

from other parts of the

Region?

CM:

While we have spoken to several people, it is not

very realistic at this point

in time for

anyone to

anticipate any major private investment - there is still an active volcano. Even if they were to invest, it is hardly likely that insurance companies will grant adequate coverage under these circumstances. Truly, I can onlv see that the British Government has a moral

and general responsibility to respond to the Montserrat situation in a more tangible way. They have been quite generous so far, but unfortunately the

money was not well spent and we really have very little

to

show

for the millions in aid managed by the

Department for International Development. If the monies were given to the local government, I can assure you that we would have accomplished much more especially in terms of replacing our lost infrastructure.

after such der,'astation, without the necessary help, we cannot do it on our own. We do not have enough people to generate large incomes. If the Administering power in Britain decide not to make a

real economic contribution to Montserrat,

selG

suffrciency will be a long way in coming.

A

You' re not

a

newcomer to CARICOM. You spen t years

atthe helm andyouare nowinto an historic four termsas Head of Government. Hasyour perception changed on Montserrat's role in the developme nt ofa viable community?

Back to the issue of tourism, what are some of the

What are your views on the proposed Single Market and

alternatives being considered in the event of future entptions, even if in the long tenn?

Economy and the Caribbean Court ofJwtice, for example?

CM:

CM: I've been out of the Region for some time, and since resuming oflice my attention has been focused on rebuilding the country and I'm now only beginning to become abreast, in a detailed way, with

ar

Our focus is on rebuilding our infrastructure, and hence our economy. Alternatives cannot be considered at this point in time, unless we have a strong economy.

developments in the Community. I however wish to state, as I've done so many times before, that I believe the features that unite us as a

some What does your overall agenda envisage for the

a,

youths? Any special programmeQ

of the

people are stronger than the divisive factors.

CM:

At present we are trying to educate the youths in technology; in vocational skills; etc, not necessarily for employment in Montserrat. We only have five

Whatever our difference, we have a common identity as Caribbean people and our solidified front is vital to our sustainable development. Montserrat will support

thousand people in Montserrat and opportunities are limited for our trained youths; but at the same time our responsibility is to prepare them for life - whether it is here or abroad. Regardless ofwhat happens that is an obligation that we have to honour. We are setting

any endeavour that would facilitate the

closer

relations among the Caribbean countries; anything that would be in the best interest of the Community, and I'm committed to doing whatever is necessary from my end.

up a new college, which is expected to come on stream

in September 2001 - if all things work as planned.

ar

In your Budget Speech you spoke about a vision

a, of

greater selfsufliciency for Montserratians. What does this mean?

In relation to the problem of the lack of

infrastructure, what sort of technical assistance do you expect from CARICOIUP

We have access to all forms of technical from the Administering powers in Britain so the need for direct support from C,ARICOM is not necessary at this time. I am, however, very pleased to observe that quite a number of CARICOM nationals have taken up technical positions in our public

CM:

assistance

CM: It'snotaquestionofavision. Ithasbeenforced upon us. The British Government has said that we must become sellsuffrcient by a certain time. But I cannot discern this on the horizon at all. At the risk of repeating myself, without the necessary infrastructure, I cannot see how we can support any form of economy. However, the national pride is there but,

sewice. It is really wonderful to see that the region can

provide the capacity that could assist all our islands in a

multiplicity of

areas.

CARICOM Pe$pectite June 2001

"$ Montserrat has been given the responsibility of working with Belize with respect fo r'ssues relating to the environment and disaster management. Any

a:

commenO

CM:

Asyou know, the economic and social life in the Caribbean and in Montserrat in particular, have been affected by natural disasters. Montserrat's role, therefore, in the development of any strategies and policies would be to seek a sustainable arrangement to

CM:

It's not a happy situation in Montserrat. But

if

the volcano were to settle down completely, the people

are resilient and will bounce back faster than most people would. In the meantime we have a safe area in which people can foster decent and quality livelihoods.

Montserratians do not want luxuries. They merely want to have the basics in life beginning with shelter and a reasonable supply of potable water.

A,

Sowhatare the scientific predictions?

minimise the effects of such disasters.

CM: Ar

The scientists have said that they are unable to

There has been acall for Constiattional Review, which

forecast what the volcano will do, but they are certain

among other issues may allow the people of Montsenat an

that it could continue in its current eruptive state for several years. There are some opinions that within the next two years it will settle down. Others predict it may never settle down. We are learning everyday to live with nature at work.

opprtni ty to de te rmine whe the r o r n o t they wish n remain a

British tenitory. Do you

see

such a call

rekindling a quest

forlndepndencd

CM:

There

estimation)

was a

time when about 75 percent (in my

of the people would have

wanted

independence. In our present situation, I don't think

so.

Not that we wouldn't be proud to be

an

independent country, but the situation is not ripe for that. We don't have the means to support ourselves.

Later this year, Montserratians will be offered British Citizenship. As far as my understanding goes, it will be a reciprocal arrangement, but I think the people will be reluctant to allow reciprocal arrangements and serious thought has to be given to this offer.

ar

Any closing words?

CARICOM Perspeclive June 2001

Ilouses in C,aricom Vllage. (right) kcretaryC,enenl EdwinC,arringnn with oneof the occupants, during a recentvisit in MattzM7.

CF]ANCII.|C OF ThE GLARDS I;ALPF GC\SALVES . ST. VIICEIT & ThE CIiE\ADII.|E5

PM: I ry

always had, as

a youth, a general petty

politics. But, I would mark my first real serious involvement l6'h 1968, as October in politics. It began when Walter Rodney, then a lecturer at the University of the West Indies, in Jamaica, had gone to a Black Writers' Conference in Montreal, Canada. He returned on the afternoon of October l5th and was denied admission to the country. His pregnant wife and son were in Jamaica and they were not given an opportunity to see to their personal affairs. Walter was simply banned in a bourgeois interest

Volderinelilackex

in

Peremptory manner.

Ralph

Gonsalves

Prime Minister, your professional Life extends beyond the Caribbean. What are some of the more challenging moments while seruing out of this region?

Q: In

Uganda, for instance?

I was attached to the University of Makerere a research associate. I was at the time a student at

PM: a^s

the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom doing research for my PhD. My thesis was entitled "The Political Economy of the Trade Unions and

It was during the through 1973. Idi Amin was

Industrial Relations in Ilganda".

period trlay 7972 President It was a most interesting experience, but also frightening.

Uganda is a magnificently beautiful land. I actually got to know, very briefly the area, between Uganda and Tanzania through Kenya. I met President Museveni. He was then not yet president He was a young man dreaming of getting rid of both Amin and Obote, in that order. I thought actually he was out of his mind. But, a lot of people thought I was out of my

mind too when I indicated I was pursuing

a political

career.

I liked the countryvery much and made many friends. I had some very personal scary experiences but overall, it was a worthwhile experience.

Q:

How did you get into Politics?

As President of the Student's Union of the University, as soon as I heard, I started to mobilise students both on campus and off campus, and on the morning of Oct l6s I led a massive demonstration into the city. I was then a youngster of 22 years and we

joined by thousands of Jamaicans of all walks of life. The army and the police reacted in a manner which was out of proportion. We were beaten and

were

teargassed, the University was closed for two weeks, the army mounted g'uns on the perimeter of the University, there were restricted access and movements in and out of the campus were curtailed. After we finished our protesting, that same evening a lot of people went on the rampage and actually burned

down large sections of the city. According to estimates, about six million United States dollars worth of property was destroyed. It was this incident that made me resolve that so long as I live in this Caribbean, I will fight undemocratic and arbitrary action. What took place in Jamaica was a dress rehearsal for events two years later in Trinidad and Tobago, in the Black power revolts. And that is how I got involved in politics.

Q:

bwlntareyowcommenEontherecenthaPrynings

in Barbados? Would you

ny that things haven' t changed?

PM:

What happened in Barbados was child's play to what took place in Jamaica. I think in Barbados, from my knowledge and from a distance, it was inexperience on the part of the police in dealing with the situation. I think inJamaica it was a deliberate act

of public policy.

(ARICOM Perspective June 2001

*-A You formed an alliance

Q:

with the StVincent Iabour

opposition to this Party over a long period of time, whatwere the circumstances thatled to this Parry. Given your strong

association?

involved, in a real sense, in politics in St Vincent and the Grenadines - I don't make a distinction of where I am in the Caribbean insofar as my political involvement is concerned, I have spoken at public meetings and rallies, internal meetings, at every single Caribbean country'

PM:

I got

When

including Guyana - for the first time during197475, I joined a left wing group called the Youlou United Liberation Movement - Youlou is the original Carib name for St Vincent. It was a socialist grouping, which evolved into a Marxist organisation. The St' Vincent and the Grenadines Labour Party was in power, I was very critical

them and indeed critical of them right

of

up to when they lost power in 1984' By 1994' a number of things had changed. The international situation had changed. The Cold War had ended' Regionally, there was the collapse of the Grenada revolution, and in domestic politics, the Mitchell

government had come to Power. Things' in my opinion, deteriorated further.

The Labour Party during the period after 1984 moved a little towards a more progressive social democratic position and my own position shifted

emerged in the 21"'. And this is a project, which is not just economic and technical, but is a supremely political project to be managed. I can provide for you a lot of manifesto gpe details (and you can see those on the website of the Labour Party), but I see the problem

being addressed within an overall framework of the further ennoblement and enhancement of our Caribbean civilisation, beginning from the point that the Caribbean is an independent, authentic civilisation with its own nobility, its own character, indeed, its own civilisation sui generis - as the Latin scholars would say.

When you look at us carefully, we are really unique. A whole set of factors conjoin to present us

with this uniqueness. We have, by and large, a migrant population though there are indigenous people, for example, the Amerindians in Guyana and here in St Vincent, the Caribs. This migrant population is largely non-white and we are an island civilisation. In Guyana, although it is continental, is features are like an island civilisation' Peculiar, isn't it? We have a particular landscape and a seascape, but whatever our difliculties, we come into from drawn democratic institution with peoples diverse races and cultures and have fashioned a

life and

harmonious whole. And while there may be hiccups in Guyana and Trinidad, in this regard, as I say

from a Marxist position to one which was more mainstream social democratic. The personal friend-

metaphorically, we are the songs of the Caribs' the Arawaks, the Amerindians; the rhythm of Africa; the

ship benveen Vincent Beach who headed the Labour Party and myself was also an influence' In many small countries personalities are imPortant' And then' of course, the practical situation of the electoral

melody

arithmetic would have concentrated our minds'

banana situation?

would you say are some of the major do challenges confronting the county at this time and how

Wat

Q:

you propose to

dealwith them?

The major challenges are how do we come to terms with globalisation, how to deal with some of the

PM:

problems

from the last century -

inadequate

education; housing; poverty at the level of 37 percent' So you're dealing with some unresolved problems from the 206 century and the new ones which have C..1

RIC)\| I'erspcttite

June )00

l

of Europe; the chords of Asia; and the

homegrown lyrics of the Caribbean'

Q:

Any different plans for going fotward with the

Well, we just had a banana donors' group meeting with the Heads of Government of the

PM:

Windward Islands and the banana farmers and

WIBDECO (West Indies Banana Development Exporting Company), in St' Vincent' I hosted the meeting and we had some restructuring proposals on the table, basically to commercialise the industry' It's a many-sided Process. I took a l3-member delegation - we were in St. Vincent so I could have taken a fair number of people - and only five of them were from the

A-x state administration: three ministers and two public servants; the other eight were from outside - five of them being farmers. It was an occasion for them sit

down and hear what the Heads are safng, and what the Europeans are sa)..rng, hear what WIBDECO is sa).rng. I do not subscribe to people being kept out of decision-making. I will nor funcrion like that. My life is

an open book and the government that runs this country is an open book. you meet us as you find us, with our strengths and weaknesses, possibilities and limitations. of the me etinp

Q:

And the ourcom

PM:

Very positive. We are not out of the woods as

e

yet, but there are positive

the 'shop' here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is open to anyone who is interested in discussing a confederal state with us. I have made this point at

every forum I have spoken, since I became prime Minister eight weeks ago, including the recently concluded CDB meeting in Saint Lucia. Incidentally, I was the only man who spoke on the question of political union. Maybe it is because I am still naive.

But, I hope my naivete will remain. you know what they say 'bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven' - well my government is young and still in a heavenly state. We have had our

setbacks in the integration movement but, by and large we have made progress and now we are at the stage of the Single Market and Economy.

signs.

Q:

A lot of elfort has been spent in moulding the regional integration process in pursuit ofspecific goals, primarily improving the lives ofthe people of the C,aribbean.

What is your perception of regional integration and its success to date? How optimistic are you of our achieving this goaD

PM:

Let me begin by putting it at a minimum. I don't know of anyone in the Caribbean who has lost his or her job because of regional integration. On the contrary, manyjobs have been produced because of

regional economic integration. I don't know of any student who has not done well at school because of

regional economic integration. Indeed, on the contrary, because of integration they have made tremendous advances in education- the localisation of curricula by our University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Examination Council, for example. The same can be said for agriculture, meteorology, science

and technology and health. The work which was recently done in the OECS in relation to ECTEL. Of course, you and I know that regional integration consists of a series of concentric circles

_

some tighter,

but the important thing is for us to continue the struggle and let all of these concentric some looser-

circles have a point ofrelevance and contact with one another. Once we proceed on that basis we are going

to be able to move forward. I have made it plain that

In that respect, do you think that the instrumena Q: would deliver the Single Market and Economy?

PM:

The instruments obviously are very impor_ tant- the framework- but we have got to have the will.

Sometimes it's difficult and my staff ask me how do you have the time to deal with these things; and I say that it is important. C"{RICOM is vital to me; so too the OECS, and I am not going to hang around in this office without making sure that the process is pushed

forward a little more.

But too many of us remain insular, and we get shaken out of our complacency each time we leave

the Caribbean and go elsewhere. The slings and of globalisation and trade liberalisation are

arrows

hitting

us and we

don't have money sometimes to send

people to important meetings overse:rs, yet we speak of a pristine sovereignity in relation to each other.

You will find this man from this littte piece of the Caribbean landscape and seascape called St. Vinoent and the Grenadines, talking a lot about political union and integration.

Sowhatrole,inyouropinion,cancivilsocietyplay Q: in establishing the Single Market and Economy and what must CARICOM do to ensure its participation?

PM: The Civil Society is critical in this process.

We have to get the point clear from the beginning. ('ARICOM Per:pettire June 2001

t\-A The notion of the nation state and its political adornment, sovereignty, are essentially 16d century

concepts which have undergone tremendous changes, particularly in the last few years. And one of the important changes clearly is the diminution of the power of the state. It is true that the state is still an important institution, and sovereignty is still important in a juridical sense, but there has been a tremendous growth in civil society and after all, let's face it, with the spread of information technology, the hierarchies have broken down - be it the hierarchies in the state, the hierarchies in the church, in business, in the family. There is also a dispersal of centres of authority and that is what has happened in the flow of the world. Civil society is becoming more and more

important so that you can't move forward with something as massive as the Single Market and Economy and have it directed just by the state' Of course, the state cannot retreat- a democratic state properly organised is a force for good and, in large measure in the Caribbean, a force for good' But you know the simple thing is that the state can't carry the battle alone. CARICOM doesn't have to reinvent the wheel in dealing with civil society. What it has to do is

to make sure that it weaknesses -

deals

with civil

society's

that is, the tendency amongst some of the

organisations to talk things to death - and have serious and focussed discussions with timelines' Thepropored Caribbean C'ourt o{lwtice being the

Q:

of disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the Treaty is essential to the integration

superstructure and not addressing the base' Most people in this Region 8o to the Magistrate's Courts to get justice. Ninety-seven percent of the cases go there. Well, magistrates don't have security of tenure' A lot of them are creatures of the executives and we need to regionalise the magistracy. Let us start there

with the base and give a certain confidence to the people so that we can then abolish the Prily Council and set up a Final Court ofAPPeal.

And I'm calling for the strengthening of the magistracy and its regionalisation on the terms I just alluded to. When that is done, we'll move inexorably,

without anyone making a fuss about a final Court of Appeal, but of course we need the mechanism for the CSME. Recenily, CARICOM has been playing an active role in govemance and the maintenance of demouacy in the

Q:

Regton. In your view, is that a role for CARICOM? And' given your situation just last year, did St. Vincent benefit

from CARICOM'y interue ntion?

We benefitted. CARICOM provided a framework to have the issues resolved amicably' PM:

Arthur Lewis in his book Agony of the Eighties made the point that the compelling reason for integration is

not so much to improve your livelihood, but to improve your governance and, of course, once you improve your governance the improvement of your livelihood would flow almost naturally'

sole arbiter

process. Apartfrom the legat

to bring

it

instunents, what mwt be done

into being? Do you have any resetwations? And is

there anything that you wish to see done to ensure its

integriS have reservations about the CCJ as a final but I don't have the reservations Appeal Court of about it in respect of its Original Jurisdiction to address the conflicts and disputes which may arise from the Single Market and Economy' Insofar as its

PM:

I

Original Jurisdiction, we are dealing with the jurisprudential question broadly.

I don't like the idea of merely sorting out the CARICOM PersPectiw June 2001

Q:

A final quesrton Prime Minister, who is Ralph

Gonsalve s ouside of

Plitics?

in 1946, one hundred years after my foreparents came from Madeira as indentured servants. I was the first in the family to receive the opportunity to attend university. I'm fanatic about cricket. I love sports generally. I love Caribbean music

PM:

I

was born

generally, and love to fete.

I'm a child of a noble civilisation'

,,{-* CI_]AICINC CF ThE CL AIQDS \ [.:C I l-.\h - CA[.|I]EEA\ IIEVFLCF\lf:T

( ( \lt T(

Q:

Dr. Bourne, you have had

a

distinguished professional career,

first at the University of

Gutana

(UG) and then at the universiq, of the West Indies (LrW). You have just embarked on a new regional venture

as Head of the

Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). Broadly speaking, we can determine a career path from academic to banker. How

do yott feel generally about making Compton

this change?

