Caribbean Contemplates Single Market Economy

CARIBBEAN CONTEMPLATES SINGLE MARKET ECONOMY -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 30, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL
OF NEW YORK
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, JULY 29, 2008

* Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to enter into the Record a July 15, 2008 New York Carib News Op-Ed entitled: ``CARICOM Summit on Economic Integration.''

* One issue that was made very clear as a result of the CARICOM Conference in New York is that there is a call for economic and political unity among the CARICOM states. With dozens of small economies that are similar in makeup and have many of the same goals, it is clear that the need for the Caribbean to form a Single Market Economy would eliminate many barriers to growth in the region.

* The Op-Ed speaks to the benefits that this Single Market Economy would have for the growth of the Caribbean and that ``the sooner the roadblocks are removed the better it would be for the region as a whole.'' The Caribbean can possibly experience the growth that Europe continues to experience since their unification. But unity will not be easy as we are dealing with issues of sovereignty and especially fear of an influx of unemployed migrants and the free movement of criminal networks.

CARICOM SUMMIT ON ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

When Caribbean leaders met recently in New York and Antigua, the effects which democracy and the free and fair expression of the will of the electorate in various Caricom countries in recent months were quite evident.

Several new faces were around the tables since the advent of the year 2007, with new leaders making their presence felt in one way or another in the council of the Caribbean Community. St. Lucia, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize have all changed governments while Trinidad and Tobago and its ruling People's National Movement bucked what appeared to be a trend in the wind of change that swept out governments, some with good records in office.

That change was bound to affect the pace of movement towards the establishment of the Single Economy, a vital step in the process towards regional economic integration. After all, new leaders could be expected to get up to speed on such a vital step.

By any measure, the road to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy is being traveled with less enthusiasm and fanfare than two to three years ago. Part of that hard and regrettable fact of life can be attributed to the departure of two enthusiastic advocates of regional togetherness, P.J. Patterson of Jamaica and Owen Seymour Arthur of Barbados. They served the region well but couldn't be expected to continue forever.

That situation may explain the recent criticism level by Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent & the Grenadines who complained that the implementation of the CSME was taking a back seat to other things.

So that's why it made sense for the leaders at their meeting in Antigua last week to decide to meet before the end of the year to take stock of the CSME.

``The meeting will review the status of the preparation for the Strategic Plan for Regional Development, Member-States' readiness for the implementation of the Single Economy, as well as the role of stakeholders in the implementation of various elements of the CSME,'' was the way the leaders put it in their joint communiqué issue after the summit. Although lacking in specifics, that statement spoke volumes about where the region stands when it comes to the CSME. It tells us that quite a lot of unfinished business remains to be resolved and it suggests that some countries may be stalling on going forward with the Single Economy. But the sooner the roadblocks are removed the better it would be for the region as a whole.

One thing is clear: Caricom has fostered a sense of togetherness within the region. But the countries must be prepared to give up some of the things they hold dear for the good of the region. One of them is sovereignty. That's how Europe has achieved such progress. The problem is that far too many leaders and countries want to have their cake and eat it too. Without compromises and concessions we aren't going to move forward. Perhaps, the members of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States should examine their own attitude to the CSME.

Nevertheless, there were some crucial decisions made at the Antigua summit. One of them was the crucial support given to the creation of the Caribbean Public Health Agency that would help bring the various regional health institutions under a single set of operating procedures. It would boost oversight of the management of regional health programs.

Another was the word on the Caricom passport and the movement of people throughout the region. Both Jamaica and Belize have now decided to begin issuing the Caricom passport by the end of the year. That step should reduce many of the hassles people encounter in moving from one territory to another and that's why it is vital for the member-states to put the machinery in place to ensure that the system is well-oiled so that ease of travel would become a reality and not the exception.

A disappointing note was struck however when Caricom devoted only two lines to the question of the free movement of people within the community. The leaders sidestepped the question when they decided to ``review the implementation of the free movement of Caricom skilled nationals with a view to determining its ratification or mediation.'' That's a sure indication of further delay.

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There is an understandable level of apprehension about the impact of free movement on individual economies at a time of worries about the global economic picture, the food crisis, skyrocketing oil prices. There is also major worry about the increasing high level of crime.

With the economies of the United States and Britain slowing down and the negative impact that it could have on the vital tourism industry in the Caribbean, countries fear they would be hurt by a declining tourism industry and a steady influx of job seekers from their neighbors. They are also deeply worried about the machinations of regional criminal networks that are far more sophisticated than the police and other security forces.

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