– case of T&T’s PM ‘aid’ statement and resulting calls for trade boycott
Analysis
NO ONE government of our 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) can mash-up the region’s 37-year-old regional economic integration movement by insensitive and irrational public statements.
Too much has been invested in this creative initiative that has emerged as being indispensable for this time, despite its real and assumed weaknesses.
Nor can enthusiastic bloggers with their own narrow agendas, passion for instant interventions, though with little respect for research, succeed in a campaign to boycott goods and services from any one, or more, CARICOM states since this could only prove counterproductive for the entire Community.
These general observations are made against the backdrop of still raging controversies in some CARICOM countries as a direct consequence of the ill-timed and insensitive statement recently made by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago in relation to linking emergency aid with possible benefits to her country.
Then followed the emotional calls, primarily on ‘talk-radio’ shows and by Internet bloggers, for boycotts of goods from Trinidad and Tobago.
Even, that is, as Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, was pushed on the defensive to explain her ‘aid policy’ while continuing to okay the flow of emergency aid to some countries affected by that wicked tropical storm fellow, ‘Tomas’.
From checks made by this columnist, NO government of CARIC0M has either publicly questioned the controversial statement by Persad-Bissessar, or endorsed any move for a trade boycott against Trinidad and Tobago.
That does not mean they are not disturbed by such a surprising public stance by the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister. However, so far as a trade boycott is concerned, as advocated by others, it should be noted such an initiative is a right to be exercised by ANY member state of CARICOM.

Drowning  CARICOM?

It will, however, be contrary to the letter and spirit of the regional economic integration movement which, with its evident weaknesses and contradictions, cannot be left to drown in the Caribbean Sea without a realisation of the serious social and economic consequences for ALL its constituent parts, in the context of the harsh realities of today’s global economy.
Business enterprises in Jamaica, or Barbados, for instance, can discontinue purchases of goods from Trinidad and Tobago, knowing that the flip-side of such a decision could result in having to pay more from other sources, plus being challenged under the Rules of Origin regime that would be triggered under the dispute settlement mechanism incorporated in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
The boycott weapon is, therefore, a double-edged sword, a point that the more vocal and emotional among us need to bear in mind. Likewise, the Prime Minister and her less-than-seven-month-old government in Port-of-Spain should cease talking carelessly about aid conditionalities as if unaware that CARICOM accounts for a very significant portion of Trinidad and Tobago’s non-petroleum trade with the world.
As of last year, this trade amounted to approximately 25 per cent, or a quarter of Trinidad and Tobago’s global trade. Hence, ex-Prime Minister Patrick Manning of the recent People’s National Movement administrations, had come to openly admit that providing aid, via various mechanisms, to CARICOM partners, was “an investment” in support of his country’s manufacturing and trading sectors.
As this column was being written, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar was returning home from Washington, where she had a scheduled meeting with US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton.
Interestingly enough, the discussion reportedly covered issues of emergency and post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction aid — issues of relevance to all CARICOM partners; most certainly and urgently for earthquake-devastated Haiti, currently gripped by a cholera epidemic.
It is left to be seen when and how Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar shares the outcome of her meeting with Hilary Clinton in relation to issues such as disaster aid and economic recovery now so much a matter of interest to CARICOM partners, particularly those like Jamaica, St. Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, seriously affected by ‘Tomas’

‘Foot-in-mouth’ scenario

Prior to her meeting with Clinton, I had otherwise observed that it may not be an elegant expression to note that some leading representatives of the People’s Partnership Government (PPG) in Port-of-Spain appear to have a political ‘foot-in-the-mouth’ problem.
Consequently, for all its known popularity and people-focused policies and programmes, the PPG seems to stand in urgent need of proper management in communicating its messages with the public — both domestic and regional.
The furore that has arisen over the Prime Minister’s language on terms of engagement in the provision of emergency disaster aid serves to underscore this contention.
There are, of course, others in her cabinet who certainly need to be careful in their public statements and posturings on sensitive national/regional matters. But the focus right now is on the ‘boss’ herself.
From her very surprising and unwarranted caution of last July in Jamaica that Trinidad and Tobago should not be viewed as an “ATM card” for CARICOM partner states, the Prime Minister was to rush headlong last week into a verbal storm with her off-the-cuff remark about aid conditionalities at times of natural disasters.
To say that her fellow Heads of Government had shown in July, and since continue to demonstrate, public restraint in their interpretations of her ATM gaffe would be an understatement.
However, in the absence of any clearly defined aid assistance  policy, or general framework for the PPG’s cooperation with CARICOM, given its sustained reservations over fiscal policies pursued by previous PNM administrations, the Prime Minister was to suffer the negative consequences of public discussions.
Truth is that in the real world of politics and aid, there is really no such thing as “unconditional” or “untied” aid. Voluntary humanitarian aid is one thing. On the other hand, post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance is entirely different.

A ‘political’ dismissal

In the circumstances, before getting herself and government into any further verbal entanglements with Trinidad and Tobago’s Community partners, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar may perhaps wish to treat as a priority, a revisiting of the PPG’s position on emergency humanitarian aid, as well as bilateral economic development assistance to CARICOM partners.
Such an initiative on her part could prove helpful in cooperation in the best interest of CARICOM/T&T relations, as well as diffusing prevailing tensions, some of which are being clearly exploited for narrow political objectives –at home and abroad.
The Caribbean’s visionary, Eric Williams, who had played a crucial role in the inauguration of CARICOM, was respected for his appreciation to have, at all times, some technocrats of the highest quality as advisers.
Whatever the lingering bitterness with recent administrations of ex-Prime Minister Patrick Manning, current challenges facing the PPG government, at home, regionally and internationally, make all the more necessary having a team of carefully chosen advisers. To list names may be invidious, but they cannot unknown to Madame Prime Minister — although the idea of having a special adviser or committee of advisors may not be favoured by her unpredictable Foreign Minister, Surujrattan Rambachan.
He is regarded in political circles as more divisive than helpful; and being increasingly viewed as unhelpful to the PPG administration. Incidentally, Rambachan was just last week involved in a hostile exchange with the well-known cricket commentator, Fazeer Mohammed, that subsequently led to the journalist’s dismissal from State-owned Caribbean New Media Group (CNMG).
This incident has added to the political burden of Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar. She must now seriously consider the quality of advisers her government urgently needs as it settles down for the long haul to a scheduled new general election almost five years away.