CB:

I certainly remember some of the recommendations, not quite in detail as I would like to. What I do recall, however, was that the central recommendation dealt with the need for a sustained and expanded and qualitatively improved programme of human resource development. The second recommendation had to do

with raising the levels of savings and investment in the

Region to finance its recapitalisation for the achievement of a faster rate of economic growth, and

for higher levels of employment. A third recommendation dealt with the reorientation and the

widening

Bour ne

CB:

I would say rhar it is not as big a change as it on the surface, largely because I have been involved in economic poliry matters and economic seems

decision-making matters for quite some time in larious countries both in, and outside of the region. But yet in a way, there are some important differences. The CDB has a different scale of operation from the University. It is a significantly smaller operation in terms of the number of persons, both the staffitself and the persons with whom one will have to interact on a continuous basis overtime. I

think it is significantly different in rerms of the point of impact that the two organisations has, so there are also

things to get accustomed to, including

a

difierent

t:AltK

of international economic relationships

partners in the Americas (Latin and South) , in Asia, and

in Africa. A fourth recommendation dealt with the development of technological capacity in the region, while the fifth recommendation suggested the diversification of agriculture, particularly in relation to bananas and sugar.

Now, I believe that some of these things have had an impact of a positive kind on the region. I hope

that our countries are now all very conscious of the importance of human resource development and are making major efforts in investing in this sector. I think we have been less successful in terms of the saving and

organisational style.

investment recommendation. There has been

a,

Do you foresee

these changes

as

major

CB:

Not major challenges. There

is a

lot to leam and

also new ideas to convey. When onejoins an organisation,

especially

in a leadership position, there is a process that

changes what one does, but there is also a very

important

process of change in what the organisation does, because

after all, that is how you got into the organisation in position of leadership.

a

Q. You h ave be e n i nvolve d in m any C,ARI CO M ve n tu res. One of the most important policy analysis which formed the basis forsome of the stntctural changes in the regiottwasyourwork

Caribbean Development to the year 2000: Challenges. Prospeca and policies (published by the

Commonwealth Secretariat, lgBB) . Do you recall some ofyour recommendations? And, do you feel that they generuily had the impact that you and your advisory group intended? Any maj or disappoinanents an d triumphs?

a

recognition that this is so and indeed, there have been

several subsequent forums

challenges?

_

moving the region away from its traditional partners, not in an absolute sense, but bringing on board new

and establishment of

committees which were intended to take some of these

recommendations into a more operational direction.

But, I think progress has been slow in that regard, partly because the region has had some difficult economic times, and partly because there is not as full a commitment as one would expect in preparing the region to liberalise the movement of capital.

In relation to widening and reorientation of international economic relations, this has been going on at a fairly good pace. A lot is still to be done, bur rhe movemenr has been in the right direction. I would think that the creation of the Association of Caribbean States is one such example.

which

The bilateral relationships

many

countries have formed with Latin American countries over the last four years, is another (,1R1( O.tl Perspeclirc Junc 200|

*-A example

of

successes

in widening the scope of our

international economic relations.

In terms of the developme nt of technological

both within countries and across the region. We need to seek a different approach, if we are going to make some sort of imPact there.

Then there is the issue of bananas and sugar and the question of agricultural diversification' While the recommendations of the study were very strong

both in terms of diversi$ing to reduce dependence on bananas, as well as establishing newer and stronger arrangements for its marketing in a situation that was forecast as the eventual end of preferences, the region received words of comfort from some political leaders outside of the region at the time' that there was really no need for early action or for any action at all, in those directions. We now know that those words of comfort, however well meant (and I'm sure they were at the time) have no weight now. What we do have before us is the compelling, urgent and

would say, while not as urgent, compelling, in the sugar industry.

but certainly

our younger people more capable of communicating in the languages of the wider

especially

capacity, I don't get the sense that much has happened there. I think that our investment in science and technology is still too low and what we do spend in research is dispersed over many entities,

major task of adjustment in the banana industry and

and we see more movement of people across the two regions. We however need to make our people,

I

as

This should give an idea of how things have worked, those that in some way made a difference, and those that, I believe, did not make the difference as one would have hoPed.

Caribbean. For example, focus should be given to the

question o[ foreign language as a communicating skill at the earliest age in the school system.

Q:

What do you

see as

the prospecs for achieing the

Co m m u n i ty' s flagsh i p : th e C"LRI CO M S i n gl e

M ark e t a n d

Economy (CSME), andwhatrole doyouseefor the CDBin this process? \\4tat are the prospects for a Caibbean dollar

duingyourPresidencY? First of all, with resPect to the prosPects for a single market and economy, I am an oPtimist on this matter, even though I am sensitive to the difficult period which still lies ahead' There is the difficulty of the OECS trade taxes, where the dependence on trade

CB:

markets is more acute and where alternatives for revenue generation have to be fbund. Another difficulty

I

is the movement

of labour. As an economist,

believe that the Single Market and Economy can

only be achieved when there is agreement and implementation on the free, unimpeded movement of labour. And I really believe that it is the last major stumbling block to the achievement of the Single Market and Economy. The sooner our governments accept that they must act purposively on this issue, I

think the sooner we will

have

it

No one will agree to

the movement of capital and goods unimpeded by any barriers, if there is not, at the same time, agreement

Q:

Iwant to takeyoubackto ourwidening relations wi th Latin Amer i c a, i n you r o p i nio n, c oul d we h ave made

on the movement of labour because, it is one of the important devices for achieving balance in an)'

moreprogresl

economic communiry'

CB:

I think we have taken it

as fast as we

could go'

There are always delays in the process of bringing two sets of peoples with diff'erent cultures and languages together in meaningful and effective partnership' There is an initial period of 'getting to know you', which is made more difficult when there are language

barriers. But,

I think that there is much

more

understanding and goodwill among ourselves and our Latin American neighbours than there ever was before C.1RI(

().\l Per:pattitr 'lMr )tl0l

With respect to CDB's role, the bank has to continue its efforts to strengthen the economies, it has to address their diversification efforts, it has to address poverty problems. And, generally, by focussing on the even economic development of our region, the CDB will help to allay apprehensions

about polarisation and also reduce those problems rvhich arise when everyone is scrambling for resources' ln myview, having a Caribbean dollar is not the most urgent issue' Having a more stable arrangement for

b1

Lblderine Hackelt

,{-x the conduct of commercial transactions and for the movement of funds is the priority. Those things are

capital stock of the University in all three campuses, and in many other ofGcampus territories. It has also

fucilitated by having a common currency, but a common

improved the skills of the academic and technical staffin the science and technology area. In my view, as a very important by-product, the project also changed the University's attitude towards two important

currency is not a necessary first step.

We wish to take

Q:

you back to your (Jniversity life,

especially your various roles as Head of the Department Economics, as Coordinator of the Regional programme

Monetary Studies,

as

fi rst (Jniversity

of of Dean of the Faculty of

organisational matrers: (i) the question of accountability; and (ii) time and teamwork. I think we have learnt a lot from those experiences and many of the systems we now become certainly

Social Sciences, as a member of the Task Force that established the Consortium Graduate School, as proVce Chancellor for Planning and Development and then as

had to put in place have embedded in the University.

Pincipal of the

of St. Augustine, the campus'

St. Augustine Campus.

Canyou help us to

savour some ofthe special memories, highlighs and indeed, some

of the programmes in which you

CB: career

were involved?

I was involved in many activities during my in the University. One of the things that I feel

particularlygood about, as the person in charge ofthe Regional Programme for Monetary Studies, which

I would also like to mention that

as

principal

finances were transformed from one of a large deficit to one of a healthy surplus, in an environment in which it was not always easy to get governments to make their financial contributions on time, and to get outstanding debts

paid. It

is something

I feel most happy about.

Studies, was ensuring

the Caribbean Centre for Monetary that the University economic

But, I think the most important memory in my association with the University - in terms of satisfaction or pride and certainly considerable joy - I would say, is helping year after year to launch the

research also address current economic policy issues and policy problems. We certainly managed overtime,

so many young persons, some of whom you've helped mostly by being a teacher, and some

later became

to bring about a situation in which the researchers

dealt with the urgency of the day as well as responsiveness in the University's agenda.

I also look back with some satisfaction on my own involvement in rebuilding the Department of Management Studies, at the St. Augustine Campus. I was there for quite some time as Head of the Department and managed to streamline its programmes and ensured that staff had a good opportunity for development which will make them better professionals.

The third thing I would mention is my own involvement in the long-term development programme of the University in science and technology, which was financed with funding from the IDB and CDB. I worked along with my colleague Edward Greene who is now at the Secretariat - he too had a career change. I played a leading role in the design of the programme, in the mobilisation of finances, in the

of the implementation process, and I think that programme has added a great deal to the

management

careers

of

by being a mentor. And you got to know some of them

a

a bit better and was able to make an even fuller contribution to their tasks in life. That to me is one of the values of a university environment. These are some of the things

Q

,4s

I

have special memories of.

an instidttion of C,aribbean development, what role do

you see the univercityplayingin this neworder.

CB: First of all, the University has to try to remain salient to the development problems. It has to, in its research and teaching programmes, address issues and prepare graduates in areas that are really pertinent to maintaining the region's development

and standing.

I think it also has to do

a very important job in terms of building the capacity and the concept of self and of region in our young people. This is very important because we live in an era of globalisation in which I think, correctly requires persons in every part of the world to know and understand the lives and the CARICOM Perspective June 2001

x-A of

persons in other Parts of the world, but at the same time it also requires you to

aspirations and the views

ofyour self, ofyour own worth and in the scheme of things. And I think this is one place be very conscious

of

the important task of all our institutions, not only in education and learning, but the University which is in that pivotal position, has an important role to play, in this regard.

situation, with a large proportion of sick persons with attendant demands on resources and incapable of themselves making a contribution to the economy. All this, not to mention the economic analysis that supports the need for expressions of concern with this problem

as a social

and economic problem.

So

I think

that the Bank really needs to look at it. The World Bank

is trying to develop a programme for the region and we sought to engage them in some discussions during

Q:

In your Inaugural Address at the recently

concluded Annual Meeting, you made reference to the

of Civil Society in the future of the region.Wouldyou care to expand on the connection between a bank (the CDB in particular) and Civil Society?

Bank's concems with the role

CB: This is really a question of governance and participation and what the CDB may usefully do to strengthen civil society's capacity for meaningful

the course of the recent CDB meeting, in Saint Lucia.

And I have also sought to encourage some of the University's researchers, for example Dr Karl Theodore, Head of the Health Economics Unit, whose effors I have been encouraging over the years. I have said to them that they should try to develop a programme which can be put to the bank, and we

could

see how we

some areas.

But,

can supPort the implementation of

we certainly have to collaborate with

participation. We say we want to improve governance, we say we want to include the involvement of various

institutions that are involved in the field and we are hoping that in discussions with these institutions, we

of the society in the region, in the social

can find some meaningful role for the CDB in thejoint efforts in tackling this major problem.

segments

decision-making process, but one has to equip them to do so. And we have to explore in a very innovative

way how the CDB might contribute towards tJle building of that capacity among the various elements of civil society.

Finally Dr Bourne, there are several questions thatwe can ask aboutyour personal life, growing up as a child in GuTana, your experience as a student in London,

Q:

your various travels, but instead I wish to end with one in know that CDB has been involved in poverty in the region and of the impact that these have assessments

Q:

We

particular. Are you going to still be able to take part in Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago and can your fans in Poison Mass Camp expect to see you in their midst?

had on policies to combatpoverty. However, on another

-thatof HIV/AIDS-is the bank planning to give any attention to investment in

socialor ratherall penasive issue

pr*entive / care prognmmes?

CB:

I cannot

say

in a very categorical way that I cvn say,

the bank is inclined to give assistance. What

that it is an issue that I

am asking the Bank to consider. I believe that health is critical, that health maintenance, illness prevention and so on are critical elements in the developmental Process and in economic growth. We engage in development work for the betterment of people and people have to live. however, is

HIVIAIDS

we do not CA

problem of enormous proportion and if address it we can find ourselves in a

is a

RICOM Perspectit'c .June 200

l

Well I would certainly want to continue to take part in Carnival, in Trinidad and Tobago. But, I am not a Poison Player, my band in recent years is 'starlift AII Stars' - I play Mas with a Steel Band. I do not play pan. Yes, I'm planning on continuing to do so and, may I express the hope that our esteemed Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community will not arrange meetings that conflict with this major

CB:

of goodwill and creativity. And, in doing so he will make it possible for me to have an easy choice. festival

4."

CcvrplRlct

At.rD

CnptgernN

Errcncls

Some Recent Elections in CARICOM Countries 2000-200r

f) ecently elections were held in Guyana, l\. Mo.,o.rrar, Sr. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti. In Haiti, for the Presidential elections November 2000, Jean Bertrand Aristide secured 91.8 per cent of the votes cast in a

Neville Duncan

very low turnout election. During May, July and November 2000, in very low rurnout polls Fanmi Lavalas, the party of Aristide, secured 72 of the 82 seats available for contestation in the Chamber of Deputies and 26 of 27 available for contestation in the Senate.

The process of acquiring full legitimacy to

pro-acrive

should the CARICOM Heads

(Guyana, Suriname, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago). In a few other countries, there are times

in the near future? It is becoming increasingly evident that rhe sustaining of democratic procedures cannot be left solely to individual countries anymore. Careful attention needs to be

when special problems arise which put in question the

right to rule of the formally elected government (under Mitchell in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Panday in Trinidad and Tobago (2000)). In general, however, the results have not been challenged in any

serious way. Nevertheless, Caribbean society, economics, culture and politics are in a definite process of transition. There appear to be emerging trends which raise a certain degree of alarm. These developments, individually, are nor new but collectively they seem to have greater significance at this time.

Country

The question is, how hands-off or

govern through the electoral process seems to be a continuing one in some Caribbean Countries

Year

of

Party

o/o

Governmenr be about the difficulties that emerged and are likely to

emerge

paid not only to those situations where election outcomes are challenged but, also in those where the electorate denies opposition parties and contestants a seat in the House of Assembly.

rhe elecrorare has not chosen arry Y Y members of the opposition, ir means that in

\AF.*

most of the constitutions there will not be a presence

in the Upper House either. No

representation in Parliament means that the opposition's constitutional role is performed through contrivance, fulfilling the

Votes No. N"i-""I of Seats Turnout

Election Name Cast T ar.rd T 12. 2000 UNC N/q PNM N,A NAR N/A St. Vand G 03. 2001 ULP 66.7 NDP 40.7 2.6 Montserrat 04.2001 NPLM N/A NPP N/A

l9

76.0

of

o/o

letter but not the spirit of the law.

Those persons who voted but have no one to represent them in parliament remain outside the pale. Democratic theory and practice frown severely on

16

their non-participation in the formal

I

legislative-making process.

Should we jusr merely treat this as sheer bad luck or, should we not devise arrangements to ensure that the still substantial number of persons, who do not support the government ,have a direct say in parliamentary

tZ

68.7

3

0

9 2

Zu.0

affairs? It is to be recalled that bevond CARICOM Perspective June 2001

*$ the 30-50 per cent of those who voted, bur not for the

of the eligible to vote population, which did not vote.

However the calculation is made, it results in a significant percentage of persons who did not explicitly vote for the governmenr. This picture occurs in each country of the world unless the government, there are the 30-45 per cent

Qeconaty,

as seems

to be currently emerging and

LJ

hopefully will be sustained, power-sharing and collaborative activities in specifically defined areas are necessary. Whatever is being done in this regard is being done for the material, physical and spiritual growth ofGuyana and not for partisan reasons. These

elections are grossly manipulated. As micro-states

should not be seen as concessions by an unstable government to a restless opposition; nor should they

with hardly any policy in social, economic and cultural spheres that is uninfluenced by state decision, should those of us who live in them be

be seen as concessions by a strong legitimate government to an unsuccessful and rancorous opposition. They are to be seen as outcomes

complacent with this state of affairs?

In those situations where the election results are seriously challenged by the electoral opposition, in a context of a sufficiently plural society, is there a better

honouring the, oftentimes, justifiable fears of both sides. In making these arrangements really work, the rapid growth and development of Guyana is assured as well as the continued location of the CARICOM Secretariat there. It would become also, a wonderful lesson in the process of deepening Caribbean

way to organize political choice and parliamentary representation? For the past two general elections in Guyana, the opposition party has steadfastly refused

to give the required degree of support to allow the government to govern effectively (as least, initially, in the case of the most recent general elections). Many factors underlie this attitude but, the most significant surely is the fear that African Guyanese may become a

permanent minority in this country. This is equally backed by the fear among Indian Guyanese that they

must not lose control

of the

Government again,

having suffered this fear during the Forbes Burnham era. These are both reasonable positions in the specific context.

rTthe various infelicities that were revealed during I the two general elections in Guyana are obviously a result of these fears generated from both

sides. Both PPP/Civic and PNC/REFORM

have

sought to be an "every-person's" party. Nevertheless, this party institutional effort has not worked because

D irecto r, Si r Arthur Lewis

Institute ofSocial and Economic Sudies ( ISES), (I.WI, MonaCampus

integration across other issue areas. One such area is obviously in relation to the Caribbean Court ofJustice, both within and among countries of the Region.

The situation in Trinidad and Tobago still remains a cause for deep concern. If a comparison (undemonstrated by social scientific research) were to be made about racial and ethnic situations in Guyana on the one hand, and Trinidad and Tobago on the it could reasonably be postulated that society, culture and politics is more cosmopolitan in Trinidad and Tobago than in Guyana. This suggests that in other,

political electoral contestations, there would be

less

stereotyping and more openness in party membership

and in representational politics.

Nevertheless,

it

seems evident that the percentage turnout among Indian voters are significantly stronger than among African and other voters. Alternation in power is still accepted as credible and can occur for the opposition

is

if

there no longer exist a true swing factor within racial and ethnic categories competing for the attention of

selected constituencies. In this way it seems that the edge

either party. To sustain this myth at this time would

is taken

be unproductive and dangerous. What is to be done

about this situation? From now on there must be the assurance that all future elections must be squeakily clean. Joint official management of the process would help here. It is really not a big point of state authority.

thrust is still for an almost exclusive winner takes all political outcome for the term of office. Yet, the results are very close. What kinds of insecurities would emerge if the Trinidad and Tobago High Court were to decide in favour of the PNM in the election petitions before it?

The responsibility is to produce an outcome that

Presumably, if the Courts decide the other way, then the

accuratelv reflects the choice of those who voted.

PNM would become the loyal opposition in parliament?

C,!RI(0.1t Perspectie June l0()l

ry Prof. Neville Duncan,

only

supporters would turn out in greater numbers in

off the inter-racial,/ethnic social divisions and the

t:

,{-x rl.-lhere still seems to be a case for non-partisan I collabo.ation in several key areas of government policies and activities to forestall charges of racial and ethnic preference, and to dissolve fears concerning long-term exclusion from political decision-making.

Admittedly, some relatively minor attempts have been made in the past. The emerging scene of increasing

indeterminacy

of the right to rule through

the

electoral process suggests early pre-emptive action.

