(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) “The time has come for CARICOM to overhaul and redefine its foreign policy positions and postures… to engage new and emerging global partners…”
This is the decisive message from the incoming chairman of the Caribbean Community, Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister, Dr the Hon. Kenney Anthony as he addressed the opening ceremony of the 33rd Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in Saint Lucia on Wednesday.
Dr Anthony, who will pilot the CARICOM ship for the next six months, made an insistent call for the Community to rethink its foreign policy and develop a common policy and programme for engaging new and emerging global partners.
He also insisted that the Community needed to reshape its political architecture, governance structures, financial management structures and parliamentary processes within regional and national spaces.
“I accept that there will always be differences between and among our States. But that does not mean that we should ignore the need to remodel our space in this dramatically altered world,” he added.
Forging new political and economic partnerships, the CARICOM Chairman stated, did not necessarily mean cutting ties with, or being disloyal with what he called “our traditional friends and allies … for we are not known to be disloyal.” However, Dr Anthony asserted that “our terms must be defined by our strategic interests.”
The Saint Lucia Prime Minister noted that some rapidly developing nations had emerged from the global crises “virtually unscathed.” He pointed to China as one example, noting that “the prospects of global growth would be determined by decisions made in Beijing,” and that China was evolving as the world’s largest economy in the next few years and a superpower in its own right. He also singled out the African Continent as another new partner that the Community needed to “re-engage urgently.”
African states are enjoying new era of stability that is fuelling economic growth and a socio-cultural renaissance. They are embracing and adapting technology at a faster rate than the Caribbean. In addition to South Africa and Nigeria that are enjoying increased prosperity, formerly war torn states such as Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo are becoming major partners for investment flows from China.
According to Dr Anthony, the potential therefore existed for CARICOM to develop strong Trans-Atlantic partnerships in trade, tourism, technology, education and cultural fusion. “Unfortunately, we have allowed our relationship with the African Continent to rise and fall with the fortunes of the ACP,” he lamented.
Alluding to the mixed fortunes of Europe, Dr Anthony stated that Europe, now facing an economic crisis of unprecedented proportions, would never be the same again. Therefore “we need not be naïve of the likely impacts that these may have on future assistance from the European Union. Already, efforts are underway to redefine us.”
“Please do not misunderstand me. We should certainly ensure our economies benefit from the existing Economic Partnership Agreement with Europe. However, we must come to terms with a Europe that is deeply wounded,” the CARICOM Chairman hastened to explain.
It was against this background that the CARICOM Chairman emphasized that over the ensuing months, the Caribbean Community would dedicate its efforts towards “a dynamic and outward stance of engagement with third states,” particularly with Africa, Latin America and other emerging economic regions.
“We must move apace to use fora such as the Commonwealth and the ACP to enhance our global reach and relevance. Economic and socio-cultural partnerships that benefit all parties are needed; and these must allow CARICOM to share with the world as active participants, not as after thoughts,” Dr Anthony declared.
He warned that this was neither the time for cynicism nor the time to be contemplating becoming a weaker Community. “While we must be cautious that our membership must share our common values and principles, we should also seek to dispel stereotypes that the rest of the world has already cast aside.”
“We must be willing to venture through waters uncharted. We must be enterprising, yet perceptive and willing to put into our “common cloud,” the store of knowledge and expertise held throughout our states,” the new CARICOM Chairman concluded.
