THE progression of time has shown us that the collective voice and effort of people is far greater than any individual action, especially in the pursuit of development and/or change. There is great evidence of this throughout the history of Guyana, starting with the Demerara Rebellion in 1823, which built momentum for the ultimate abolition of slavery in 1838, to the country’s attainment of independence, which was pioneered by the late Presidents Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, and even further to the united stance by a section of the population against purported attempts by the APNU+AFC to rig the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections.
Those few examples are testimony to the strength that is derived from the unification of people who have a common interest, belief, goal and vision. And while there is a national drive by the incumbent People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government to foster unity through its “One Guyana” initiative, which is the brainchild of President Dr. Irfaan Ali, the notion of oneness is one which is seemingly being embraced, even by leaders at the regional level, with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states working closer to enhance the work and strength of the bloc.
CARICOM, being the oldest surviving integration movement in the developing world, has made significant strides in the areas of economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human and social development, and security. But the COVID-19 pandemic and other scourges have exposed the individual weaknesses of each member of the bloc, and has emphasised the need for there to be greater regional integration, and a collective push to create a seamless single market and economy.
CARICOM Assistant Secretary-General, Trade and Economic Integration, Mr. Joseph Cox was quoted in the December 2021 issue of CARICOM Today as saying that the pandemic was not causing upheavals in health and social spheres alone, but was also having serious deleterious effects on economic life.
He said that the pandemic was causing a re-ordering of processes, changing operational ethos and strategic pivoting at both the national and regional levels. Mr. Cox also alluded to the peculiar challenges such as supply-chain disruptions, high freight charges and inflation which were hampering progress within the region of small developing states.
This situation not only exposed the need for the region to pay close attention to existing trade barriers that restrict the enhancement of the regional supply chain, but also highlighted the importance of reducing the collective food-import bill which exceeds US$5 billion.
Cognisant of the fact that those and other issues could only be addressed collectively, countries within CARICOM have already begun taking steps to enhance bilateral cooperation and, by extension, general cooperation at the level of the bloc.
Specifically, to address the large food-import bill, the bloc has rolled out the ‘25 by 25’ initiative, which essentially aims to reduce the bill by 25 per cent by 2025. Guyana, with its President as the Head of the CARICOM Quasi-Cabinet with responsibility for Agriculture, Food Security and Agricultural Diversification, is expected to play a key role in tackling the food-import bill.
The country, in keeping with its responsibility, partnered recently with the CARICOM Secretariat to host the inaugural Agri-Investment Forum and Expo at the Marriott Hotel. There, President Ali stressed that the time is now for CARICOM to correct the imbalance between consumption and production in the region.
The President was quoted by this publication as saying: “We cannot lose this momentum, as the region cannot continue the importation of billions of dollars in products that we can produce right here. The time is now; the will is there. Together, we have no other choice but to create a win for CARICOM under these challenging food-security times.”
Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, as an extension to this, said that an improved supply chain, and the removal of trade barriers are pivotal to achieving this goal. Speaking at the launch of the forum, she said that there is need for an efficient supply chain that is safe and secure, and not necessarily one that is driven by imports. This, she believes, will make possible reduced costs of exporting among the CARICOM sister states.
Other CARICOM leaders shared the views of President Ali and Prime Minister Mottley, but through all of this, it comes back to the need for collective effort and unity on matters that affect each member state. There is no doubt that once there is consensus and a united effort on matters of regional concern, issues that affect individual nations would become less challenging, and more manageable.