Suriname has a far greater ethnic complex seeking direct representation in parliament than either

Trinidad and Tobago or Guyana. The svstem created enabled this through the adoption of particular forms of the proportional representational electoral system

functional cooperation. Govemments ought to understand and agree that this will sen'e to enlarge the sovereigntv of each Caribbean State and its legitimacy to

function in the international system. Countries functionally cooperate to gain strength and achieve lasting peace. The strengthening ofsovereignty and the

achievement of rapid national economic and social development is therebl' enhanced. Gulanese and Haitians must, certainly, out of their experiences over the past forty years acknowledge these tmths. This should be a process applied to all states, problematic or non-problematic. In this way we can collectively find

a

better place in the world.

plus other refinements. The outcome seems to be one

in which the country is functioning politically in a less fearful environment. It may be that its governmental system may well become a Potential model for both Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago to seriously examine and adjust appropriately. Plural societies are exciting and dynamic. It would be unfortunate

that for the want of earlv action in

accepting

administrative and political arrangements that go beyond the logic of the first-pass-the post electoral system, these societies descend into crises which set back their people's development for many decades and even centuries.

CARICOM has been involved in many Processes

throughout the Region (in St. Kitts and Nevis; Guyana; Trinidad and Tobago; St. Vincent and the Grenadines) related to political choice, government legitimacy, early change of governments and postelection insecurigv. The time has now come, and CARICOM leaders and Member States must agree that a permanent office with a clearlv defined portfolio, under the direction of a Deputy or Assistant Secretary-General, must be set up urgently to deal with legitimacy issues. It could be guided by a Council made up of a selection of past Prime Ministers,

leaders of the Opposition and Electoral Commissioners, supported by the Universities

of the

region to have imperative oversight of all regional, general and local government elections and to rati$

their legitimacy or otherwise.

This now ought to be a significant new area of

... Interview with

Ian Randle: cont'd from p.50

Whatdoyou think is CARICOM's role in the a: development of the industry? How can it assist the publishing industry?

It's rather what role they should be playing CARICOM needs to put more emphasis on the nontraditional areas. It is very easv for CARICOM to IR

support, say, the banana industry, but it needs to pay attention to the micro areas, and properly assess their potential notjust in terms of trade but also in terms of the whole development of the region. There is need

to organize the knowledge within CARICOM. This

is

one of the biggest problems. For instance, two years ago after a consultation inJamaica, a revised version of the directory of Caribbean publishers was dqne, and it was riddled with errors. There were people on the list who had gone out of business for years. Even within CARICOM itseli there is need to take the time to research and to get the kind of information whith will inform policies. There is need to look at the micro contributors to the large subject areas. For instance when looking at education generally, create a micro section which looks at books within education..When looking at culture, look at all the contributing factors and plan for them.

CA

RI( OM Perspecti|e .lune 200l

,LA* THE CASE FCR DOWER SI_IARINC has failed to translate formal democracy into a more

Introduction

Tlom H I' and Tobago to the more homogenous

the racially polarized Guyana and Trinidad Saint Lucia

and Antigua, a debate is gaining steam over Power Sharing as an alternative form of governance to the current Westminster model. This idea is not new to the region, having first been proposed by Eusi Kwayana in 1961 as a solution to the emerging racial disharmony in Guyana, and by Sir Arthur Lewis in 1965 in his attempt to find a solution to similar ethnic problems in Africa. Arend Lijphart has since argued that it is a necessary solution to the inherent instability in plural societies - societies segmented along racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, and other cultural lines.

Although the Anglophone

Caribbean countries, save for Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago,

do not

fit

the classical definition of plural societies,

they have, however, evolved into deeply segmented

of governance with plural societies. There has developed in each societies that share similar problems

Caribbean country a "political tribalism" that is based on party affiliation whereby the masses are organized into competing political camps. As Tim Hector (2000) observes, the evolution of the two-party system in the Caribbean is really reflective of the division of the working classes into two antagonistic factions; thus the emergence of pluralism based on political tribalism. Given the racial polarisation of Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, this tribalism has taken on a

racial outlook.

This political tribalism has had a negative effect on the region's developmental process as it has served to stifle consensus, stability, and nationhood k.y components of econornic progress and democratisation. In this atmosphere of polarisation, the very tenets of Westminster democracy, bequeathed

to the region at independence, which are meant to be stabilizing influences, have instead served to deepen

the polarisation and stifle democratic evolution. In particular, the government-opposition and winnertake-all majoritarian principles have been utilized in the consolidation of a segmented or non-neutral state

based

on party paramountcy and

governance.

exclusionary

In effect, then, the Westminster model

(ARI(OM Perspectiw

June 2001

substantive democracy political equality. question

that embraces

genuine

Allied to political democratisation is of economic democratisation - who owns

the the

production systems? ,{-licr-'10 vt:ars of indL'p<'rrrl<:nce, the vorkins pttplc ofthe Oailtb<:tm do nothaw''t rtlsLtlieiir rltc ornt

e rsl t i p

tt

l' ltroduc tit-e tt ilt'lprlie.s. Capital accumulation,

b/ DavidHinds, (Ph.D) Vsiting Professor, School ofPolitics and Fronomia,Claremont Gnduate Univenity,

andHrxt/Modennrof 'CaribNation'W pwranme :

instead, is largely concentrated in the hands of foreign interests. Tim Hector recognizes the relationship between the political culture and this state of affairs when he says that "adversarial politics, pitting one half of the people against the other in two contending parties, and in this remorseless, adversarial

contention, foreign domination has intensified. In

consequence, capital formation or capital accumulation in domestic hands has not happened".

This situation, according to Clarence Ellis (2001), is largely due to the absence of domestic class stratification in economic terms, including a dominant class that is characteristic of the more developed countries.

The case for power sharing in

the

Anglophone Caribbean, then, is premised on the following factors: (a) the need to create forms of governance aimed at arresting the growing political instability and threat of social disintegration; (b) the encouragement by the Westminster model of an adversarial political culture and its concomitant failure to guarantee consensus and shared nationhood; and (c) the need to develop political arrangements

Capital accumulation is largely concentrated

in the hands of foreign interests

drilling for oil

- below

A-*

Dut'id Hind.s

Oovelnancc in thc- (laribbeatr has. therefore. er-olvt'rl into an exer-cise in political l-itch-huntinq.

parll rlomination, rrrarsinalisatiol ol the losing acti()n, plunder ()1' stirte r(] sources its a rlreans of pelsonal enrichnienl lrnd maintcnanc c ()f state

f

\j

t)

.)

consistellt l'ith the crlclging econornic orr'ning patterns. As Krvalana (2(X)l) ltoints out ill rt'latioll ru his 1961 ploposal, "It rvas a soltrtiorr, so lur-as I'was concernerl, posecl bv thc social and political logic of the situation then befirre rrs ancl not br nre."

Adversarial Politics s u r-t'srrlt ,,f the political secnrelttati(]n ()l the I ,( \(,alilllrt iut suciclic\ .rllrrrlcrl lo Al)o\c. tlrt. l;rt ti,rrr

clientelisnr. -\r'rcl opposition has mearrt rlcstirbilisatiou of' thc goverr)l'nent. This br-and ol aclversar-ial politics is inconsistent rrith \\'erstrninster cultrrle , rvhich puts nertional unitl abor-e pal'tisan consideratior-rs. A ker' point hcrc is that rvhe|eas irr \\'estrtrinster terms, opposition nleans "go\'('rnlnent in rvaiting," in the (laribbcan's ".\daptcrl \\'estminster." it is tratrslated into rrrarsinalisation ol hall ofthe poprrlirce, possiblr' perrnanenth as in thc case of Guvana.

Tinr Hector's Oltsen.ations ol aclve rsarial pt>litics in -\ntigutr alc svmptomatic ()l the- entire rtqiort:

that gains <ontlol ofgovcrnrrrcnt and state. olicn rvith

a slinr rnajolitr'. has g*encralll golertrerl irr all :rutho|italian n)Alrller. This has lccl to the rt'lcgittir,D ol the rninor-i$'Iaction to th(' l)e riphen'of tht' politicarl pr()cess. Thc fact that the rninoritl factiou is rrsrrallv onlv nrarginallv smaller than the ntajoritv fnction has meant thal alrnost hall ol the Populatiotr is l;anishcci

fiorn e()\'crnance. This silrrurtior-r has sclvccl to intensil\' tht' rlivisions in tlrc socien- anrl lras hacl a de

bilitatins ellect on thc

re

qion's political

ancl

Cco|l()nli( (lc\rlr)pil)ent.

Krr'lrlana obserlerl the gencsis oi this segrnent:rtion

in Gur-ana in llxi1:

Hirtcls (2001) sharcs tltesc obsen'atior-rs irr relation tri (itn iina: CARICO.II

P.tvt,ttir.

Jwrc )001

x-A has been marked by several mass upheavals, most of which were fueled by dissatisfaction with the quality of

governance. Further, the formal democracy has not

been matched by an evolution of substantive democracy whereby political and socioeconomic equality have become integral to the region's political culture. Instead, the antidemocratic culture that characterized the pre-independence order, despite some modifications, has persisted in the post-colonial

era (Henry 1983; Thomas 1984). This culture is manifested in the following manner: the permanent

Critique of the Westminster Model

fn this regard the Westminster model in its present I form, while effective in maintaining formal democracy, has proved to be a barrier to deepening that democracy and realizing national consensus. A

crucial deficiency in the Caribbean's experience with the Westminster model has been its inability to develop a Westminster culture, which is vital to the viability of the Westminster model. Hence elections in the Caribbean are a high intensive exercise as the stakes are high - which race or political-tribal faction will gain the majority that guarantees total power?

Despite the above, the Caribbean is usually described as the most stable region in the developing

world. This stability is attributed largely to the region's maintenance of the formal tenets of the Westminster liberal democratic model inherited at independence (Dominguez 1993; Pa1'ne 1993; Huber 1993). While this assessment seems plausible, given the fact that the region, excePt for Grenada 1979-83' has avoided the rash of military coups and other

violent revolutions reminiscent of other developing countries, it has also, with the exception of Guyana 196&92, maintained a political order based on constitutionalism that includes orderly change of governments resulting from periodic competitive elections, the rule of law, a relatively independent judiciary, and functioning parliaments' However, the absence ofcoups and revolutions

and the survival of formal democracy tends to hide the fact that the post-colonial Caribbean experience CARICOM Penpective June 2()01

exclusion of the vast majority of population from the decision making process; elite domination of all spheres of governance; the manipulation, co-option

and suppression of demands from the lower classes; racial and political-tribal discrimination; paramountcy of the political party; and centralized authoritarian rulership (Hinds 2001).

According to Sir Arthur Lewis (1965)' democracy has two meanings: "The primary meaning is that all who are affected by a decision

should have the chance to participate in making that decision,

either directly or through representatives. Its secondary meaning is that the will of the majority will prevail." (P. 64) These t'wo meanings, he contends, are mutually exclusive - it's either one or the other. The European countries chose the second meaning and imposed it on its colonies at independence. But Lewis insists that "to

exclude the losing groups from participating in the decision-making clearly violates the primary meaning ofdemocracy" (p.65).

While this approach has worked relatively well

in European societies, it has been far less effective in the plural societies of the ex-colonies. This majoritarian principle in the Westminster culture assumes that the majority once in power will embrace and address those minority interests. Most European

countries and the USA can claim success with this

principle, precisely because they are

largely

homogenous societies which exhibit a considerable degree of consensus even when there is disagreement

2001 elections in Guyana

A." on specific approaches. The political culture, therefore, feeds off this consensus, thus making politics and the competition for political office a

Professor Clive Thomas labels this development a "democratic contradiction" and sounds an ominous

warning:

relatively low intensive exercise.

Lewis concurs with this view when he likens elections under the Westminster model to .,competition between businessmen to serye the consumer," and the emphasis is on "the politicians rather than the groups they represenC' (p.65) and, therefore, as in business, if you win, you win and take all, and if you lose, you

lose everything. He however noted that in social institutions - family, church, university, sports Europeans stress compromise and teamwork rather

_

than majority vote.

But in plural societies, such as the Caribbean, because politicians represent distinct groups of people with differing communal and political-tribal

interests, elections

are translated into

between these groups. Further, unlike the leaders in

Europe and the USA, Caribbean leaders are dispassionate about wining

less

or losing elections since of the society few

given the undeveloped nature

prestigious options exist outside the political sphere.

The situation is compounded by the fact that whereas

in the "class-based

societies" of Europe and North America group differences are based primarily on matters of ideology or socio-economic interests, in plural societies these differences result primarily from the fact that these groups are what Lewis calls "historical enemies" (p.66).

The

of this high intensive in recent elections in St.

consequence

exercise was manifested

Power Sharing

contests

Vincent, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, where opposition parties refused to accept the results. In the of St Vincent, the losing parry was relegated to

case

the opposition although it garnered bbTo of

ttre

popular votes. While electoral malpractice was cited the reason for the protests in Guyana and Trinidad

as

and Tobago, subsequent developments have shown that the underlying problem is the racial consequences

of the

winner-take-all system that threatens to institutionalize racial domination under the rubric of democracy. This has led to a crisis of governance that has compromised the governments' legitirnacy, and to racial and political upheaval in Guyana.

is against this background that the increasing calls for either a modification or abolishment of the Westminster model, in particular the elimination

Jt I

of the winner-take-all and government-opposition principles, and the institution of power Sharing in the form of National Governments, must be seen.

No group in a plural society voluntarily the leadership of another group. The

accepts

situation is compounded when that minority is a large one, as is the case in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. Unless a formula can be found to include

these groups in the decision making

process,

nationhood will always be an elusive dream. And if there is no collective sense of nationhood, there can be no political stability and economic development.

Guyana is a compelling witness to thar truth. As Lewis

points out, "the democratic problem

in a

plural

society is to create politicat institutions which give all

the various groups the opportunity to participate in decision-making, since only then can they feel that they are full members of a nation, respected by their numerous brethren and giving equal respect to the natural bond which holds them together." (p.66) George Odlum (2001) explains his crusade for a Government of National Unity in St Lucia as .,a search for a solution to the desperate position our country is in and that solution might entail a change CARICOM Perspective June 2001

*-A* of the system. Ryan (1993:149) advocates some form of power-sharing in Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana "where no one group wins everything or loses everything in the process" Ellis argues for power-

sharing as "the best mechanism for achieving inclusiveness in our racially divided and increasingly unstable society. Kwayana urges that Power Sharing "offers domination to neither leader, neither people, nor race, only human equality, not even equality of numbers."

Hector feels that power sharing would lead, among other things, to more government accountability.

While this paper is not an analysis of the viability of Power-Sharing, a few observations are pertinent. First, Power Sharing is likely to be most effective if it is constitutionally mandated' Second, Executive Power-Sharing is not a simple coalition or marriage of convenience. As is pointed out above' it is

a "grand coalition" cabinet comprising the representative parties and Cabinet positions are divided in proportion to the percentage of votes acquired at election. What differentiates Power Sharing from the simple coalition is that the former is

constitutionally mandated while the latter is not' Third, any grand coalition must be premised on an agreed national direction that includes

agreement

on a broad national

developmental

program. Fourth, the leaders of the various segments must have a deep and abiding commitment to the unity of the nation and must be prepared to uphold the laws and the democratic process' Co-operation and compromise must be the guiding principles and must be predicated on a willingness of the leaders of one segment to work with the other segments' In this regard, the leaders must be more tolerant than their

and must have the ability to

strike when even nation the of interest the compromises in

followers

those compromises are not popular with their 'followers'. These leaders must, according to Lijphart "perform a difficult balancing act"' Leaders must' therefore, be bold' creative, and above all must have

According to Arend Lijphart, the foremost Power-Sharing theorist, a definition of PowerSharing or Consociational democracy includes the following elements: (i) Government by a "grand coalition " ofpolitical Parties and leaders representing the significant segments of a plural society' Such a "grand coalition" can take the form of a grand coalition cabinet and/or a coalition of top office holders such as a Multi-person Presidency or Prime-

(ii) Mutual veto by the different segments. (iii) Proportional representation as the method of arriving at political rePresentation' toP

Ministership.

civil service appointments and allocation of public funds for economic development' (iv) Autonomy for the different segments to run their internal affairs' CARICOM Pe^PecIive June 2001

the trust of their followers.

Fifth, an all-party cabinet does not necessarily remove the concePt of opposition, as the parliament then assumes that role in its function as a check on the executive branch. In this regard the powers of the parliament have to be upgraded to put it on equal footing with the cabinet, and not as a tool of the

former as currently obtains. Sixth, the prospect of gridlock though potentially a hindrance to swift decision-making, could also have the effect of forcing compromise. Finally, there is no magic in Power-

Sharing,

for there is no

guarantee

that it will

automatically solve the problems in the region' But its potential for the deepening of democracy and the facilitation of stability, consensus, and nationhood cannot be overstated.

"\-* crrsrcpr FnRloRr crlrprs, crcenr Frmlcnr Gcvrpulcr & Bt,ncti.tc C,\prggrl.j NGCs b/

forces working through governments must be created

DonMarshall, (Ph.D)

to effect a new diplomacy of co-ordination.

Fellowlntemational

The

resources are limited for each government as what is

Political Economy, Sir Arthur l-ewis I nstitute of

at stake requires concerted political will, research, skillful negoriation and compromise. The qpe of

&rialandEconomic Studies, UWI, Cave

llrssTAficb:

h

Hill

organisational capacity suggested here must bear a

different feature upon its countenance ,from the Introduction power ro tax has

always been considered one Tn" I of the cornerstones of state sovereignty. The brazenness of the Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development's (OECD's) approach towards offshore financial centres has been widely

criticised. Besides the need for an ongoing dialogue across the Caribbean on the emergence of global governance processes, the politics of global finance,

the vagaries of neo-liberalism, and the kinds of development challenges facing countries in the Caribbean, what remains necessary are openings for dissent. The resistance by offshore financial centres

(OFCs) in the Caribbean and elsewhere ro reregulation pressure from the OECD and other Western-dominated institutions beckon civil society's

engagement and support. Certainly non_govern_ mental organisations (NGOs) have figured with increasing prominence in rhe recenr history of global governance. Countless NGOs have taken initiative to shape global rules and institutions with respect to the

following global governance issues: the AIDS challenge, the health of the planet, the status of women, humanitarian relief, trade, and poverryalleviation. But in one of the principal areas of contemporary globalisation, namely finance, the forms and intensity of civic activism have varied considerably between different parts of the world.

