Your Excellencies the Governor General of Jamaica and the Most Hon. Lady Cooke
Our Host, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, and our current CARICOM Chairman, the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson
Your Excellencies, the Presidents of the Republic of South Africa and of the Republic of Chile
Distinguished Heads of State and Government of Member States and Associate Member States of the Caribbean Community
Heads of International Organisations
Hon. Ministers
Your Excellencies and other Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Our other Distinguished Special Guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
“There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries; on such a full sea we are now afloat ”
This afternoon it is with a sense of great pride and deep humility that, as the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community, I welcome you all to the Opening Ceremony of the Twenty-Fourth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community.
These sentiments are heightened by the sense of history that this Meeting evokes, being held as it is as our Community marks its 30th Anniversary. This fact makes CARICOM the longest existing integration movement among developing countries in the world. This is not only a tribute to the tenacity of the Caribbean people and their leaders who have kept the dream of integration alive and propelled the movement into this, the advent of its fourth generation, but also an innate recognition of its necessity.
That in itself would have been enough to fill me with the great pride and humility I feel today but even more so, it is an added pleasure for me to be here on this occasion in Jamaica – a land that holds a special place in my own life, as I think it does for many, many of us here today. For it is here that my Caribbean character was formed during my student years at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies. Indeed, I am sure I am not alone in this, when I say that much of Caribbean development has been influenced by the special role that Jamaica has played in the Caribbean Community.
As we celebrate this historic occasion, among the many dignitaries to participate with us today – to all of whom we extend a warm welcome – are their Excellencies the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki (who is also Chairman of the African Union); and the President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos. To both these distinguished guests, we extend a very special welcome.
In the particular case of South Africa, it is a wonderful coincidence and a reflection of our historic linkages, that President Mbeki’s predecessor, the much revered and beloved Nelson Mandela was with us on the occasion of our Twenty-Fifth Anniversary in Saint Lucia in 1998.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as we celebrate this Thirtieth Anniversary of our Community, it is fitting that we should recall that it was the labour movement of the 1920s that lit the torch for the building of a Caribbean’s Caribbean. The flame was kept alive by the second generation in the post-war era who saw the Region through Federation to CARIFTA and on to the Caribbean Community and Common Market. This third generation has brought us to where we are today – where the dream of a fundamental transformation from a Community and Common Market to a Community including a Single Market and Economy is poised to become a reality.
Each of these progressive steps carried with it the hopes and aspirations of the people of the Caribbean. The achievements at each step – and they are many – were only possible due to a veritable passing parade of stalwarts whose unwavering commitment to Caribbean integration has kept hope alive.
Many of the leading voices among them are well known and a few have even been honoured by the Community with its highest awards, the Order of the Caribbean Community and the CARICOM Triennial Award for Women. But as I look back over the 30 years, however, I cannot help but observe that the majority remains unrecognized and unheralded by the Community for the contributions they have made. This has generally been the case with the political directorate which has over the years, had the difficult and tricky task of steering now 15 separate countries through treacherous waters towards the safe harbour of a single Community. Today, I wish to say publicly a warm and profound congratulations to that political leadership past and present.
But this Community has obviously not been built only by the political leadership, but also through the contribution of what I will describe as a number of unsung heroes. It is said that prophets often go without honour in their own country. I would not wish this to be the fate of the many who laboured well into the night and even into the early morning in the cause of Caribbean unity. I obviously do not know them all but I wish to take the opportunity to mention a few whose contribution from my perspective I can never forget.
Some of the persons that come easily to mind, from earliest times: Paul Southwell, Fred Cozier, Kamaluddin Mohammed, Robert Lightbourne, Branford Taitt, Kurleigh King, Roderick Rainford, Ellen Bogle, Eric Challenger, Charlesworth Edwards, Ralph Fonseca Sr, Austin Bramble, Charles Maynard, Derek Knight, Barbara Gunther, Charles Cadette, Lee Moore, George Mallet, Scotty Lewis, Winston King, Eldon Warner, Frank Rampersad, Charmaine Constantine, Horatio Versailles, Charles Skeete, Steve Emtage, Don Bryce and Leonard Archer and I am sure many others.
My personal recognition of these ‘workhorses’ in no way diminishes the contribution made by many others too numerous to mention, and alongside these workhorses I must make special mention of another group of that ilk. I refer to the devoted, hard working staff of the CARICOM Secretariat who have given unstinting and committed service to the Community over these 30 years.
These men and women are among the many who have sought to make real the dreams and visions of the founding fathers of 1973 as well as those who went before. Their labours have been instrumental in ensuring that the Community stayed the course.
Ladies and Gentlemen, while today is one for recollection and reflection, it is also one for vision and projection. In that regard, that which has been achieved should serve as a springboard from which to launch the next generation in the life of our Community. Also, the recent initiatives to fashion new options for governance of the Community, represent a vital step forward.
The speed of change in today’s world demands that we seek new modes of interaction among ourselves and with the outside world, to ensure that viable and sustainable society to which our people aspire.
It is against this background that the role of our youth in the future development of our Community is absolutely indispensable. For it is they who must step forward to take up the challenge and continue to build this region over the next generation. It is in the hands of people like the CARICOM Youth Ambassadors, whose Dean, Valarie Lalji from Suriname and Vice Dean, Michael Alexander from Trinidad and Tobago, along with their Jamaican counterparts, Terri-Ann Gilbert and Shawn McGregor are here with us today. I invite you to join with me in recognizing their presence.
Ladies and Gentlemen on this Thirtieth Anniversary, we are privileged to acknowledge an outstanding achievement of the Caribbean Community. I refer here to the recent election of the Foreign Minister of St Lucia the Hon Julian Hunte to the Presidency of the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly. It is the second time in the history that the Caribbean has held the position of the Presidency of the UN General Assembly. His election was a clear demonstration of what as a Region we can accomplish and sets a standard of excellence to which our youth can aspire.
It is an achievement which is indeed most befitting of our Community’s Thirtieth Anniversary, and it should serve to further infuse the spirit of regionalism throughout our Community, to the extent that this pearl that is our Caribbean Community today can truly shine as a diamond when at the end of this generation, we proudly celebrate our Sixtieth Anniversary
