PM Gonsalves repents: “Caricom on Pause”
Tue Apr 16, 2013
by Adaiah J Providence-Culzac
As a good Catholic, Prime Minister Dr The Hon. Ralph Gonsalves was moved to repentance in a February 09, 2012 letter to Ambassador Irwin La Rocque, Secretary General of CARICOM and his fellow Presidents and Prime Ministers of the region, in which he stated:{{more}}
“But surely, the times demand that we move resolutely beyond minimalism which inexorably leads to regression; ‘pausing’ is but a euphemism for standing still, which in a dynamic world is sliding backwards. That, to me, is the evidence before us in CARICOM since its leaders, including me, decided at a special conclave in Guyana about a year ago to put the ‘single economy’ process on pause’â.
Throughout the eight pages of soul searching and penance, Dr Gonsalves removes the trappings of political expediency and garb to exorcise the demon of “in-built lethargy in our collective regional political leadership, bureaucratic inertia and public cynicismâ that continues to plague the region’s integration movement. Those who have followed PM Gonsalves’ long and industrious career, beginning at the University of the West Indies as President of the Guild of Students, through his twelve years as Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, encompassing over 40 years of political experience locally, regionally and internationally, would no doubt be moved to repeat the comforting words, “Go my child, your sin has been forgiven.â
Our Condition
Maybe, I approach this matter too simple-minded, innocent and untested. I may not have given much credence to the strengths of the debates that have taken place even before I was born or the work of successive Community leaders. It is not difficult to imagine that I am too blinded by the stories of one from ten leaves nought, a failed West Indian Commission, the unattended stack of commissioned reports, including the Rose Hall Declaration towards
mature regionalism and more. Yet, I am still convinced if we take up our bed and walk then the impossible is achievable and doubters can become believers. As a region, we have been tried and tested and developed out of historical injustices and wrongs that threatened our very existence. We have lived relatively peacefully among ourselves and share a common desire to achieve universal prosperity. Out of this context, why are we saboteurs of our own progress? Are we still engrossed to a “Massa” complex, of an inferiority deficit in our own skills and abilities? If so, when and how will we emancipate ourselves from mental slavery? No doubt we can talk, there are so many different patois across our islands to support this, but, we have been ailing for a long time from a condition of self-defeat.
Sticking points
Time for Action
Dr. Gonsalves ended his homily, “The Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that: “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. The clarion call of old is still relevant: Time for Action.â Just recently, Dominica has decided it is time for action. Grenada has re-affirmed its commitment while Haiti and Suriname are pushing for deeper collaboration. Where this new berth take the regional movement is anyone’s guess. However, what is certain, this year marks the 40th year we have been saying, ‘It is time for action.’ What is also undisputable is well summed up by Professor Havelock Brewster,â regionalism for all that is said about its survive or perish importance by political leaders is run on a shoe string and mendicancy.â
I pray that the Joshua-ites will be more than willing to answer the call ahead. In the interim, I hope this opinion serves to jolt our regional leaders to understand that mature regionalism is not obtained through institutions but through all of us. The time for action is not to implement but for us to first mature from infantile grandstanding.
Zhejiang University, China
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