Caribbean NGO participation in this regard amounts to nought. This is odd particularly when we consider

its activism on other fronts.t International reregulation trends threaten to severely erode the comparative advantage offshore financial cenrres have over their core onshore rivals.

global governance pressures are resisted

in the

If this and other

to be

Caribbean, new coalitions

effectively

of

social

multi-layered commitrees of C"A,RICOM that deal with post-Lome negoriations, NAFTA-parity, and FTAA accession. These have tended to simply document and tutor the requirements of transnational neo_ liberalism, rather than function as sites for resistance,

for feedback, and the positing of

alternative

paradigms and methodologies.

Globalisation and Global Governance

I \I

lobalisation has become an important signifier of our age, marking an increasing interdepend-

ence; removal of barriers to trade; and breakthroughs

in communications technologies. But too many commentators conflate globalisation with neoliberalism while Caribbean educated opinion nods sagely in assent. The discourse has subsequently

become synonymous

with the promotion of

the

interests of capital on a world-wide scale, a tendency towards homogenisation of state policies and state

forms to further this end, and the evolution of new global ordering structures such as the World Trade Organisation (lt"IO) and its rechnocratic_dominated commissions. With the appellation ,globalisation', we

are seduced by the myth of its inevitability and historical necessity. But much like its Keynesian_ welfare predecessor of the 1960s and lg70s, the neoliberal model of political economy remains shot through with contests as it cannot escape society, the state and political processes. The events and violent

in Seattle surrounding the WTO conference in late November-early December lggg betrayed a glimpse into the nature of opposition greeting attemprc to enact neoliberal codes of social organisation. The popular slogan both in Seattle and at the 2001 Quebec Summit on the Free Trade Area of the Americas, was for ,de-globalisation', meaning in part, the need to reorient globalisation, to steer the protests

CARICOM Perspective Jure 2001

x-A process

in a different, socially useful direction. While

more humane global futures are being contemplated on the pages of some academic works and in civil society practices, we might be reminded that Seattle

and Quebec were as much about a movement of

14L

protest against international organisations as well as corporate power. To be sure, each level reinforces the

other. But for the

purposes

of this

essay,

it

1"

I

,,-=.*uT

is

"ibJTO

necessary to read the Protests by Caribbean and other OFCs against OECD strictures as yet another strike

against how the rvorld is run.

I.

Certainly many groups are concerned about

r I,r

I

the way in which the WTO and other international organisations conduct their business, the role of representatives of civil society within them, the transparency of procedures, and, the relation between the more powerful and less powerful states within such organisations. This last concern is

NGOs and other

not surprising. Already there had been enough in the unfolding of world politics to encourage the view that international law functions as a utopian distraction when national interests among the core appear under

threat. A former Secretary of State, Madeline Albright once quipped that the US will act "multilaterally when Her we can, and unilaterallY as we must'2 predecessor, George Shultz had indeed argued that 'negotiations are a euphemism for capitulation if the

of power is not cast across the bargaining table.'3 The foregoing PromPts the following question: If core countries cannot be trusted to act in accord with treaty obligations and international agreements, how can global governance achieve

shadow

democratic, accountable, and effective institutional outcomes?

The International Financial Architecture

T A Thile it remains empirically susPect to establish VV.onr.*porary globalisation as unique and driven by a singular logic, what is not in doubt is the far-reaching influence of finance in the world

economy. Its scope, reach, and mobility provide an

interesting entry-point for discussion on the evolution of global governance regimes, in this case' the governance of global finance' The global CARICOit( Pers7ectiv June 2001

Demonstraters at the WTO Conference, Seattle 1999'

financial architecture has been shot through with tensions and challenges. The challenges occur both on the technical side and on the normative side' One is to do with problems of legitimacy, efficiency and

coordination, the other points to how intrusive globalist regulatory regimes invariably leads to emancipatory claims-making, meaning demands for greater social justice, democracy, and recognition of

(fiscal) sovereignty rights' Indeed, the current impasse between offshore financial centres and the (OECD) demonstrates two things' (ii) that global governance relations appear ad hoc, experimental and problematic and (ii) intractable tensions will persist, since there is unbalanced power between the West and the Third World. The centrality of the Western financial system allows key Western states to determine what type of financial activity is acceptable'

There is widespread agreement that territorially discrete states cannot by themselves efficiently handle the many and large global flows that impact on their jurisdictions. This has prompted some shifts in the contours of governance, trends that

further unfold in the future' Certainly' interstate consultations at the ministerial level have expanded over the last l5 years, including special conferences of the United Nations' The rise of multilateral governance has also occurred through the grorvth of transgovernmental networks' where

seem likely to

"\-rl civil servants from parallel agencies in multiple

states

develop close regulatory collaboration in a particular policy area. Supra-state bureaucracies like the

International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Union, the World Bank have also acquired some initiative and power of their own, concomitant with

the rise of neoliberalism. Indeed, neoliberal globalisation has encouraged a shift of many regulatory competencies'upwards' to suprastate bodies, but also various moves 'downwards, to substate agencies. It has also promoted ,lateral' shifts of governance from the public sector to non-oflicial

quarters.4 This privatisation of governance has transpired, for example, in increased reliance on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to imple_ ment development cooperation projects and several multilateral environmental agreements. Theorists have accordingly dubbed these emergent circumstances as'multilayered','post-sovereign', .post_ Westphalian','neo-medieval', or,networked' regula-

tion. Recent developrnents in the regulation of global finance largely conform to the general trends in contemporary governance, a matter that receives some address in the following paragraphs.

To be sure, states have been a central figure in the de-regulation of capital conrrols and in contemporary attempts to facilitate cross_jurisdic_

tional cooperation in accounting standards and against money laundering. The view that high levels of capital mobility rob states of their autonomy by compelling them to design macroeconomic and financial policy along the lines demanded by private international investors has become very prominent since the Southeast Asian financial meltdown of lggT / 98. Indeed, the spiraling devaluation among Southeast Asian countries followed hard on the heels of a collapse of the Russian economy and severe monetary instability

in

in 1995. For many policy maken and the meris and demerits of financial deregulation are under active discussion with Mexico

academics,

concerns raised about how to check the increase of risky, speculative investment in the absence of capital controls. But there remains no substantial evidence nor research that links money laundering per se with market failure, as it does with speculation.

National central banks, national treasuries, national securities and exchange commissions, and national insurance supervisors have also frgured

prominently in the governance of global finance.

However, the financial governance architecture has tended to be reflective of both state and substate actors drawn largely from the West. Multiple networks of intergovernmental consultation and cooperation have developed in tandem with the accelerated globalisation of finance during recent decades. For example, central bank governors ofcore advanced industrialised countries have met regularly

at Basle since 1962, to discuss monetary and financial matters of mutual concern. The Basle Committee on

Banking Supervision (BCBS) established

in l97b, comprise working parties of core countries exploring issues like the capital position of transborder banks and principles for effective bank supervision. In 1989, the OECD has housed the secrerariat of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a body set up ro combat money laundering. In respect of bonds and stock markets, the US based International Organisa_

tion of Securities Commissions (IOSC) was creared in 1974, but went global in 1983 and now involves nearly 100 national securities aurhorities. In addition, the

International Association

of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) was formed in 1994 and has quickly grown ro link authorities in over 100 countries. Since 1996, the BCBS, IAIS, and IOSC have convened a Joint Forum

on Financial Conglomerates to promote cooperation between banking, securities, and insurance supervi-

sors, given that global financial corporations increasingly operate across the three sectors.

Offshore Financial Services and political Motives Behind Regulation radoxically, the gradual formation of a global financial architecture has not held back the casino character of international finance marked bv

money laundering, tax evasion, capital flight, speculation, and fierce competition across financial

centres both onshore and offshore. Money Iaundering describes rhe process through which illicit profits are hidden from authorities, often by using a CARICOM Perspective June 2001

x-A frnancial sccrccy, and rc-introduced into the financial

state dynamic by using differences in fiscal policies to reward some statcs and punish others. Moreover, a

under the guise of legitimate transactions' Usually this money makes its way into real estate prospecting, stock trading and offshore business' OFCs generally offer foreign clients legal, fiduciary,

combination of economic ideology and wellconnected financial interests influence the normative beliefs and mindsets of political and monetary authorities and, thus, reinforce norms favourable to

insurance management, financial consultancy, banking and accounting services. Each host government exempts international business from income' capital

these financial interests. The positive policy result is that even if states want to re-regulate, these structural features can and do force them to accommodate the

gains, and inheritance taxes. There is also some measure of discretion and confidentiality on foreign

deregulatory preferences of the financial sector' But it remains difficult to separate what may

combination of complex financial transactions and system

accounts.

It was in the wake of the rise of

the

Eurodollar market after the late 1950s, the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1971, and the relaxation of capital controls that 'tax havens' and other OFCs

were spawned. Indeed, the incentives to compete through taxes have been a strategy pursued by many Caribbean islands with strong corporatetommercial environments, state-of-the-art offshore financial

legislation, established reputations in fiscal prudence, political and financial stability' and an influential cadre of lawyers, bankers, management specialists and accountants. For Caribbean OFCs'

be considered the structural behaviour of the financial system from the political interests of dominant states. Two cases in point are important' The political motives for concerted action against money laundering rather than capital flight can be traced to the fact that the West benefitted from capital flight. Indeed, Helleiner (1999) and Naylor (1987) argue that the US used the less developed countries

(LDCs) flight capital

to help finance its

defrcits'

Naylor also claims that, throughout the 1980s, the US

Malta, Vanuatu, restructuring global capitalism has reinforced their commitment to capital accumulation strategies centred on the provision of diverse

financial services along with holiday-resorting services.

Altogether, this is

a strike against propo-

nents that embrace arg'uments about the structural power of capital, time-space conquering technologies, and loss of territoriality. David Andrews (1994)

for example, that states will find it increasingly cost prohibitive to enact monetary

argues,

policies that run counter to the expectations of the

financial system. Other scholars sharing this perspective speak of the structural power of capital' noting that it is vested in the fusion of complimentary material and ideological forces within and between states (Gill and Law 1989). Overall, this thesis assumes that permanent constraints on states limit their regulatory capacity. This is so, the logic goes' as deregulated financial markets provide mobile capital with a greater opportunity to exploit the competitive CARICOM PersPectite Jxne 2001

The second case in Point relates to Western concern over tax evasion, a direct intervention into

the marketdetermining competition between

on-

shore financial centres and offshore equivalents over

market share

in financial services. The

impasse

between OFCs and the OECD poinrs ro attempts by

dominant countries to tilt the stakes in this competition in favour of their respective onshore financial sectors. And, this is but an extension of the anti-money laundering regime of the US, France and

Britain primarily. Through anti-money laundering

circulation in unprecedented volumes. OECD member countries claim an unyielding concern with money laundering and instability in rhe inrernational financial system. Indeed, this is a real concern as the 1990s have been attended by an increase in tax evasion as well as a series of spectacular bank failures and financial meltdowns of whole economies. But the motives of OECD member states are beginning to

activities, core countries can restrict or set conditions

clearly indicate that anti-money laundering

upon the operational conduct of financial intermediaries that undertake business on or through their territory. OFCs and states whose current accounts benefit from the influx of money from legitimate and unsuspecting sources will be the losers. Thus far the West's political, legal, and technological resources have been used to exert control over the movement of capital in and out of states with large underground

regulations are more of a political than technical initiative.

Caribbean OFCs have been implementing

economies. In this sense, Western political preferences will compliment its comparative advantage so as to capture the indigenous underground capital of less developed economies.

International Tax Competition, Anti-Moncy Laundering and the Caribbean twoday meering (8-9January 2001) held at the

Sherbourne Conference Centre between the

OECD, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Caribbean Community states, the Caribbean Development Bank

and several core countries was significant, as it marked the first time that offshore financial centres (OFCs) gained voice in the twilight world of a fading Bretton Woods order. What was under discussion was

the content, methodology and implications of the OECD's Harmful Tax Practice report of 2000 which blacklisted a number of Caribbean and other OFCs and threatened the imposition of sancrions by Julv 2001, should these fail to comply with regulatory standards. But there is a wider context to this, as it touches upon US-hemispheric strategic relations and

the competitive

stakes involved financial services provision.

in

international

The combination of twenty-four hour markets and the instantaneous execution of cross_ border transactions have allowed for monev

state-of-the-art legislation

and co-operating in maritime and other drug enforcement agreements to stamp out money-laundering since the lg80s. The stimulus for such cooperation can be traced to US

geopolitical concerns in the Americas shaped by the threat the narcotics trade poses to its own domestic

stability,

the international financial

system, and

governability in the hemisphere with all the attendant

illegal immigration problems rhat can follow stare atrophy. The major production centres are reported to be in Central and South America; North America is

the principal consumer; while Caribbean sea lanes provide a route to the various markets. Indeed, Sea Lanes of Communication in the Caribbean area are of crucial geostrategic importance to the US. Once ships exit the Panama Canal on the Atlantic side, they must use one of 16 passages in the Caribbean Sea to reach destinations in the US, Europe, Africa, and elsewhere.

The Caribbean therefore has strategic value

multidimensional

in the war on drugs. The variety of

measures and tactics the US has employed however

_

- from direct military presence, increased military sales, aid, and training, expanding intelligence operations, and regular high-profile military maneuvers, to the signing of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties to the controversial Shiprider's Agreement _ - seemed to have had more than a benign objective of simply assisting the region with its security problems.

A policy of compliance enforcement has been on the way.

Throughout the l9g0s, the US encouraged state action across the hemisphere against money laundering. This has been framed politically as anti_ ('ARICOM Perspe<tite June 2001

,LA* crime and drug policies. Recall that a number of US reports on tax evasiveness and money laundering appeared in the 1980s seeking to investigate the full nature, character and use of offshore banking facilities in the Caribbean. These were The Gordon Report: Tax Havens and Their Use by United States Taxoavers - An Overview, (1981); Crime and Secrecy: The Use of Offshore Banks and Companies prepared by the US Senate's Committee on Governmental Affairs in 1983; and the 1984 study, Tax Havens in the Caribbean Basin, prepared by the US Department of Treasury. The findings were on the whole unflattering, condemnatory and at best

suspicious

of

Commonwealth Caribbean offshore

banking operations. But this kind

of

suspicion

extended to OFCs everywhere. A 1985 OECD report entitled Trends in Banking in OECD Countries would remark: "Supervisory coverage can no longer stop at national frontiers. Cooperation among supervisory agencies has become a necessity" [p.50].

By 1988, a Statement on Prevention of Criminal Use of the Banking System for the Purpose

of Money Laundering was issued by the

Basle

Committee on Banking Regulations and Supewisory

- a committee made up of supervisory from core countries. It could be said that authorities a new regulatory regime was thereafter established.

These included the creation of the European based, Financial Action Task Force (f989) and the US Practices

government's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (1990). Altogether these investigations, initiatives and reports coincided with deliberate attemPts by

core countries to remove anti-competitive onshore financial distortions. The intent is to (i) position onshore financial centres to attract flight capital escaping the poor economic policies of some Third World countries; and (ii) two: blunt the comparative advantage offshore service providers enjoy.

is in this vein that the OECD in its ill-advised Harmful Tax Practice reports of 1998 and 2000, could set out to blacklist select OFCs threatening the imposition of sanctions

It

by July 2001, should they fail to comply with regulatory standards. The role of the OECD, in this area as in many other areas, is quite distinctive. It has no formal regulatory powers, it can not impose its will

on states, and it has no sanctioning

Powers.

Nevertheless, its influence and prestige are enormous

and most OFCs in the world are willing, albeit reluctantly, to complywith its 'recommendations'. Its primary role is that of progenitor of ideas which it successfully spreads by bringing together senior civil seryants, business executives and fiscal specialists.

Importantly, Caribbean officials meeting would counter that

if

at the

Barbados

OFCs provide a haven

for shady dealings, then the shared solution must be derived from seeking to ensure continued tax competition maximally compatible with regulation against money laundering.

What is missed by most commentators is how neoliberal de-regulation leads to re-regulation of a specific kind, involving a mix of public, semi-public and private actors and institutions that are brought

together in national, regional and global networks and fora. This web of suweillance is legitimising the continued existence of the offshore system for tax avoidance. And tax avoidance depends on facilities such as corporate and banking secrecy, which

undermine the scope of Westernled regulatory cooPeration.

Summary: What can Caribbean NGOs and

Negotiators do?

P

rincipally, Caribbean NGOs need to engage in public education and raise citizens' awareness

of global finance and its this end, NGOs can prepare To governance. handbooks and kits, organise workshops and and

understanding

seminars, circulate newsletters, maintain websites on

the Internet, and develop curricular materials for schools and tertiary institutions. Altogether this may serve to stimulate debate about global finance and CARICOM Perspective June 2001

ilk

Caribbean development options

with respect

to

Development Centre. If global governance institutions

the

are to be inclusive they should comprise representatives from civil society. But these NGOs

implementation of the anti-money laundering regime

must be accountable to their respective constituencies,

at the global level, features veiled attempts by powerful Western states to tilt the stakes in the

transparent in terms of declaration of objectives, and cognisant of the expense involved in policy formulation, evaluation and advocacy. Inclusion of this sort may assist in promoting legitimacy in global financial governance as well as in the development

offshore finance.

The point was earlier made that

financial market competition between core onshore financial centres and their OFC rivals in favour of the former. It is also apparent that the centrality of the Western financial system allows key Western states to determine what type of financial activity is acceptable.

There are, of course, rational and clear reasons that help justi$z the establishment of an anti-money

laundering regime. The media and research institutions must investigate why flight capital leaving poor countries is neither deemed harmful, nor is it subject to international regulation. A battle by OFCs

path pursued. Indeed, the benefits that OFC operations offer to host countries do not extend beyond the annual fees and levies paid to government

by international business companies and overall image enhancement. Emplol,rnent opportunities tend to be limited and generally apply only to professionals in accounting, management, law and finance. So there is a creeping legitimacy deficit to

on points of international law and the sovereign right of states to determine tax policy can only be effective if this is anchored by an understanding of the selfinterests and structural power of OECD countries.

meet, helped none by absence of information on the nature of this sector and why it remains important to

The Joint Working Group formed in Barbados comprising officials from both the OECD and OFCs is expected to re-examine the terms establishing the recently created Global Forum on Taxation. Should this Forum or any other become truly inclusive, the OFC officials must go beyond tax issues if they are to influence the agenda-setting power of relevant Western dominated bodies. They must test the genuine intent of the OECD by lobbying for regulatory oversight of capital flight. This should be

Fndnots

incorporated within what must be a newly constituted anti-money laundering regime. If the OECD cannot

be convinced, then OFC

representatives should

question the inclusion of tax evasion within the scope of anti-money laundering regulations. They should also raise the issue of a transfer or lease of software technology, if they are to effectively track and moniror financial transactions. Anything less would be akin to effecting a siege without an enemy. Regionally, host governments of OFCs should seek to agree on a

minimal threshold of regulations and should make clear their investigative lines of authority.

