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Integration, our Key to Prosperity. We may not be a Federation but we are definitely integrating. Hon Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago We are gathered here tonight in celebratory cause. The Caribbean Family has come together to herald the 30th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing CARICOM. Congratulations to all Member States and to all our peoples. It is perhaps fitting that tonight’s launching takes place here in Trinidad and Tobago, the country in which the Treaty was signed and in which we just today witnessed a reinvigoration of the integration process at a Special Consultation initiated by our host government. Last July at their meeting in Georgetown, the Heads of Government, in recognising the importance of this milestone in Caribbean life, requested that a programme of activities be drawn up to celebrate this anniversary. It is in the discharge of that mandate that the Secretariat has moved to organise this programme and to bring the CARICOM family together tonight for this Birthday Party. CARICOM may not have achieved all that we had hoped it would have by this time, but frankly, if truth be told there is a lot to celebrate, not least of which is the fact that our Community is the longest surviving integration arrangement in the world among developing countries. This in itself is no mean achievement in today’s world. But we have not only survived. Our elements of unity have certainly become stronger with the passage of time. Today we are on the way to establishing a single economic space moving from being a common market, having started as a mere free trade area. It is clear, therefore, that while we are going slower than we all had hoped we would, we are at least going in the right direction. In making that journey, that we have made so far, there have been significant benefits to the people of the Region whose interests are the primary reason for the existence of our Community. Now is not the place nor time to bore you with a list of achievements but it would be remiss of me if in the midst of this splendid gala, I were not to mention the benefits that CARIFESTA has bestowed on our Community while ensuring that our artistic community has a regular outlet to air its talents. It is that base of a shared cultural experience which has ensured that we kept faith with the imperative of integration. This cultural extravaganza is however a mere sampling of our shared cultural experience and a tangible demonstration that CARICOM is far from being only a trade and economic grouping. It is that and more. CARICOM recognises that man shall not live by bread alone. It deals also with social, cultural and foreign policy issues as well, matters no less important than those of trade and economics. Ladies and Gentlemen, a 30th birthday represents a generation in time and provides an opportune moment for reflection. In our current reflection, we will be less than honest if we do not accept that the road we have travelled, has been tough, even rocky. We must also take on board the sobering fact that the road ahead in the next generation will perhaps be even no less rocky and may be even harder. Therefore, even as we celebrate in our birthday party tonight, we have to cast a thought forward towards where we are going in the next generation and how we are going to get there; what gifts are we going to bestow upon our people, mainly our children and grandchildren, so that at the time of our diamond anniversary in 2033, the explosion of joy that will reverberate around our Community will be one that is of a People of the Caribbean Community – a Community worthy of their highest aspirations. Let us live true to our theme; Integration, our key to prosperity. Happy Birthday |
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