Mr. Chairman, Caricom Secretary General, Colleague Prime Ministers, Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my greatest pleasure at this time to be addressing this, the Opening Ceremony of the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community. For me it’s an added privilege to be doing so here in Barbados , one of Saint Lucia ’s closer Caribbean neighbours.
Barbados and St. Lucia share a very special history and tradition, which presents a perfect backdrop for this meeting; one reminiscent of the past relationships and traditions between our two countries and peoples. And so, I am particularly delighted that this meeting of heads is taking place here in “Bim”; as the “Lucians” would say, where for decades and generations was the frontier of opportunity in trade, industry and commerce, and a “greener pasture” where many a Saint Lucian sojourned for social, cultural and economic survival, leaving behind a Saint Lucian community in the 1960’s at Jessimee Lane and now in “Castries” at Lower Black Rock.
I am reminded of those golden days when the Saint Lucian hucksters, aboard schooners captained by the Comptons, Kings and Olivieres of Vincentian descent traversed the Saint Lucia/Barbados Channel to bring sweet “Mango Long”, brooms, charcoal and other traditional products, and in return goods transhipped through Bridgetown to Saint Lucia . These nostalgic exploits have contributed to some measure to the genetic and demographic make-up of Barbados, which today are carried through its every nook and cranny – reminders of its rich and colourful history.
Mr. Chairman, having said all of this, I bring you warm greetings from the Rt. Honourable Sir John Compton, Prime Minister of St. Lucia. When Sir John last sat as a member of the Conference of Heads of Government in February of this year, he had only just returned to the helm of Government in St. Lucia after an absence of some ten years. As you would be aware, Sir John is currently incapacitated for health reasons, as a result of which I have been charged with the responsibility of serving in the capacity of Acting Prime Minister. He has asked that I convey to you and colleague Prime Ministers his fondest greetings and best wishes for a successful meeting.
Mr. Chairman, the change of Government which occurred in Saint Lucia in December 2006, led quite understandably, to certain shifts in the policy direction of my country. I wish to assure you however, that St. Lucia ’s posture in relation to the Caribbean Community remains unchanged. Indeed, our commitment to the ideals of regionalism and to the deepening of the integration process within the Caribbean Community in particular, can be expected to increase.
St. Lucia has maintained a proud tradition and record of leadership and commitment to the process over the years, and I wish to assure you that this record will not falter. Indeed, it bears some significance that the current Prime Minister of St. Lucia is perhaps the only surviving signatory to the Agreements establishing the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) and the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM).
Ladies and Gentlemen, our Caribbean is now fully engaged on the basis of a Single Market, as we progress ever steadfastly with our work, leading to the realization of the Single Economy. To date, thankfully, we have experienced no disruptions, social or economic, which can be attributed to the coming into being of the Caribbean Single Market. We may be tempted to think therefore that all is well with the implementation of the Single Market, and that there has been no negative fall-out arising therefrom. I would caution against any such thought, and urge the careful monitoring of the implementation process. Even at this stage in the process, the Government of St. Lucia is continuing to sensitize the populace about the workings of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and the benefits that are likely to be derived from its implementation. It is our belief that there is no such thing as too much information. Indeed, we have held the view that while some valuable work has been done in the region to sensitize our people about this important matter, there is still a significant “information void” remaining to be filled.
St. Lucia remains optimistic that the intent underlying the articulation of Chapter 7 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, i.e. in respect of Disadvantaged Countries, Regions, and Sectors, can be realised in short time. We wish to refer in particular, to the provisions of Article 158 which speak to the establishment of the Development Fund, as well as to the provisions of the Special Regime for Less Developed Countries. That latter group of countries comprising Belize and the Member Countries of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States has been universally recognized as being structurally weak, and deficient in material resource terms.
We remain optimistic that the wisdom of the Founding Fathers, those who gave practical recognition to this reality, will continue to hold sway, and so colour our internal arrangements, in a manner which will give encouragement to others, in particular our development partners and those holding influence within the multilateral trading system, to recognize our own special circumstances, and to respond favourably to our need for Special and Differential Treatment in our trading relations.
Mr. Chairman, our meeting is being held against the backdrop of continuing and escalating global conflict. Our Region, and in consequence our Caribbean Community, continues to slide down the scales of strategic value and importance maintained by some of our key development partners and friends.
Since the end of the cold war, we have seen a rapid erosion of this Region’s strategic value. The prevalence of military, political, and humanitarian crises in other parts of the world, and more recently the rise of the spectre of international terrorism have all pushed our Region to the outer margins of the world’s political consciousness. To be frank, colleagues, our Region has been reduced to the humiliating position of seeking to force ourselves on the agenda of some of our closest friends.
Just about ten days ago we concluded a series of engagements with the United States of America at the highest levels, involving government-to-government, government-to-people, and people-to-people dialogues. We consider these engagements which were referred to as the Conference on the Caribbean to be successful, if only because they set the basis upon which future work would proceed.
There is much work to be done on our part if the intent and the potential of the Conference on the Caribbean are to be realized. Our meetings with President Bush, Secretary of State Rice, and the Chairman of the Congressional Ways and Means Committee Charles Rangel, among many others, left me with the distinct impression that the ball was placed squarely in our court. We must not fail to seize the moment. We must begin, even at this 28th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government to give serious thought to fashioning mechanisms to facilitate follow-up action in relation to the Conference on the Caribbean. We must resolve to offer in the shortest possible time, proposals in this regard for the consideration of the United States Government. In this particular matter where so much is at stake, we must never be accused of having dropped the ball.
Mr. Chairman, I believe that we have developed a momentum here which we should build upon. It might be opportune to consider for example, utilizing the Conference on the Caribbean model with appropriate modifications, in other theatres of engagement such as the UK-CARICOM Forum, or in respect of our relations with Canada . There is in my view, tremendous potential for a more fruitful engagement between our Community and the Governments of Canada and the United Kingdom .
It is also my view that we have failed over the years to treat adequately with the Caribbean Diaspora. The tremendous contribution of our Caribbean people to the economic, political and cultural life of countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom is beyond dispute. It is my view that we must broaden our vision of the role which the Diaspora can play in the development of the Region from which they derive cultural sustenance. We must move beyond the narrow view of our Diaspora being a convenient pool of resources for fuelling the national political agenda, or simply as a vital element in the compilation of National Income Statistics. We must seek ways, as a Community, to tap into the incredible energy, creativity, human resource capability, and yes, the tremendous economic potential of the Caribbean Diaspora for the purpose of giving greater impetus to the integration agenda.
Mr. Chairman, I have noted with interest, the wide range of issues which constitute our agenda for this our 28th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government. I look forward with great eagerness to our discussions in the full knowledge that there are among us, persons endowed with the vision, wisdom, political astuteness, courage, sagacity, compassion, and humility required to bring to reality the vision which the Founding Fathers had for our Region. I look forward to making my own contribution to these deliberations.
I wish finally to extend my deepest appreciation, and that of the rest of my delegation to the Government and people of Barbados for the kind hospitality which we have enjoyed since our arrival here, and for the splendid arrangements that have been made for our comfort and the smooth conduct of our meeting.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you.