Such a strategy may be better served with support from affiliate NGOs of the Caribbean Policy

the economy.

1

.Caribbean labour unions feature prominendy in the work of the

Intemational Confedention of Trade Unions, a civic organisation thathas managed to lock in labourissues -sucft as occupational nfe ty, p ro te c tio n of lowe r+ kil) edj olx fro m un de rc u tti n g i n n ew aade area deals, and hunan righu - onto the agenda for hemispheric free trade and security. Women's groups have also been active in ad m i n i s te ri n g pove rry re du c ti on progfttmme s, mic n>e n te rp rise rchemes, andwomen in development schemes.

ktth

the

C,aribbean Economists and the Caribbean Association

Asxiation of for Feminist

andAction continue to undertake technical studies on ofplitical economy and socialj wtice for wriow agencies like

Research matte rs

the U nited Nations and the World Bank. It

was

in

I 99

I, that

a

coo rdi n ati n g body was formed - th e C,aribbe an Policy D evelopmen

t

Centre, headquartered in Barbados, and cunently sewing some 34 diffe re n t ciic o rganisation s across the wider C,aribbean.

2.This

was

part of a warning to the UN Security Council on the

quesdon of haq's non<ompliance with UN Resolution 687 ofApril 3 199 1

demanding inspection of weapons (Chomsky 2000: p.

Despite the Febnnry 1998 agreement suuckbetween

t-JN

1

3.

).

kcreaty

General Kofi Annan and lraqi authorities, one supported by the Securi ty Council, the U S and U Kwould launchjoint ai r strikes on Iraq in April 1 998 -

a clear breach

ofArticles 41 and 42 of the UN kcurity Cauncil. For more

C,harter which reptses this authority in the

on this, see N. Chomsky (2000).

3.As a

cited by Chomsky ( 2000), p. I

7.

.For more on this, see Ronit and Schneider

(1

g9g)

.

CARICOM Perspective

Jw

2001

*-A Sffirctrr-t*G

lQrrAT|c'\.st-lls AN4c,r\G lQrc-tc

*t

E"vlt c"rrul[rrAl Cpc'A.tsAlt('*s

Introduction

Mandate and Structure of Regional Organisations

-fahe Caribbean Region has a reputation for being I *.ll represented with respect to the number of "regional" organisations. This is true for the

the possibilities fbr f n order to better illustrate I strengthened relationships, it is useful to understand why some of these organisations were

Vincent Sweeney,

environmental sector as well as for many others' Such a plethora of organisations perhaps relates to our common history, geography and socio-economic and

political similarities. It may also relate to the keen interest that the wider public has in the environment' The focus of this article will be on regional (as distinct from national or international) organisations,

including both inter-governmental and nongovernmenlal organisations'

Among the regional organisations involved mainly in environmental work are the following: Caribbean Environmental Health

'

Institute (CEHI) Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA)

' o

^.r-tEHI was established in 1979 as a regional

(-

.r intergovernmental institution of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Its objectives include: to provide technical and advisory serrrices in all areas of environmental management, with a particular focus on environmental health issues (inch'rding solid and

liquid waste management, and water resources and supply management). Its establishment resulted from

recognition by policy-makers that a concerted regional effort, involving sharing of sen'ices and

Caribbean Water and Waste water

membership includes 16 Caribbean territories' It also

Association (CW\AA)

Caribbean

Basin

Water

Management Program Inc. (CBWMP) Caribbean Council on Science and ' TechnologT- (CCST) Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) r Organisation of Eastern Caribbean

'

their Natural Unit (NRMU)'

States (OECS), through Resources Management and

'

Wider Caribbean Solid Waste &

Recycling Alliance (RECARIBE) This list is by no means exhaustive and seeks only to highlight the varying foci and illustrate the number of different entities that exist. In addition to those

mentioned, other organisations with international headquarters, (e.g. United Nations; World Wildlife Fund; IUCN; Green Peace) operate within the region'

The scope of this article has been narrowed to

some agencies above'

CARICOM Pen\ectire June 2001

deliberately

al

He alth Insti tute ( CEHI )

Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI)

expertise, was needed to effectively address the wideranging environmental concerns' Currently its

Institute (CANARI)

Executive Director, (hribbe an Envi ro n me n

established, what they are exPected to do, and what are their existing structures' A few examples are cited'

Resources

Caribbean Natural

'

by

works in non-CARICOM states such as

the

Dominican Republic, through project related activities' The building of strategic alliances is a major focus of the work of CEHI. For example, CEHI has collaborated with the Scientific Research Council (SRC) ofJamaica, the CBWMP, CAST, CDB, CARIRI' PAHO, UNEP and others in developing programmes

Ct><4xration among national

entironmenral organimtions

.\-*

and projects, and in conducting training other relevant activities.

courses and

Additionally, CEHI serves on

Advisory

Committees to CARICOM, CAST, Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), and the Caribbean Epidemiologr.

Centre (CAREC) and has a long histon. of collaboration with academic centres and univer.sities Germany, rhe United Kinsdom, Canada and the

in

United

States.

Caribbean Water & Wastewater Association

(cwwA)

r'

aribbe

an

profe ssionals

in the water and

wastewarer field began meeting in the late lg60s

through the Caribbean Water Engineers Conference.

Horvever bv the 1980s, it became clear that the Region had outgrown this process. Caribbean cotrntries rvere

signalling their desire to increase co_operation among themselves, as rvell as with the rest of the rvorld. In recognition of this fact the C\{\AA was born in 1988 ar the Water Engineers Conference, with the adoption of a constitution and a decision to locate in Trir.ridad.

Buildins on t'ttt-intnntental t-o-<tper:ttion Y'ith international Pa

rIn

er-s

The objectives of the C\4\4A include ro: advance management of water supplY and \\raste\r.ater disposal

for the benefit of the Caribbean people;

relevant education and training; encourage relevant studl', research and development.

The CW\AA Annual Conference presently constitutes the most significant activiry of the association. Most of the member countries of C\A\AA are horvever not "active" benveen Annual Conferences.

Caribbean Basin Water Management programme Incorporated (CBWMP)

-T-h. CB\414P was established in lg75 bv CIDA ancl I peffo. Its original purpose rvas ro provide trainir.rg and develop in-house training capabilities on a regional basis for emplovees of the participating water utilities.

Between 1975 and l9g2 CBWMP operated under various funding arrangemenrs through CIDA, PAHO,

the CDB and Member Utilities (MUs). Since

1g92,

MUs have assumed full responsibilin.for the CB\4'Mp and have been working to build an institution that rvould: "...provide for the sustainable growth antl deve lop nte nt

of Caribbe an Wate r

LI tili ties an

tl

promotion ofwater and water-related issues. through the delit,en. of qualin. training and the

rtti I isi ng c ollectire resou rc es and experie nc

es.

"

promore

In

1996, CB\,!MP was incorporated under the

laws of Barbados as a non-profit organisation.

In 1997 the Board of the CB\\Mp approved a Strategic Plan predicated on beliefs that rvater musr have priorin'on national agendas, and partnerships and netrvorking are essential to addressing

the

challenges faced by MUs.

Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (cANARr) stablished in 1977 and dedicated to strengthening

local capacitv to manage the liring natural to development, C,ANARI through research and experimentation, has developed, demonstrated and tested approaches to natural resource management. Its projects are located resources critical

throughout the Caribbean Region.

CARICOM Percpectite June 200J

*-A C,ANARI

is currently re-structuring and

re-

locating from Saint Lucia to Trinidad' Caribbean Conservation Association (CCA) Vincent Sweeney

regional environmental

conservation

organisation, the CCA initiates, advocates, and on environmentally sound activities through

advises

a membership that covers the wider Caribbean amongst

non-governmental organisations, gover-nments and individuals concerned for the state of the environment

in the

Region.

This organisation which is run by a small core staff from its office in Barbados, implements activities through regional co-ordination and networking. It is involved in natural resource management, water and forest conseruation, tourism-related activities, and management of Protected areas.

Collaboration

rFhe need to collaborate can be easily demonstrated I Uy .*^rnining regional and global imperalives. bearing

territories have been forced to examine their expenditures on the various regional and international bodies.

Similar concerns had been expressed across the Caribbean Community, with the CARICOM Secretariat being requested to examine its own oPerations, with a

view to recommending revisions to its modus operandi. Even within the health sector' at the CARICOM level, Ministers of Health have instructed that the regional health institutions (of which CEHI is one) be reviewed to see where efficiencies can be

improved and duplication avoided.

in mind the size and mandate of regional

environmental organisations, and noting the financial constraints faced by governments across the region as

well as international donors.

Regional & Global ImPeratives

rF1he Plan of Action from the Summit of the I A-".i.ur, held in Quebec CitY in April200larticulated a number of desires and resolutions

by Political leaders from the Western Hemisphere' These include to "consult and coordinate. . -regionally, as appropriate, with the aim

of ensuring

that economic, social and

environme nal policies are muanlly supportive and con ttibute to sustainable development, building on existing initiatives

undertaken by relevant regional . . . organizations' Within the OECS subregion, Heads of Government articulated their concern about the need to review the

structure and possibly downsize the OECS Secretariat, with the justification being affordabiliq' and possibly duplication of effort with other organisations, such as the CARICOM Secretariat. Some of these OECS ('ARIC)M PersPectiYe June 2001

Financial Constraints

Ti\ ntities such as the CBWMP are also currently F ' toot ir-tg at new ways of doing business, with the understanding that there is need to maximize on the limited resources available in the region and to seek

partnerships where feasible to ensure that their objectives are met in a cost effective and efficient manner. CBWMP recently appointed an interim Chief Executive Officer with a mandate to PrePare a plan for the future, looking at various alternatives and

collaborative oPtions.

The CWWA has also found it diffrcult to go it alone and has sought to strengthen its relationship with other entities (such as the CBWMP' PAHO and CEHI) to become more meaningful to its membership' In fact, the CWWA signed MOUs with both CBWMP and CEHI in 1997, and has actively sought to ensure that they build on the work being done by other regional entities.

The financial perspective can be gained through

the following: CCA currently has a full-time staff

u9

"\-x compliment of nvo professionals and the CCST one full-time professional. CANARI had two professionals up until May of 2001. The CWWA at presenr can only afford one full-time administrative staff member. The CBWMP can only afford two full-time staff members.

In all of the

cases referred

to

available resources to establish organisations that can only afford one or two staff members each, with

infrastructure

Mechanisms

c osts e

options for merging may vary, based on the specifics

of each entity.

above, financial

constraints have been ongoing concerns. The question therefore posed - ' is this the best use of

ove rheads,

renaming of the organisation or simply broadening the mandate of one of the partners in the merger. The

tc?.

for Collaboration

Opportunities

aving identified the mandate of

some

organisations and the mechanisms, without

specificity, it now begs the question: ',What opportunities exist for strengthening relationships and

improving collaboration among and

Caribbean

Strengthening Relationships

environmental organisationsl"We would wish to offer the answer that there are numerous opportunities.

1|'-\ eneral rraditional mechanisms have been tried

environmental data and information. policies and

the name of collaboration, rhe most common

administrative procedures can also be shared to better anchor organisations. Expertise can also be shared among organisations, in a structured way or even ad_ hoc. For years the TCDC (Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries) approach has worked

Opportunities exist

\J

1t"t

being the signing of a MOU. In CEHI's experience, the signing of a MOU is perhaps one of the least

effective mechanisms to ensure meaningful collaboration. There must be .,functional collaboration" well in advance of the drafting or signing of a MOU. This functional collaboration might manifest itself through joint venrures and joint project development and implementation. It may be that entities with common objectives and varied but complementary expertise decide to link up on a common project or training activity. The success of such activities would then guide the framing of a MOU. MOUs compel its signatories to work together.

However, if the recognition of the mutual benefits from working together are not shared, no MOU, however well written and conceived will bear f-ruits abundantly.

Another mechanism for strengthening is the actual joint programming of activities. This might involve jointly committing resources and time in a coordinated manner, to a relationships

common set of goals.

Perhaps the most explicit demonstration

of

with respect to sharing of

in this region, largely through cooperation

among

national experts. Why then can'r this approach be utilized more often among regional environmental organizations?

In addition to the sharing of expertise, rhere are opportunities for sharing of facilities as well, especially laboratory facilities. The invesrment required, both in terms of staff recruitment and training, as well as equipment and infrastructure, just to operare a highquality environmental laboratory is

significant. Not to mention accreditation and certification of such laboratories, be it ISO or other internationally recognised accreditation. Why then shouldn't organizarions work together to jointly improve thd facilities available? In mosr cases it is nor feasible to equip and operate numerous accredited laboratories. As such, there is plenty of justification for strengthened relationships.

International donors and development partners

a

desire to collaborate would be the merging of entities.

This might involve physically relocating one organisation to a shared space with another, or merging administration functions. It might involve

are also limited in their ability ro finance environmental initiatives within the region. This has

resulted in numerous environmental organizations approaching donors in an uncoordinated manner.

Whereas attempts are being made to coordinate

L'ARICOM Perspective June 2001

*^

support from the donor's side, it would make more sense to coordinate project development from the

CEHI has had a successful past association with CBWMP, botfr administratively and technically. Up

environmental agency's side.

until

Operationally, there are few reasons why environmental organisations cannot work jointly. For example, the Agreement Establishing CEHI, in its preamble, notes that "The Contacting Patties: recognising the need for a regional organisation to stimulate, coordinate and play a catalytic role in environmental management... hereby agrceto CEHI's establishment.

The context in which CEHI operates involves coordinating efforts at a regional level, in support of Member States, based on ministerial mandate, and on behalf of the Caribbean Community. Such mandates include the Caribbean Co-operation in Health

Initiative (CCH) and the Caribbean Small Island Developing States Program of Action. The CCH identifies a number of environmental targets to be reached during its phase II. In this regard, CEHI has a mandate to assist the Region in reaching these targets.

The OECS sub-region has recently articulated

a

of Principles for Environmental Sustainability (referred to as the St. George's Declatation). These principles speak to the need to coordinate initiatives within the sub-region, and, to a certain extent,

series

promote cooperation. In relation to these principles' the NRMU (of the OECS Secretariat) has been given the responsibility to operationalize a strategy for their

implementation.

Furthermore, a number of Caribbean environmental workshops over the past few years have recommended that actions to strengthen cooperation should be pursued. As such, it is clear that the establishment of regional organisations and their continued existence is intended to support environmental management in relevant areas in the region. Based on stated visions, missions, and goals for these organisations, it is also clear that there exist

common interests. These organisations also

have

common concerns related to financial resources and member government's ability to suPport our work' It is therefore rational that we seek to maximize the resources available.

CARICOM PersPective Jure

2Nl

1997 it housed the Regional Training Coordinator (RTC) and later the Executive Director, for a short period. It also managed the finances of CBWMP until 1999 during a transition period, and

in its efforts to help CBWMP further its objectives, mainly because a strong CBWMP will further the environmental health

was very deliberate

improvement efforts across the region. Although a decision was made by the Board of CBWMP to part company physically, the two organisations have have never been apart, philosophically' Recently discussions were re-opened with CBWMP to bring the two entities

even closer.

Within the last two years, ProPosals were also made to bring the CWWA and the CBWMP closer administratively and technically. These proposals involved the possibility of "sharins" an Executive Director and other facilities including offrce space.

Such proposals have yet to be agreed uPon or operationalized, but it is hoped that the options available will not be discarded without fully being considered.

In concert with its efforts to work more closely with

water utilities in the Region, CEHI

received

endorsement from the OECS Ministers of Health in July 2000 to prepare a transition plan. It is expected that such a plan would allow for greater functional collaboration among solid waste entities involved in

-\-x insularity, many times narrow and isolated positions

the unwillingness to look at the bigger picture of a strong and diverse region

are taken by leaderst and

working together towards common objectives can be observed. The question of sovereignty is closely linked to this observation, where organisations with a strong base within a particular country look towards the interests of that country rather than further afield.

Political and personal agendas are also closely linked to sovereignty and insularity. In the case of the Caribbean, interests of the OECS sut>region seem to influence decisions made by leaders within that sutr

the World Bank funded project, through the efforts

region, without necessarily considering CARICOM and the wider Caribbean grouping. Leaders of some organisations also prefer to keep their identities separate through isolation, rather than partnering

of

both CEHI and the OECS Secretariat. It still remains our hope that possibilities for collaboration will be

with other organisations. In such cases, personal in the way of the interest of various

maximized.

agendas can get

An aborted attempr to establish a Solid Waste Association of the Caribbean (SWAC) in the mid1990s is an example of the diffrculties faced when seeking to establish new organisations. That entity would have faced similar problems as those

constituents.

The Way

Forward

way forward will be different for each Tn. I organisation. in rerms of the specific details. It is

previously mentioned. This is not to say that such an association is not desirable. However, the modalities of advancing the agenda of such an entity must be

of these organisations to stop talking and do something.

carefully considered before efforts are expended in

If there is a recognised need to

however submitted that the first step requires leaders

strengthen relationships with other organisations, leaders need to make the effort, put aside personalities and seek to

vain.

In the area of science and technology, CEHI been in discussions with the CCST and

has

the Government of Saint Lucia, to see how best it can work with the CCST to srrengthen the Region's capabilities

articulate a common vision. The answers can be proposed but it will ultimately depend ofl the leadership. That leadership must be straregic and It must be prepared to see beyond personal agendas and look towards a desired

in

Science & Technology (S&T). prime Minister of Grenada, Dr. Keith Mitchell, who has the regional

willing to take chances.

portfolio for S&T, has been approached with proposals related to such collaboration and it is hoped that somerhing meaningful will develop from

future. We are however confident that

such

leadership exists within the Region and will emerge in due course.

these proposals. hdnotr Challenges

I mong the challenges facing rhe region in ,( \ relation to strengthening relationships among

I

.In the contextof this anicle, "leaden" are considered to

fu penons

that can influence others by their actions and words. The reference is not intended to

Ix

restricted to yiliticians

environmental organisations are insularitv, sovereignty and political and personal agendas. In the case of CARICOM Perspective June 2N j

'x-A \FW CITALLE|GES f()kl

N'lAl'rAC-E\'1f l'T-LAtrCL

li

|"IELATIC|'S

those that are created rather than those that are

by

endorved.

