Of course, a follow-up question on what precise initiatives can be realistically expected, by say 2016, to stave off emergence of a crisis situation in management to advance the major goals of CARICOM — the elusive seamless regional economy for one — is most unlikely to secure positive response, with any clarity.
Is it doubtful that ANY Head of Government would wish to be presiding over his/her own domestic affairs when things start falling apart at the regional level.
Therefore, according to current thinking in various quarters (including among private and public sector advocates of regional integration, as well as outstanding names in academe) now seems to be the decisive “time for action” (to borrow a theme from the 1992 seminal Report of The West Indian Commission).
The high-level Commission that included the now late William Demas, former Secretary-General of the Community and also the late Professor Rex Nettleford, former of the University of the West Indies, was headed by Sir Shridath Ramphal, all leading voices for regional economic integration and functional cooperation.
CARICOM’s principal decision-makers must be aware that they do not have the luxury of time in their favour to continue the delay for significant changes to what’s often alluded to as a “new management architecture” to replace what has largely been the experience for most of the Community’s 40 years of existence.
When, therefore, Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community meet in Port-of-Spain for their 34th annual summit in July, one of the priority issues they need to seriously address is the quality of effective governance required to respond to the regional and international challenges facing our regional economic integration movement in this its 40th anniversary.
Portfolio responsibilities
For a start, they should perhaps engage in a critical re-assessment of what exists as a quasi-cabinet structure with Heads of Government responsible for specific “regional portfolios” and functioning as a sort of management committee between their half-yearly Inter-Sessional Meeting and the regular annual summit.
It is known that the Heads of Government are currently giving some consideration to a proposed five-year “Community Strategic Plan” (2014-2019) with a new management structure in mind.
That, incidentally, is after current and previous Heads of Government have repeatedly failed to effectively respond to a range of reports, with specific recommendations, from some of the best known intellectual minds of this region, and dating back to the 1992 West Indian Commission Report.
These Heads of Government would also be conscious of the spreading cynicism across the region over the ways they manage the affairs of the Community and which have contributed to weaknesses that sustain a prevailing yawning implementation deficit of decisions ritually embraced by consensus.
How useful, for instance, has the 14-member quasi-cabinet structure proven in enabling the Community Secretariat to carry out decisions from the layers of ministerial meetings, and, more importantly, mandates from Heads of Government Conferences?
The region’s people, in whose name the CARICOM leaders act, need to be sensitised to the modalities of functioning of the quasi-cabinet structure between high-level ministerial meetings and twice-annual regular conferencing of Heads of Government.
“Word Game”
A question of interest is whether there’s any resemblance to the normal functioning of national cabinets our leaders head in their respective jurisdictions? Relatedly, is there a specific office, however modest, functioning on a regular basis, to provide relevant information/advisories on regional happenings relevant to their portfolio responsibilities—whether on regional air transportation; trade and tourism; health and education; or sports and security?
And what happens, if anything at all, to interventions by those carrying delegated portfolio responsibilities between scheduled meetings of Heads of Government?
The sad truth is that for all the rhetoric, CARICOM is still far behind in making a reality of a seamless regional economy, the CSME, that it has been marketing as the “flagship project”, but seemingly unable to deliver, despite changing inauguration schedules?
Not surprisingly, therefore, the Barbados ‘Nation’ newspaper in an editorial last week titled, ‘New CARICOM Language”, was scoffing at a “word game” that involves officials and politicians, suggesting that efforts are indeed underway to establish a new and relevant management structure.
As the editorial noted, “While apparently unwilling, if not unable, to make a reality of the long promised plan for fundamental restructuring of the governance architecture of the Community, there seems to be a language shift in emphasis from having management with “executive authority” to “talk of a change process…”
To enable this envisaged “change process” for improved governance, as observed by the editorial, the Heads of Government agreed at their Inter-Sessional Meeting in Haiti last February to have designated government officials functioning as “change drivers” and to later assume roles as “facilitators of change” — all with the intention, it seems, of improving management of the Community.
Where will all this end while the “word game” continues on an new model of management, envisaged in the five-year “Community Strategic Plan” (2014-2019) and itself being a special project, consuming much time, energy and money?
