BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Discussions surrounding movement of goods, services and of people throughout CARICOM should be at the forefront of a lecture tonight at the Grand Salle, Frank Collymore Hall. The lecture begins a series of events over the next few days to mark the inaugural National Services Week. Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, Robert “Bobby” Morris and International Business Minister, Donville Inniss, will be among the headline speakers.
Reflecting just on the last several months, the spotlight was focused heavily on several heated trade disputes, notably, between Barbados and its neighbour Trinidad and Tobago. As it relates to the matter of flying fish, which has for years caused contention between the two countries, it would be an utter shame if, in the midst of governments knocking heads to agree on something, we were to miss the opportunity to discuss business development opportunities for local fishing men that lied within.
In last month’s Throne Speech, Governor General Sir Elliot Belgrave noted that an economically viable Barbados, operating in a challenging global market place, would have to depend in a serious way on a diversified entrepreneurial economy. In agreement with the comment, we would like to see some of the spotlight shifted from those tricky flying fish and nationalistic commentary surrounding detained fishermen, to seeing how we can get fisher folk to register their vessels in Trinidad and Tobago. Greater discussion needs to be centred on how the same fisher folk could establish a commercial presence on the coast of Tobago, for example, operating under the provisions of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which would allow them to haul in their fish down south and then ship them back to Barbados.