Andr6-\'incent Hettry, (Ph.D) Director ot the

One author identified the elements of' Prograrnme Ibr Mitrtagecompetitiveness as: choice of products; choice of ntent-Labour Rclatiorr.s (PROMALCO) itt tlte IL() technolop5'; purchasing; finance; costing and acCaribbean OIIice, Port of coturting; quality control; research and delelopment; design; organisation and hiring; training and labour management.

appreciation arld a resPonse t() the a firndamental shift in attiturle Ibr requires foregoir-rg, the conduct of managementlabour relations' In the Caribbean, the condrtct of' managementlabottr'

An

relations has alrvavs Presented special challenges.

Ven' conflictual relations have marked prodrtction in the region fbr centuries. This historical orientation rvas reinfbrced and then institutionalized with the birth and struggle for recognition of trade unious.

Moving Beyond Zero Sum Games

The Caribbean Firm and the Global Market Caribbean enterprises are entering into a of operation. The c()tlntries of the phase nerv (laribbean have a deeph' imbedcled commercial culture of protected domestic markets and preferential treatment in manl' overseas markets. In the last

ten vears, most of the foundatiotrs of

these

arrangements have been shaken. Caribbean enterprises norv have to acljust to an international marketplace in rvhich their sun'ival, not t() mention

their prosperin', will be determined almost

exclu-

sivell' b1' their abilitl' to attain and maintain levels of international comPetitiveness in their sectors'

Furthermore, in the world of the Free Trade Area of

the Americas. the need for a reordering and rethinking of prodtrction patterns rvill have to be a continuous priorih.

The Caribbean firm rvill need to address a number of critical elements as it organizes itself to compete in the international marketplace' It will be confronted rvith one of the truths of the production patterns that have emerged over the last tlvent\'five

Iears

or so: the

advantages

that a cotlntn' or

a

companv has in the international trading svstem are CARtCOlll PersPectire June 2001

It is normal to think of labour manageme ut in one of two models - the industrial relations (IR) nroclel and the httman resource management (HRM) model' These two present the issue ol labour managemellt relations in the context of a zero sunl or n'inner-take-all game. It mav be appropriate at this time fbt- the

to rethink the approach to labortr management relations in order to develop liesh Caribbean

thinking or even a new aPPr()ach that will respond

tcr

the needs of the regiorr.

The IR model is the one more favored bv trade unions. It is fbtrnded on the concept of' collective bargaining

in

which workers' rePreserlta-

the authorized agents to act on their behalf in an establishment. The critics ol' this approach argue that trade ttnion involvement in atl establishment is a disruptive intrusion of a third par$'

tives are recognized as

and is inherentlv adversarial. It is also seell as dvsfunctional in the context of enterprises having to adjust rapidlv to changinq circtrmstances in the production sYstem.

The HRM model has a focus on the individual rvorker. The worker, as a resource iu the enterprise, is developecl in the context of the soals of the enterprises. Its proponents rvor'rld argue that it

Spain

"{^*

frees the enterprise, both management and worker, to be

Productivity

more creative. The critics of this approach to managementJabour relations argue that the good of the enterprise is gained at the exploitation of the worker.

They argue that the very nature

of an enterprise demonstrates that the employer could never be trusted to seek the interest of the worker unless he is forced to do so through the vigilance of the worken' representatives.

The Caribbean worker has often been accrxed of low productivity. The evidence acrually suggests *rat the Caribbean worker is no less productive than workers

in other countries and regions. There is considerable unevenness across the region and within countries and

It is clear that neither of these approaches is satisfactory in addressing the serious stmctural and

in the same country. This fact, coupled with some of the stnrctural weaknesses exhibited in the productive processes in the region,

cultural challenges that Caribbean enterprises face in coming to terrns with the imperatives of international

processes to increase levels of productivity.

even within industries

requires enterprises

to put in place structures

and

competitiveness.

Enterprise productivity is a critical determinant of competitiveness; and in the liberalised global

In the new

trading s'stem, competitiveness is a requirement for a firm's survilal. The absence of protected markets at home and of special treatment in foreign markets mandates firms to compete in international markets.

Moreover, because of their relative lack of power, the

global economy,

Caribbean

en-

terprises will face hard choices if they are to survive. It is almost certain thatveryfew of them will be able to survive in their

present form, including even their present line of business. These changes will be of such a fundamental

countries of the Caribbean are unable to flout the rrles of the new 'level playing field' with the impunity that is

evident in the trading relations of some of the more powerfirl countries in the system.

Caribbean enterprises therefore have multi-

nature that they would require a degree of collaboration, mutual sacrifice, and sense of community between the key

faceted reasons to increase their levels of productivity.

The issue then becomes the means for answering this

social partners in the enterprise.

need. In one sense, the task of increases in productivity has been complicated because of a misundentanding of the nature of productivity. Enterprises which take a

Productivity and International Competitiveness

nuurow mathematical approach

In considering an approach to managementlabour relations, which could better respond to the needs of the Caribbean, it is useful to identi$, as specifically as possible, some of the issues that this approach will have to address if it is to be relerant. The list offered below is neither exhaustive nor ordered in

priority.

Moreover, the individual items overlap in many wa)r. If anlthing, this fact demonstrates the need to develop a q/stem of management-labour, which is marked by interdependence, and mutually reinforcing elements. The end goal of the system is a contribution to

the sustainability of the firm as a result of a robust competitiveness and relevance

to the marketplace. It

becomes obvious that in going forward there will have to be a mutuality of concessions.

to the calculation of

productivity do themselves a disfavour. For such enterprises there is knee jerk reaction to enterprise restructuring - reduce the cost of labour. Reductions in the cost of labour, either through downsizing or through reducing wages, if a fixed rariable. That is to say, they

allow one-time opportunities that are severely limited and have the effect of alienating workers.

Work Place Flexibility There is a range of altematives to a reduction

of the wage bill as a means of

addressing competitiveness. One of these is to develop flexibility in the work place. Many enterprises have attempted to use work place flexibility as a response to some of the CARICOM PeEpective

Jw

2N1

*A In the words of the Managing Director of the Bank "For many ycars, thc industrial relations culture in the Bank was an adversarial one, characterised by conflict and distrust. Republic Bank is not isolated in this regard. Indeed, adversarial industrial relations have been a

-

dominant characteristic of the history of Trinidad and Tobago and of many countries in the Caribbean with whom we share a common past.

"Today, the nature of workplace relations demands that we recast the "us-them" relationship to one that means: "Us" - unions and management, against "Them" -our

only be afforded by large and wealthy firms. Human resource oriented enterprise strategies must rather be seen as the means of survival of all firms. Small firms can tailor their human resource strategies to suit their

operating environment without compromising the

fundamental principles of valuing employees, providing equality of opportunity, developing human resources, providing a voice at work. The case of

Interior Harmony in Trinidad and Tobago demonstrates this clearly. A small privately-held company, Interior Harmony is exemplary in is use of human resource-oriented strategies that have resulted in low employee turnover, very high evidences of

employee loyalry and, most imPortantly, consistent

profitability.

competitors

"Shareholders have received exceptional results over the past few years...."

Pipedream or Bottomline: The Business Case

Performance Measure

National Average

IIP Average

Rclurn ()il e.lPllirl

e.ts

1S ).1

J61

Prc lur p l ol it tr iu girt

It might be easy to

dismiss proposals for more people-

from all sectors shows a clear case ofcausality between people-oriented management practices on the one hand and organisational performance on the otherr In a comparison between the best lSVo and worst l5% (best and worse indicating quality of managementlabour practices) showed that the best l57o had:

. . o o

in turnover more in sales per employee $27,044.00 $3,814.00 more in profits per employee $18,642.00 more in market value per 7,057o decrease

emPloyee

In the

case

of the United Kingdom, a

comparison between the national average and firms which invested in people showed the results in Table I. It is possible that the Caribbean enterprise

could argue that the realities of these examples are radically different from those faced in this region.

tt

t77..1J7

Sulcs/enrpIovce

centred management-labour strategies in enterprises if the business' case were not as strong as it is. Two sets of data demonstrate this. A sample of 3,452 US firms

The second reason for Caribbean firms adopting human-resource oriented strategies is necessity. The demands of the marketplace require it.

a better

guarantee of survival if they put in place systems that cause their employee to realise their best Potential.

The twin processes of globalisation and trade liberalisation are giving birth to a yet evolving set of production patterns. It will be foolhardy to assume that we have a full picture of how it will all unfold. In such an era of uncertainty, we need to Caribbean enterprises have

ensure that Caribbean enterprises have systems and processes that facilitate rapid responses to changing circumstances and market conditions as well as the ability to anticipate changes. Fundamental to such an

approach

is a workplace environment that

has

workers and managers reading from the same Page.

These differences cannot be denied.

However, there are at least two issues that need to be addressed. The first is cause' Human resource-oriented strategies are not a luxury that can CARICOM PersPective June 2001

Fndnote t

. These data

are drawn

from a presentation by Dr. Nikolai Rogotsky

ofEnterpise Department, Intemational Labour Offica

I08

A-x CLCBAL FCCD SECL AI,)VANCE

by

Prof. Clive Thomas, Director, Institute

of Development Strrdies, University

of Guyana

:

I ,( \

fter the end of \t'orld War II, increasing concerns over the roles that depriration, hunger, destitu-

tion, and lack of development among nations play in domestic, regional, and intemational armed conflicts, led to global food securitl' being placed high on the agenda

for concerted global action. A

half-a-century

later, however, global food securigv still constitutes one of the biggest challenges of the 21"' century. Further, it has become obvious that hunger, poverty, and social deprir,ations do not only generate armed conflicts, but

challenge fundamentally

the environmental

CII

IQITV,

SETSEAT'

The recent Food Policy Report of

the

International Food Policy Research Institute (Pinstmp Andersen, Pandya-Lorch, and Rosegrant, IFPRI lg99) documents how far we have travelled and how much remains to be done before global food insecurin is brought under control. Projections for the period 1995 - 2020, based on its global food model (IMPACT), reveal

both encouraging and disturbing trends. Based on trends

in

population growth, urbanization, income

gronth and associated lifestyle and food preference

and

changes, the IMPACT model projects that berween 1995

economic stability of the global system. In this paper I

consider contemporary cutting-edge practice for

and 2020 the demand for cereal will increase by 39 percent, meat 58 percent, and roots and tubers 37 percent. The model also projecs that the increase in global population will be heavily concentrated in the

dealing with this phenomenon.

developing countries (97.5 percent of the total); with the

briefly sum up the state of global food securiry, race the

evolution of thinking about global food security, and

I: The State of Global Food Security

population of the developing world expected to be 6.3 billion, or 84 percent of the global total by 2020. Most of

Despite occasional re\â&#x201A;Źrses in recent decades,

this increase will take place in urban areas where the population is expected to double bv 2020, to reach 3.4

the production,

processing,

and trade in

food

worldwide, have made astonishing gains. Grain outpur has doubled and livestock production trebled since the

billion. At that time,

these

striking advances, however, today it is estimated that as many as 800 million people do not have access to sufficient food to lead healthy and productive lives.

Further, as many as 160 million children (or I in 3 children in developing countries) suffer from malnutrition. At present a large chronically malnourished

population exists when globally there is ample food

of

the

developing world's population will be living in cities, up from 38 percent in 1995.

early 1960s, resulting in the per capita global arailabilitl'

of food rising to 2700 calories per day. Despite

as many as 52 percenr

increase

Per capita income is also projected to in all the major developing regions, and by

2020,85 percent of the increased demand for cereals and meat products will come from these regions. At the same time, these regions will also account'.for 97 percent ofthe increased demand for roots and tubers.

However, per capita consumption in the devdloping regions will be considerably less than in the

supplies for all humans. This indicates, therefore, that

developed countries - equal to less than one-half that for cereals, and slightlv more than one-third that for

the principal feature associated rvith food insecuriq'

meat.

is

the imbalance in food distribution between countries, as well as within countries, regions, and communities. At

The IMPACT model further indicares tha.t in order to cater for the projected rise in demand for

this point in time, the World Food Summit's (1996) target to cut hunger by half by 2015 is already in jeopardy. Indeed, it is projected that by 2020 as many as

grain for both human and livestock consumpuon, world output would rise by 40 percent in 2020. An

125 million children under five years of age will still be

malnourished,

if

present trends persist. This would represent a decline of only 15 percent from the total in 1995. It should also be noted that most of these children are expected to be located in subsaharan Africa and South Asia.

in cultivated areas is expected to contribqte to about one-fifth of the increase in global supply, with the remainder, coming from improved yields, increase

reduced losses, and so on.

Since food output is already increasing fastpr in the developing world, by 2020 it is projected that it

will be providing 59 percent of the world's cereal CARICOM Perspeoite June 20Ol

*^

faced. Fleibility includes hours of work, telecommuting, part time work and the re-entry of

challenges

In an effort to ensure that it utilises the full potential of its human resources, enterprise will have to look closely at the issue of disabilities in the work place.

One example of this is the incidence of HIV,/AIDS and

women to the world of work.

Equality of Treatment

The Caribbean enterprise of the century will have

to

Disability and the Workplace

twenty-first

squarely address the issues of

equality of treatment in the workplace. The importance

of equality of treatment can be approached from both

the impact that it could have on the

Caribbean

workforce. Given the high incidence of HIV infection in the Caribbean there are any number of negative impacts that are possible. Moreover, given the treatment options

right to work and to meaningful work based on gender, race or ethnic origin, political affiliation, union

which are extending the lives of HIV infected patients and increasing their productive potential, the old stereoq?es need to be re-examined.

But while HIVIAIDS may hold the potential to

representation or any other ascriptive or particularistic

have the most devastating health impact

factor that is not related to competence and ability to perform a given job of work. From the positive side, equality of treatment will ensure that the best talents are

workplace, there are many other

in its pursuit of

tiveness and therefore need to be

negative and positive perspectives. From the negative perspective

it

ensures that no individual is denied the

made available to the enterprise international competitiveness.

in

the

conditions that can also negatively

affect productivity and competiaddressed. There is a place for

It is interesting that Caribbean enterprises, for the most part, have the perception that there is non-

enterprises to proactively address

discrimination among their ranks. Research needs to be

ment of sensitive policies that respect the worker as an individual and demonstrates an ap preciation of the worker as a

done to determine whether non-universal criteria have a negative impact on the hiring, compensation, Promotion and termination in enterprises. The enterprise that

fails to maximise is human resources is denying itself access to important and even critical resources.

ComPensation

these issues through the develop

valued resource to the enterprise.

Interestingly and happily there are companies in the Caribbean which have developed very forward thinking policies in this area and have done so with

Related to the issue of equality of treatment

is the question of compensation. The competitive

positive impact. For example C'oddard Enterprises Limited has in place a comprehensive policy on life

firm of the tlventy-first century will have to ensure that has in place policies, systems and structures to support transParent comPensation practices. Practically, enterprise will have to invest in transparent processes to determine the value of work. Such a determination must be followed by ensuring that

threatening

there is equal pay for work of equal value regardless of any ascriptive criteria.

Naturally, the usefulness of such policies and be significant\ influenced by the extent will systems

a perquisite rather than an investment

diseases.

it

of the involvement of workers and/or rePresentatives

in the

CARICOM Penpeclive June 2001

Process.

their

Training and Human Resource Development

It

is intriguing, and somewhat disappointing

that in many Caribbean enterPrises training is viewed

as

in the comPany's

interest. It is tme that a company runs the risk that when it provides training for its employees it may in fact be providing training for another comPany or even one of its competitors. While the research does not demonstrate conclusively that the provision of training

A-x creates a greater sense of loyalW to the firm, there is nothing to suggest that well considered training provides any less of return as does any other investment in plant and machinery.

This issue, however, points to the important

fact that no one initiative can stand alone in promoting productivity and competitiveness in an enterprise. These issues need to be addressed in the

enhanced by an enabling environment. In this context, there is a critical role for governments to

facilitate enterprise productivity and competitiveness. In the marketplace of the twenty-first century the demands on governments will become increasingly complex but, at the same time, will be required to be less intrusive. This balancing act will have to performed in partnership and collaboration with the

context of comprehensive strategies for Caribbean firms in their operating environment. Once again it is heartening that there are companies in the Caribbean which take the investment in their human resources

social partners.

seriously. Sandals Resorts Limited, for example,

By their vel)' nature, labour and management will never see eye to eye on every issue.

which has some 7,200 employees has its own in-house development institute which provides training for its staff members. Moreover, the corporation supports

The New Face of Labour-Management Relations

the tertiary education of more than five hundred of its

Moreover, there is no need to want that to happen in order to ensure a robust competitiveness. In fact, even ifagainst the odds such a situation were to occur,

employees at external institutions.

it might

even be dysfunctional. The new face of managementlabour relations requires social part-

Work Place Partnerships/Participation

ners actively engaged. They agree on certain fundamentals, but protect important divergent

All that has gone on rhe impact of good management-labour relations before on greater productivity and competitiveness signals the need for a linchpin. That linchpin is partnership. The evidence produced by many empirical studies point

interests.

The fundamental on which they must agree

is the mutuality of interest in the

prosperity,

profitability and sustainability of the firm. The old image that management equals the enterprise and

to the fact that

enterprises which recognize the importance and practice work place partnerships tend to outperform similar organisations which do not. There are several examples that can be drawn from across the Caribbean to support the feasibility of

workers are a necessary evil, is no longer sustainable.

Likewise, the workers' perception of managers as a class enemv is outdated. The issues on which there can be divergent views and interests to protect now need to be, inter alia: organisation of work, balance

such an approach. These include rhe TCL Group which is in manufacturing and packaging and Vinlec,

of mutual sacrifice, and sharing of gains. In other words, the discourse between labour and management needs to move to a higher plane. Achievement of this higher plane is not possible, however, without high levels of murual rrust. Building trust is where

the electricity company of St. Vincent and

the

utility. Both of these companies are consistent superior performers and can trace improvements directly to the implementation of greater workplace partnerships between manageGrenadines, a public

ment and workers.

The Facilitative Environment The task of implementing and maintaining

competitiveness

tions

driven management-labour

a

rela-

strateg'y ar the enterprise level is considerably

much of the hard work involved in improving management-labour relations lay. Indeed, building trust is of a fundamental nature for the advancement of management-labour relations in the Caribbean.

Given the calcified nature of mistrust between labour and management in the Caribbean, this task mav appear daunting, but is nor impossible where there is goodwill. The Caribbean example of Republic Bank of Trinidad and Tobago is instructive.

CARICOM Perspective lune 20Ol

)!-A output, and 6l percent of its meat outPut. There are, however, a number of disturbing features to note.

One is that despite the large increase in the output of cereals and meat products in the developing

countries, this will not keep pace with demand.

