CARICOM citizens, ladies and gentlemen, I am indeed happy to welcome all of you to our spice isle on this occasion; our 22nd inter-sessional meeting. The people of Grenada join with me in extending our characteristic spice isle hospitality that some of you have been accustomed to. We do hope that you enjoy and savor the Grenadian experience.
Against the backdrop of new compelling economic, environmental and geopolitical developments; the ebullient expectations and the increasing skepticism of our restless Caribbean people, I am of the view that this meeting at Grand Anse, will be pivotal and historic.
Colleagues, friends, there is no better place to meet at this time. The peace, tranquility and beauty of Grenada offer the perfect setting and certainly provide the requisite supporting environment for an equally historic meeting and declaration. Maybe, “ Grand Anse Revisited”, after almost twenty two years.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are all fully aware of the significant challenges we face as a region as we collectively attempt to chart a visionary path of socio economic development for our people. Our fragility and vulnerability are quite evident. We are constantly reminded of this fact. The devastating impact of hurricane Tomas on the islands of St Vincent and St Lucia recently, following an extended drought and the Haitian earthquake are still very fresh in our minds as we continue to deal with their negative consequences.
Our openness and intricate link to the economies of our main trading partners and their economic fortunes render us somewhat incapacitated. So we now find ourselves grappling with the impact and consequences of crises we did not create.
And, as if that is not enough, we are now confronting rising fuel and food prices once again.
In the face of all this, some of our citizens are restless and concerned. Many are of the view that we appear to be languishing in a state of “implementation impotence” in our slow march towards the CSME. Others suggest that our preoccupation with survival issues has led to a neglect of integration matters. Yet, some are also of the view that our actions sometimes contradict our public rhetoric.
This imagery is quite vivid when one measures our unacceptable progress against the agreed work programme for the advancement of the integration process in July 1989 at this location.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am of the view that this scenario begs for a fundamental reappraisal of our approach, our management and our commitment toward the integration process. I submit that failure to engage in such an exercise will be detrimental and unresponsive to our people’s wishes and the gravity of the current environmental dictates.
So, twenty two years after the seminal Grand Anse declaration, much hinges on the outcomes of our planned deliberations here in Grenada.
Ladies and gentlemen, our region’s collective performance during the last year is quite telling and instructive at this time. While as a region we were largely able to arrest and stem the economic slide, major challenges remain. With few exceptions, we all struggled to maintain socio-economic stability and to lay the basis for sustainable recovery and growth in the future.
Despite all this, there are some promising signals. The prognosis is positive as we are all expected to return to positive economic growth this year. However, the achievement of positive growth and its sustenance, will require hard work, considerable resolve, creativity, a new policy focus and decidedly, the accelerated implementation of our strategies, policies and actions.
Most importantly, we must continue to lay the foundations that are necessary to position our economies for meaningful takeoff when the world economy rebounds.
Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen the tasks ahead sometimes appear daunting. However, for us upon whose shoulders the responsibility of leading this region lie, we must remain focused and singular in purpose. We must remain united in our conviction and commitment, that our Regional integration movement remains a primary construct and vehicle in our process of transformation and modernization.
As we pursue our course, we must be ever mindful of the needs, wishes and aspirations of our expectant people. A populace, who are more discerning and engaged than before, and are unrelenting in their quest for a better standard of living and a better region.
They are fully aware of their franchise, their power and potential, and are prepared to act in their interest when necessary. This characteristic, I view as a positive attribute and I strongly suggest that we embrace this opportunity to galvanize our people’s talents and capacity as we proceed to implement and deepen our integration process.
So as we deliberate over the next two days, attention should be paid to our people’s issues; issues that are ventilated on our talk shows, in our varied media, on the blocks, in the shops and through our many art forms. Equally, we need to significantly improve our public outreach and programmes in engaging our people.
Internally, we need to carefully examine the use and management of our resources, giving due consideration to the imperative of improved efficiency, effectiveness and the derivation of value for money. We also need to ensure adequate accountability, effective performance management and monitoring at all levels of our organization.
So colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, this meeting is timely and loaded with expectations. Further, it is coming on the heels of an eloquent, resonant and fervent plea, made right here in Grenada by Sir Shridath Ramphal on the occasion of the tenth Sir Archibald Nedd lecture last month. He lamented the urgent need for a renewed commitment to our integration movement, an implementation revolution and for an “infusion of people power to resuscitate CARICOM”.
The achievement of a successful meeting, a renewed commitment, a greater sense of urgency and the revival of hope for our people will be a fitting tribute to the memory of T.A. Marryshow, our legendary integrationist, in the land of his birth.
Colleagues, we have considerable work ahead of us and I look forward expectantly to our deliberations.
I wish us god’s blessing and a productive meeting.
I thank you.
