While no one could find fault with the objectives of the CARICOM movement, which in fact are laudable, the problem with this 37-year old movement has been and still is the issue of expeditious implementation of decisions and recommendations that emanate from deliberations of its various organisational structures.
This lethargy of implementation has resulted in many of those laudable objectives still lying on the table and this has definitely not contributed to inspiring the enthusiasm and confidence of the Caribbean people of the region’s integration process which is even more vital if it is to successfully meet the challenges of trade liberalisation and globalisation.
On the contrary the people of the region are disappointed at what has been achieved at the collective level of the region. One recent example is the issue of the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) as implementation of the provisions contained within this pact is seriously troubled by a variety of “teething problems” one of which is the free movement of people and goods within the region.
Unless the CARICOM movement becomes results driven, it will continue to be perceived by the ordinary people as nothing else but a “talk shop”, and they cannot be blamed for this perception because people simply want to see decisions and recommendations that bring tangible improvement to their lives. Unfortunately this has not been happening and this has caused a dampening of the optimistic spirit of the future of the integration process among the people of the region.
On this note, it would be wise for the leadership of the CARICOM movement to take cognisance of the fact that the success of the integration process depends heavily on how much the ordinary people are inspired and become involved in the transformation and unity of the region.
It may seem harsh, but the reality is that we have been very successful in finding excuses for not getting things done, rather than actually getting things done.
At the most recent CARICOM summit in Jamaica, several Heads of Government expressed serious concern about the lethargy within the integration movement.
President Jagdeo was one of those who was brutally frank in this regard, and was absolutely correct in calling for “less talk and more action.”
“I am tired of the incessant analysis of the problem. We are just stating the problem. So yes, there is a global financial crisis, there is an environmental problem. We need to transform from talking about the problem to doing things about the problem and working out specific initiatives,” the President declared.
He cited a typical example of lethargy in implementation with respect to the agriculture sector for which he holds responsibility within CARICOM.
“In Guyana’s case, we didn’t just talk about a strategy for agriculture. We hosted a donors’ conference and I think we need to move the regional agenda in likewise fashion. So what do we do about climate change? How can we be project-ready to draw down on the US$10 billion that will be available through the Copenhagen process? How can we get US$500 million of it? What can we use it for? How can we ensure that every family in our region gets access to ICT and a computer so that our children cannot be left behind? How do we tackle the issue of debt in our economies?”
This is exactly the point. We need to get down to the specifics and “nitty-gritty” of the issues involved.
President Jagdeo was not a lone voice in this regard. Current Chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister Mr. Bruce Golding, who stated that the agenda of the conference is too cluttered, insisted that ground breaking changes must be made to reduce the interval time between policy and performance. Critics have repeatedly pointed to the snail’s pace at which decisions of the regional leaders are implemented.
“We have identified what is called our implementation deficit,” Golding said in a frank address, arguing that CARICOM was on a make-or-break period in its history if it could not reform its governance structure and culture.