Consequently, their importdependence on these products will rise, and net cereal imports is exPected to almost double (reaching 192 million tons), and net meat imports increase by a factor of 8 (rising to 6.6 million tons). By 2020, per capita food availability is expected to increase by only 9 percent to reach 2,800 calories per person per day.

The Report went on to identifr a number of critical issues facing food security concerns in the 21st century, namely: seeking better ways to secure an

improvement in child nutrition; assessing the likely impact of declining real prices for cereals, which in 1999 were already at their lowest level of the 20th century; assessing the impact of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on trade in food and agriculture products; seeking improved productivity farms

in

on

small

developing countries, through the applica-

tion of modern biotechnology, IT, and

agro-

ecological approaches to farming. The IFPRI has also announced a global Conference on, "Sustainable

Food Security For All by 2020: From Dialogue to Action", to be held in Bonn, Germany, in September'

Africa. This

gave rise

to the second

stage

in

the

evolution of thinking. This was the period of Sen's seminal work on Poverty and Famines (1991) where he elaborated the 'entitlements approach" to the study of hunger and food insecurity. This approach portrays the relationship of the household to is entitlements, or, alternatively,"the set of income and resource bundles under its control" to the securing of

its livelihood. Sen posited that in practice

these

entitlements are normally influenced by a wide array of socio-economic and cultural variables. This

to a focus on two crucial factors in addressing food security, namely: (i) the dynamic/

approach led

creative coping and survival mechanisms, which poor

households frequently resort to when the threat of hunger emerges, and, (ii) the importance of food and production systems, along with the supply/income

side of food demand

in determining food

security'

Prior to this, both these factors had been severely underestimated.

Over time, however, it came to be recognized that food supply, which had been the almost sole focus so far, was just one element, albeit a very important one, in determining what was the end requirement of

the process recognition

nutritional security. This explicit

of the underlying factor of

nutritional

II: The Evolution of TheorY

In the face of some remarkable developments in the literature referred to below, I have identified five more or less distinct stages in the evolution of thinking in relation to food security over the past 30 years. The first stage was characterized by concentration on the inadequacy of food supplies at the global and national Ievels and the concern was to increase global and national output of basic foods' This was the period of the 1970s food crisis in Africa'

and of particular note the World Food Conference held in 1974, endorsed this focus' Despite the substantial expansion in food supplies that occurred at the global and national levels in the 1970s and early 1980s, by the mid-1980s mainly severe food crises had once again eruPted, CARICOM Pers\ective Juhe 2O0l

in

Clive Thomas

,,\-x security, opened the way for related concerns such as environment, cultural practices, education, and health

to enter into the debates and the

status,

means

whereby food insecurity is tackled. This, therefore, constituted the very importanr third stage in the evolution of thinking about food security.

Following on this, in the fourth stage an effort was made to situate both food and nutritional security within an array of objectives that poor households pursued for their survival. From this perspective, extreme as it might first appear, hunger (albeit temporary) may be a preferred option of households over other alternatives, if they consider them to be worse, e.g., the threat of permanent loss of productive assets versus short-term hunger. This approach has been rermed the "household livelihood

model". Its principal thrust is ro seek a broader, more comprehensive and multi-dimensecurity

sional understanding of the relationships between the

politics and economics of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, and from understanding these relationships, to study rhe complex dynamic strategies that poor households routinely employ to secure their survival.

The fifth stage is the current one. Here efforts are underway to link the approaches of the household livelihood security model to the potential of modern biotechnology. Currently efforts are being made to adapt the household security model so that it would emphasize nutrition throughout the life_cycle.

The reason for this, is as (IFpRI, 2000) describes it:

"malnutrition is a yjcious circle that begins before birth, gets transmitted during reproductive stages of life and lasts into old age".

III:

and the longer term development measures needed to ensure sustainable food security. Unlike the past,

these phases are

no longer treated as separate,

discrete, and compartmentalized areas with their own separate set of initiatives organized through different agencies and groups in an uncoordinated way. Thus

for example, agencies in the pursuit of the development of the capacities of households to provide their basic food needs through ,,development-oriented programming" are now directly linking this to the protection of poor households against destruction of their productive assets and the rehabilitation of these when such destruction occurs, as well as with the provision of relief in circumstances of emergency and distress. In other words, the latter,

i.e., emergency food aid, is targeted to reinforce "development-oriented programming',.

The second hub centres on the arrange_ ments through which global trade in food occurs.

There is a global transformation underway in the legal and institutional framework for food trade

through the provisions of the Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) of the WTO,zUruguay Round Agreement. This development is of great importance since even optimistic projections about increased food supplies in mlnerable areas recognize that trade in food will have ro rise substantially, if global food insecurity is to be successfully overcome.

The third hub is the atrention that is now being directed towards supporting advances in modern biotechnology, which can directly impict on Sunival Foods

Cutting-edge practice

Following on the evolution of thinking as indicated in the previous Section, we now find that contemporary cutting edge practice deals with global

food insecurity around three major hubs. First, it treats direct interventions in situations of serious fbod

deprivation on the premise that there is

a

"continuum," which embraces immediate relief from food distress as well as rehabilitation and mitigation, CARICOM Perspective June 2001

j|--A*

food production and nutrition. Two examples of these proposed "bio-solutions" are the support given to the development of micronutrient-dense staples and the production of genetically modified foods. In the case of the former, the focus is on wheat, maize, rice, beans, and cassava, so that these can be rich in Vitamin A, iron,

iodine, and zinc. It has been estimated that over the long-run such micronutrient-dense staples would be a cheaper means of eliminating nutritional deficiencies in developing countries, than the traditional methods of food fortification, supplements, and pills. This would be a very important achievement as the World Bank has estimated that deficiencies in Vitamin A, iodine, and iron alone cause economic losses through their impact on health and productivity in South Asia, equivalent to 5 percent of its GNP. In relation to genetically modified foods, it

has also been estimated that at the end of 1998 approximately 28 million hectares worldwide were already planted with transgenic crops, mainly cotton, corn, soyabean, and rapeseed. The share of the developing countries in this total was then l5 percent.

It is important that modern biotechnology should not be represented as a "cure-all" for food

insecurity. The hope has to be that

modern

biotechnology would offer significant contributions to global food securiry. It cannot by itself eliminate the problems of hunger and deprivation.

second policy issue is improved regulatory mechanrsms

(bio-safety) "to inform and protect" the public against abuses of genetically modified foods. Already there is

considerable public debate on this, but mainly confined to Europe at this stage.

A third policy issue is the need to secure a global legal framework for intellectual property rights, which does not either sacrifice the rights

a

attached to local inventions in developing countries, or create barriers to their accessing new technologies.

In the face of the well-known activities of established transnational companies this will be very difficult to achieve. Fourthly, there is need for better regulation of public and private research, in order to secure the interests of poor small farmers in developing countries and poor consumers worldwide.

Finally, it is becoming clear that the concerns

of global food security are now directly linked to a number of pressing global threas. One of these is health and nutrition concerns linked to new diseases like AIDS and the resurgence of older diseases like tuberculosis. Another is the impact of globalization and urbanization and the pressures these create for resources crucial to food supply, e.g., water, land , and

labour supplies. In these circumstances

the

inherently multi-dimensional features of global food security stand out, complementing in this regard the multi-dimensional processes that drive the Present phase

of globalisation.

Conclusion

It is now generally

recognized that certain policy issues need to be addressed for the full impact of modern biotechnology and the new thinking on

food security to impact substantially on the global situation. One such is the need for more investments to flow into R&D directed at the concerns of the developing countries. The tendency so far has been the opposite. Agricultural biotechnology is largely privately funded and has focused on the plants and

1.

animals of the North in order to serve the commercial needs of farmers and consumers there, where the

Thinking and Practice" IDS, Working Paper II, 2000; and Davis' C., et. al., "Food Security in the Age of Liberalization and

opportunities for profitable sales lie. When producs of the South are focussed on, the drive is often directed at finding commercial substitutes for them' A

2000.

CARICOM Perspectite June 2001

This article draws on two recent publications of mine: C

Y.Thomas., "Global Food Security: The Evolution

Globaliarion

"

in

of Recent

Proceedings of the PAWC C'onfe re nce, Tuskege e,

A-ol C\t-rEr,t.\- Tl,tt

t r-t l-rEsnrE-t lQrtc t.t 2COC: \\

The pioneering 325

page

Caribbear"r Trade and Investment

Report 2000, recentll' ptrblished

\l

\ \l\

Trade rvith the Americas constitutes the largest element of CARICOM's trade, tvith exports in

Commrrnirv

the hemisphere, in 1998, accounting for 76.2 per cenr of the Region's exports to the world as a rvhole, up

(CARICOM) Secretariat and Ian

from 69.6 per cent in 1988. The negotiations of the

Randle Publishers, is .r'en oppor-

FTdA. targeted

by the Calibbean

trrne given the critical conjrrncrrrre

fbr completion in the vear 2005, I'ill no doubt result in greater trading opportunities but

the relationship betu'een the

the anal'r'sis suggests that greater focus will have to be

ir-r

forces of regionalisrl

and globalisation. At the same lime that C,ARICOM has been acceler-

ating its movement torvards a Single Market and Economy, a deepening process

of

liberalisa-

tion and economic integration has

at the multilateral, plurilate ral and also been taking place

Maurice Odle

\\

hemispheric levels. The challenges are immense and

the opportunities not easv to realise, gilen

the

disadvantages of small size and, also, the nrlnerabilin'

of such states in an increasinglv volatile international economic environment.

The Report provides a detailed analvsis of the

Region's trade performance intra-regionallv, hemisphericalll', and globall,v. The eridence suggests that despite the significant increases during the 1990s, intra-regional imports and exports, as a percentage of

total imports and exports remain fairlv lorv. For and 1998, intra-regional imports expanded bv an average of 5.6 per cent, but their share of Caribbean imports *orldlide was be[veen 8 and l0 per cent. Intra-regional exports grew on example, between 1990

average b1'8.5 per cent per vear and their share of total

Caribbean exports rose from 12 per cent in 1990 to 23 per cent in 1998. In this regard, the movement towards

a CARICOM Single Market and Economv is likelv

to

have at least trvo favourable effects. One is to increase the

share of intra-regional trade, particularlv in the area of

senices. There rvould also be scope for reducing the Region's net food import deficit. The second is that the

placed on developing international competitiveness in order to participate effectivell in the emerging new environment. Moreo.r'er, CARICOM cotrntries have shorvn in the past that thev lack the supply capacin' to take effective advantage of the preferential

market access arrangements rvith the USA, Canada, Venezuela and the Colombia.

Trade rvith the European Union continued

to be largell in traditional commodities and, also, under preferential market access. Despite this advantage, the anallsis suggesrs that CARICON{ exports to the EU, as a share of their exports to the n'orld as a whole, never exceed one-fifth. In lg80 the share rvas 16.5 per cent and, in 1998, it rvas 16.9 per

cent..

Ironicall.r', while commodity diversification has

become the watchword, there has been increasing concentration in Caribbean exporrs ro the EU, with four items - alumintrm ores and concentrates, sugar, bananas and methanol accotrnting for 83 per cent of the Region's exports in 1997, compared rvith 68 per cent in 1991 . The (laribbean colrntries need to engage in substantial restnrctrlring and r"rpgrading in

order to be competitive rvhen the

transitional

preferential arrangements under the nerv Cotonorr Agreement between the ACP and the EU come to an end in December 2007.

The Report indicates thar the Region has performed cre ditablv in attracting foreign investment. For example, in the case of the ratio of fbreign investment to GDP, Caribbean countries ranked benveen 5 and 21 in the rvorld in the second half of the

1990s. Foreign investment accounted for a ven' significant proportion of the Region's capital

stronger regional economic base and improved production efficiency will act as a pedestal for penetrating extra-regional export markets in manufactures. Trinidad and Tobago is already evincing an

formation because dornestic savings and investment continue to be lorv. Given also the nature of the global financial system, there is need to redouble and

emerging industrial capability.

intensi$' efforts at attracting foreign direct CARICOM Pertpectie June

)(Nl

*4. investment, which remains a relatively stable long-term source of capital.

The performance of Trinidad and Tobago was particularly noteworthy. That country was deemed by the United Nations to be the most transnationalised developing economy in the world in 1997 and 1998 and accounted for 60 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively, of the approximately US$I.6

billion of the inflows in each of those tlvo years to the Caribbean region.

Intra-CARICOM investment is an important aspect of the regional economic integration process and the report deals with the emerging phenornenon of the Caribbean TNC. A survey of 39 firms with some degree of cross border activity indicated a total

of 99 operations abroad for the top ten of these companies, most of which were headquartered in Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. The majority of the cross-border activity is within the Region,

although there are a few instances of firms venturing further afield. The cross border investment is largely in the financial, light manufacturing and distribution sectors. Intra-regional investment is particularly

Investment Measures (TRIMS) the Agreement on Trade Related Intellcctual Property Rights (TRIPS) and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) and the GATS measures concerning "commercial presence" in the services sector. In addition, there is a network of one-sided bilateral investment treaties (BITs) investment 'side' agreements in the various regional and other free trade arrangements, as well as certain international conventions and other instruments that reflect the

underlying principles

of the WTO

process and the preferred interest

liberalisation

of the developed

countries and their transnational corporations.

Likewise, the global financial architecture, as currently structured, does not seek to compensate poor economies for the progressive decline of offrcial development assistance and their inability to attract sufficient amounts of short-term international bank

loans and portfolio capital. Globalisation and Regionalism are two complementary processes but the interfacing can produce distortionary effects in terms of developmental prospects.

The Caribbean economy is at the crossroads

proportion ofinflows from all sources' accounting for 23 per cent in 1995,37 per cent in 1997 and 30 per cent in 1998. Protocol II, when fully implemented, in

and important strategising will be required for economic survival in the increasingly competitive global environment. The Caribbean Trade and Development Report 2000 provides some of the

terms of the Region's removal of the remaining crossborder legal restrictions on establishment and the

empirical analysis upon which policy decisions can be based. This well received Report is available at the

movement of capital, will, no doubt, have a further positive effect on intra-CARICOM investment. It will also act as a boost to portfolio investment and the

at

important

for the smaller

OECS countries as

a

cross-listing and cross-trading that is taking place among CARICOM countries.

The Report notes that Trade and Investment

flows exist in the context of an increasingly overarching global regulatory framework' The global system is becoming more and more rulesbased and mandatory. Unfortunately, there are no

In this regard, the global trade architecture does not take sufficiently into account the interest of developing countries,

viable alternative options.

especially the small I'ulnerable economies' Similarly' the global investment architecture includes such

WTO strictures as the Agreement on Trade Related CMICOM Perszective .lune

200

l

CARICOM Secretariat and major bookshops us$25.

by

Maurice Odle, (Ph.D) Economic Adviser to the Secretary-General,

CARICOM

-\-* A Drvcep,tpltc by:

DpcnLE cF

Introduction

David Achanfuo Yeboah, (Ph.D) Senior Fellow and'

Table I Crude Birth Rate Selected Caribbean Countries:

:.

Inter-Campus

In most developing countries, demography and demographic variables are not Corty usrlally given the significance they deserve in the formulation, devellri:dr:iantr; Atill: opment and implementation of Th'Rlrnrn policies and developmenr plans.

BrtuLx

:

Coordinator,

:

Special Studies aid Research Methods

Unit,

:

Sir Arthur Lewis

Institute of

Social:.

and Economic Srudies (/SES),

UW,

Cave

:.

Hill

The Caribbean is

j :

undergoing

1980-85 pm85

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2005-2010

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h2

implications for policy and proGrum Ffid gram development in the future.

Jmrica This article is, therefore, an intro DninicmRentlic finirHn*i1}k ductory attempt to examine the changing demographic characteristics of the region and their policy implications.

to

'tT)<-

Belize

demographic changes which have

:

tlr CAleerlr

16R

1i1

1.1

0

114

r.5

30r

!7.0

l+l

ltg

tol

:8.3

,1 til

IR

-11

288

-319

1q ll.8

t00

{

il3l

-5.5

-{.5.

Source:United Nations Rep., 1999

*

7o change 1980-85

to

1995-2000

Traditional Demographic Characteristics Table 2 points to declining total fertility mte (TFR)

Traditional demographic variables used

in

this

study include fertility, mortality, population growth, age

in the Caribbean

between lg75A0 and 200b-10, with Belize recording the highesr percentage change. During

composition and urban population. Lack of adequate it impossible to include a discussion of internal and international migration.

study period (2005-10), it is estimared to decline b1,bg%

Fertility

and Tobago (-52.9%), Dominican Republic (4g.gVo), Guyana (46.l%o), Jamaica (4b.0Va), Guadeloupe (-

data on migration has made

Table

I

shows crude

Caribbean from 198G85

birth rate (CBR) in

the

to 200!2010, indicating that

197180, TFR was 6.2

in Belize, but at the end of the

to 2.6. Other expected large declines include Trinidad

41.9%) , and Haiti (40.\Vo) , Barbados (-27 .3Vo) while the Netherlands Antilles is estimated to record only â&#x201A;Ź.0% change in TFR.

CBR has been declining significantly in the region. The

highest change occurred in Guyana where CBR is expected to decline by over 39% duing the period.

Other large changes in CBR are expected in Belize (38.0%), Dominican Republic (Z6.bVo), Haitt (Z2.9Vo), Jamaica (32.5%), Trinidad and Tobago (22.b%), Barbados (31 .6Vo) and Cuba (Z0.2Vo)

Table 2 Total Fertilit'' Rate. Selected Caribbean Countries: l97b-80 to 200b-2010

.

Source: United Nations Rep., 1999

*

Vo change 1980-85

to 2000-05

CARICOM Perspective June

2Nl

*J" Mortality

Life Expectancy at Birth

Crude death rate (CDR) has been declining steadily in Caribbean countries, albeit fluctuations are discernible in The Bahamas, Barbados and

According to Table 4, Guadeloupe is estimated to record the highest life expectancy at birth from 68.9 years in 1980-85 to 76.0 years in 2005-10 for males,

Trinidad and Tobago (Table 3). The only exception

and from 76.2yezrs

Cuba where CDR is estimated to increase by 20Vo

is

from

6.4 per 1000 in 1980-85 to 7.7 in 2005-10. The highest decline in mortality during the period is estimated to occur in Haiti (-42.7%), followed by Belize (-35.lVo), Gryana (-23.9Vo) and Dominican Republic (-23.5). The Bahamas (-3.8Vo), Barbados (5.OVo), and the Netherlands Antilles (-9.7Vo) are estimated to record lower decreases in CDR by 2010.

in

1980-85 to 82.5 years

in

2005-

10 for females. Other countries, which are estimated

to record high life

exPectancy

at birth for

males

during the period 2005-10 include Cuba (75.4), The Bahamas and Barbados (75.2), Belize (75.0), and Jamaica (74.5). Haiti (59.8) and Guyana (65.1) are estimated

to record

comparatively lower male life

expectancy at birth.

For females, Barbados (80.2), Cuba (79.4), The

Bahamas (79.1), Jamaica (78.6), Trinidad and Tobago (78.2) and Belize (78.1) are estimated to experience high life expectancy at birth. Countries expected to record comParatively lower female life expectancy at birth during 2005-10 include Haiti Table 3

(62.8), and Guyana (70.9).

Crude Death Rate. Selected Caribbean Countries: 1980-85

to

2005-2010

Source: United Nations Rep, 1999

*

Vo change 1980-85

to 2000-05

Table 4

Life Expectancy at Birth. Selected Caribbean Countries: 1980â&#x201A;Ź5 to 2005-2010

Source: United Nations Rep., 1999

CARICOM Perspective June 2AOl

.\,

/,.

Population Growth

Population Structure

Population growth rate is either low to moderate

in the Caribbean. The highest population growth rate during the 1980-85 period was recorded in Belize (2.6%), followed by Haiti (2.4Va), Dominican Republic

(2.3Vo) and The Bahamas (2.OVo). The lowesr population growth rate during the same period was recorded in Barbados (0.3%), followed by Cuba (0.8Vo).

Belize is estimated to record the highest growth rate during 2005-10 (2.0%), followed bv Haiti (t.8Vo), whileJamaica (0.9Vo), Trinidad and Tobago (0.7Vo),

Antigua and Barbuda (0.5Vo) and Barbados (0.4Vo) are estimated to record lower growth rates. Population

growth has been so low in Barbados that the International Labour Organisation (1999: 43) described the country as having "a practically stagnant population growth".

Table 5

Average Growth Rates

per 100

Population

Selected Caribbean Countries: 1980-85 to 2005-10

The changes in fertiliq,, mortality and longevity affect the age structure of the population, and the

population aged under

l5

years

is

estimated to decline between 1990 to 2020. Acase in point is Belize where this proportion is estimated to decline by 17.6 percentage points from 44.0Vo in 1990 to 26.4% in 2020. In the Dominican Republic, the population aged l5 years and under, is estimated to decline by 12.3 percentage points, Haiti by 11.7 percentage points, and Jamaica by l0 percentage points during the same period. The changes in proportion under

l5

years are expected to be smaller in Barbados, The Bahamas and Trinidad and Tobago (Table 6).

At the other end of the age distribution specrrum, significant increases are taking place in the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over. Cuba (1b.8%), Barbados (13.6Vo), The Bahamas (9.0%) and Jamaica (8.4Vo) are estimated to record a higher proportion of elderly population in 2020 (Table 6).

The proportion of the population in the middle age

groups or working age group, i.e. 15 to 64 years, would

exhibit much fluctuation during the 3Gyear period from 1990 to 2020.

Table 6 Age Structure of the Population Selected

Caribbean Countries: 1990-2020 (70)

Source: United Nhtions Rep.1999; and Yeboah (2000)

Source: United Nations Rep., 1999

Itg

Gt4

t5{/.

65+

ul4

The Bdrarras

32r

63.3

46

77)

67.8

q.o

6.7

16.7

69.7

136

51.8

(a.7

49

Orba

21r

6.6

42 84

x4

31.4

Bdize

245 MO

lt8

%.7

Babdos

16.2

68.1

158

Guvma Haiti

776

4.6

i8

D9

to.1

7.O

M2

9.O

3R

?.5

4.7

4R

x.7

Jannica

332

o.0

68

8.1

68.5

8.5

Panrrh'li.

37.O

-55.3

77

4.7

67.5

84 7g

Trinidad ard'lkrbaso

335

0.3

62

x.l

67.4

65

4.8

65+

16.7 88.

I

a._2

1.3

tba CARICOM Perspective June 2001

}"-A*

Urban

roads and telecommunications). Overcrowding is a likely

Population

consequence Countries

in the

Caribbean lary

in their level of

urbanisation with the highest urban proportion in 1985

of

increasing urbanisation,

with

the

accompanying issues of inadequate shelter, food, water, emplol,rnent, transportation and waste management

being recorded in The Bahamas (79.7Vo), and the lowest in Haiti (27.2qo).In addition, Cwba (71.6%), Trinidad

(Yeboah, 2000b).

and Tobago (63.SVo) and Dominican Republic (52.0%)

Table 7 Urban Proportion. Selected Caribbean Countries:

recorded higher urban proportions, compared with

1985-2010

Jamaica (49.4%) and Barbados (42.3%) during the same year (Table 7).

In respect of projected urban proportion for 2010, The Bahamas is again estimated to record the highest proportion of 90.9Vo, followed by Cuba (83.0%), Trinidad and Tobago (77.8Vo), Dominican Republic (65.0Vo), Jamaica (61.0%), Barbados (55.6%), Hain

(45.0Vo), Guyana (44.8%) and Antigua and Barbuda (4O.5Vo).

Policy Implications Source: United Nations ReP. 1999

Declining fertility would result in declining demand for school and pediatric services (see also Lockheed M E and A M Verspoor, 1999). Declining fertility also means that fewer people would be entering the labour force in the future, with a potential for labour force shortages unless immigration increases. With the establishment of the Single Market and Economy, free

of labour could alleviate labour force in some countries, but migrant-sending

movement

Conclusion An attempt has been made in this study to

provide ,

demographic profile of the Caribbean using traditional demographic measures.

The study shows that fertility, mortality and

a

:

population growth rates have been declining. ln contrast, life expectancy at birth and the proportion of

shortages countries would still have a smaller workforce.

In terms of the prerailing mortality levels and

the urban population have been rising. The study points to decreasing demand for pediatric services and an

subsequent increases in longevity, the immediate implication is that the Caribbean will have an increasing population aged 65 years and over. There would be greater demand for geriatric services as the old age

declineandincreasinglongevitycontinuesintothe

increasing demand

for geriatric service as

:

fertiliry

future.

population increases (social support, elderly accommodation, health and dental care, pensions and

transportation). Unfortunately, with dwindling labour force from declining fertility, a small workforce would have to shoulder a high old age dependency ratio (Yeboah, 2000a).

Increasing proportion of urban dwellers across the region means an increasing number of people to

provide urban amenities for (health, education, transportation, waste management, water, food, Power, CARICOM Perspective June 2001

David Achanfuo Yeboah

A-x Signposts

to the Development...The

CCJ

-

cont'd

fron p.

10

The idea was also floated that national cours be left to settle all questions

of

Communitylaw by themselves,

rvith the parties only entitlement being to bring the national judgment "...in a sort of longstop appeal claiming breach of Community law." 6The group rook the riew that national courts should be able to deal with of Communitylaw in the exercise of their national

issues

jurisdiction by being entitled

or obliged ro refer

questions to the supreme judicial body, and this without

having to pass through a hierarchv ofnational courts. In their orrn u,ords to accept such as proposal rvould be to: debase the entire system of co+peration esablished by the Treaties . . . a sr$tem that has

proveditsworth.

The analysis turned instead to other wals of reforming the svstem and concomitantJv reducing the caseload of the EQl. Firsr of all national courts should be encotrraged to be bolder in applring Community law themselres. This involved three dimensions [actually

proposed in the report as Treatyamendments.]

r

the first consists in stating the fundamental principle that the courts of Member States have firll authority to deal with questions of Community law which

they

encounter, subject only to their right or

their duty to refer question to the Court for preliminary rulings.

r

the second consists of informing courts other than

those of final instance

It is appropriare to stress here that the attitude towards both rhe'acte claire'and the significance notions are of some importance, as the application.

Caribbean Court begins grappling with these problems.

-the third dimension concerns the obligation imposed on courts of final instance to consult the Courtwhen a question of Communirylaw is pleaded before them.

"In practice, it has not always been possible to

follow such a rigid obligation. " With that in mind the Working party would

importznt for community law and about

while there is a duty to [s]ral{ refer, the court still has ro ansrver the que stion whether lt considers that a decision

on the question is necessary to enable it to deliver judgmenL.' If the courr makes a decision l,hich the litigants believe is rhe incorrecr one, rhey have the oprion of having a higher court make the reference to the Ce/

or themsehâ&#x201A;Źs seeking to have that institution reriew the decision trnder the direct action procedure. In fact the Working Party rvent on to stress that this approach would not pose a threat to the uniform application of Communitylaw.

There would still be two ways of remedying any breach by a court wh i ch c o nfIi c te d wi

where such

offinal

a breach

instance, at least

resulted in a decision

th C o m muni ty I aw:

questions qatem atically.Whenassessing the advisibility

o

of referring a question such courts should consider both the importance of the question in terms of

another Membr Statc to consultthe Court, . . on the point of Community law in question;

Community law and whether there is reasonable doubt abouttheanswer.

.

other words they should be dissuaded from referring mattets to the Court.. .where Community law clearly states what the answer should be or where the has

of

was already

to be greater flexibility in

or

the secondisforthe Commission to

bring an action for failure to fitlfiI iu

Iaw,8

no legal significance...q

whether there needs

the satne

These remedies would also be ar,ailable tn the Caribbean Community context. The Report also stressed that in the

reasonable clarified in Cr'Ifir (Case 283/81 [1982] ECR34I5) , and that it would be for the ECJto deterrnine

doubf

thefintisforanycouttin

obligations against the Member state whose cornt h.N shown ignorance of Community

point raised

The reports points out that the notion

rvhose

resolrrtion there remains reasonable doubtafter hat.ing been examined by lower courrs. From the CARICOM perspective, this lack of rigrdity already exists in that

[for whom the only option is to refer,] that they must endeavour to not to refer

'In

rvish

that there be an obligation imposed upon courts of final instance to refer onl.r' questions which are sufficiently

its

finaf analrsis, the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, could ask tt'e Court to decide the qtrestion, without setting any time limit. The resulting decisions would restore the uniform application of Community CARICOM Perspectit'e June 2001

"aA Iaw

for the future.

A fourth dimension emerges from the three set out

above. This is the requirement that a national court must consrilt the Court o{lustice when it proposes not to apply

aCommunity acton the gtounds ofinualidirT' They take

in the Treaty' While that stage is not yet reached in the present context, it is arguable that recourse to the CCJ by the Community Organ or Institutionconcerned, a Member the view that this should be incorporated

the other hand, only the most resolute action on the part of Member States could secure this objective' The action envisaged by the Working Party is of 'direct

applicability'

Community law to all those involved in refening questions for preliminary rulings, be they iudges or lawyers' The training

or natural or legal Persons with locus standi could operate to cure this defect.

whichwouldrender

in

training should be complete and notjust -as is too often the cane atthe moment<onfined

In

mandatory provisions, failure to comply with

the

thrust to establish its own Court of Jusdce' Two focal points for action by Member States were identified: [F] irst, there is an urgent need to gtve better

State

terms of irrelevant, Premaatte or poorlyprepared references, and those which concern only the specific application of Community law and not its interpretation, the Working Party proposed that:

to the Caribbean Community in

to a desciption

of Community institutions'

without a detziled study of the case law''j rvVhile there is as yet no 'case law' in a judicial sense' in respect of C,ARICOM, the fact is that the regional universities and the Organs of the Community, together

intherulesof

with the Private and Public Bar and theJudiciary, should be engaged in Seminars, Syrnposia, short and long

Procedure,s

courses

rrferences inadnissible should b incorponted

These

could

be supplemented with

recommendations from ttre Coutt" including possibly a standard modelfor the forrnulation of references' This appears to be a proposal suited for the CCJ as it would assist in the institution setting out on the correct footing. Two other suggestions eminently suited to the

Caribbean context involve placing

with its nrles. The case law of other regional integration movements could then be applied, as appropriate, to assess possible courses of judicial action in respect of specified rights and obligations. tSlrcndly, pweful ittfotmation systsns should be made auailable to pnctitionen, providing

Procedtuure

(i)

by means of reasoned order where the reply is obvious. An example where this approach would be applicable include where there can be no reasonable doubt as to interpretation. (ii) encouraging national courts, but not obliging them, to include in the preliminary questions reasoned grounds for the answers that those courts consider most aPPtoPrjate' Where the regional court concurs, it would reply specifying iu reasoning by reference to the reasons given by the

nationalcourt.

The reportwas quite anxious thatthe essential purpose of the proposalswas to allow national courts to be better placed n give infornted decisions on the growing

number of Community law issues facing fhem' On CARICOM PersPecti'e June 2001

its

establishment with ajudicial body to oversee compliance

in the Rules of

the option of the regionaljudicial body replying at any stage in the procedure, to the national court,

on the CSME and the implications for

In

themwith asyaccas to the latstinformation on C'ommwiE legislation and case law.tl line with the actions envisaged, the rePort

recommended that Member States establish:

",..national information centers

on

Community law, with computer links to the Commission's dePartnents and to tIrc Court

of Justices's Research and Documentation Sen'ice. Run by experienced specialisa in Community law, these would give inualuable aid to nationaljudges and lawyers to enable

to settle, under proper increasing number of an conditions, difficulties themselves, which for lack of them gtadually

adequate infonnation they curtently refer to

the CouttofJustice-12

While the Project Co-Ordinating Unit for the Establishment of the CCf has proposed the setting up

A.* of a CQI Computerization Group to

assess

and make

recommendations on the new institution's needs in this

area, the truth

is that the linkage to the

national

dimension was not articulated as clearlr.. Adoption of this idea and generalized across the nvo facet's of the CQlPs jurisdiction would make a signal contriburion ro the enhancement of theJustice Systems in the Member

States

of CARICOM..

The foregoing represented the reformist proposals adtanced. There were more radical suggestions as well.

Thev are being reproduced here to ensrlre the completeness of the discussion. Three such proposals rvere advanced, two

ofwhich could be seen as relerant to the current context. These are that r the Member States might set up devolvedjudicial bodies specializing in preliminary ruling; and

r

the Court might select certain questions from

among those referred to it.

The setting up of the devolved courts at the national level was seen as having the of reliering the ECJ of examining those

advantages

preliminary questions which were not specially significant for the purposes of Communiq, law, as well as reducing administrative costs and time lags _both major problems in our regional justice slstems. On the other hand, there were serious disadr,antages.

In the first

instance,

the preliminary ruling

procedure involves a dialogue between the referring court [which is hearing the principal action and which

alone is fully familiar with the casel and the Community court [which alone is capable of securing a uniform interpretation of Community law.l It was felt

that to interpose another court between these two wouldjeopardize the objective of uniform application ofthe law, ev.en ifthe new courtwere obligetl to refer specially significant question to the Couftoflusa'ce. There would now

be three courts considering the same

Anotier critical

disadvantage of this route is the fact

that the administration of devolved courts would entail

heaq' outlavs in financial, human and material resources [which are not available,] and also it could distort the national court structure.

The other 'radical' proposal involved giving the Ee

iaelf the power to select those preliminary

questions

which it felt were sufficiently important for the purposes of Communitylaw. Other questions would be sent back to

the referring court..,.possibly with obsercations that

could help nationaljudiciaries,"a procedure similar to that which obtains in the practice of the United States Supreme Court. t3 The report took the view that while this would be simple and effective and would save money " . .. such an anattgemen t cannot be uantsposecl at

Presenttoaqstem of courts which is ndically different from the

United States: unlike the Ameican system, the Community courts and national courts are not ranked in a hierarchical relationship to each other -the system is based entirely on

cmperation and dialogte...It is this ce opention and dialogue which would be upset by such a crude form ofselection as thatjust

described."

ta

fu 'crude' as the proposal may be, the fact is that in terms of the Caribbean Court of Justice,s relationship to national courts, there is a hier-archical relationship.

The Court will be an institution sui generis. It will be a final instance tribunal for those Members States adhering to its Appellate Jurisdiction in substitution of theJudicial Committee of the priry Council, or adding a

third appellate der as in the case of Gulana. On the other hand, it will also be a court of first and last instance

in its Original Jurisdiction as it wiil be charged with interpreting and applving the Treaty of chaguaramas.

issues in

succession, thereby prolonging the proceedings. The

view was also taken that the outcome would be essentially the same even if the questions were first submitted to the regional court for assessment, with the less important ones being remitted to the devolved

court. In the latter scenario, a degree of uniformity could be assured, but the advantages of devolution would be mostly lost in the process.

Protocol IX on judgments of the Court constituting binding precedent. \4tith the foregoing in mind, perhaps a less offensive selection process could perhaps be elaborated. This would not go as far as devolution, but would give greater

responsibility

on national courts to carefully

select

CARICOM Perspective June 20Ol

x-A reference questions. Additionally, it provides a filtration mechanismwhich may be usefully adopted after the new institution has 'cut its teeth' into its tasks, but before the enr.isaged 'flood' of references.

NOTES.' r European C,ourt ofJtstice and

CnurtofFint Instance, "The Future Of TheJudicial System Of The European Union," 2000,p. 1 7 2

lbid.,p. 22 --e m ph asis adde d

i lbid.,p.I3 !

Ibid.

Political. Economic. and Social Perspectives. Baltimore: The

Johns lTopkins University

Press.

14 Ryan, S. (1993). "Structural Adjustment and the Ethnic Factor in Caribbean Societies", in J. Dominguez, R. Pastor, and D. Worrell (Eds.) Democrac!,

in the

Caribbean:

Political. Economic. and Social Perspectites. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. l5 Thomas, Clive (1984) The Rise of the Authoritarian State in the Periphery. New York: Monthly Review Press.

"Revisiting Theories of Race and 16 Class" in Kampta Karran 1ed) Race and Ethniciry in Gu|,ana.

Georgetow'n: Offerings Publications.

Offshore Financial Centres, GIobaI Financial Govern-(2000) Resistance: Bringing Caribbean NGOs In - Dr. ance and Don D. Marshall

1.D.M. Andrews (1994)'Capital Mobiliry and State

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Autononty: Toward a Structural Theory of International Relations', in International Studies Quarterly, Vo|.38, No.2, pp.193-218.

2 Noam Chomsky (2000) Rogue States: The Rule of Force in World Affairs, London: Pluto Press.

3 Beniamin I. Cohen (|,9981 The Geosraohv of Monev.

Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.

,,,p.16

tu tt. t+

,,,p.17 ,,,p.19

".

4 S.R.

p.21

and D. Law (1989) 'Global Hegemony ancl the

The Illicit Global Economy and State Power, Lanham, MD:

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