Clarence Pilgrim

But Caribbean peoples often ask if it is necessary that, at each change of government, if the art and science of governing is a matter of the survival of the elect or about solving problems that arise in the day-to-day administration of our nations? Unfortunately, it would appear that the former seems to be more true in countries like Haiti. It is therefore necessary to place all political parties of each member nation under a political microscope, and look at their agenda, and their commitment to regional integration.

Civil society, inclusive of the churches, has made many recommendations through various mechanisms involving stake-holder consultations, whose aim is to diagnose the Caribbean’s social and economic problems and suggest solutions. At times the sober voices of such entities fall on the deaf ears of resistance to anything other than an already pre-determined plan of action.

In the advent of the CSME, it is the duty of each patriotic Caribbean citizen to ensure that our politicians and leaders are not just manipulating our people and the machine of government for their own end.

It is very painful for many to watch the type of maneuverings which occur in some quarters when it comes to the practical application of governance. Each change of government means that obviously there may be changes in policy and vision. It is quite clear for any administration to survive it must put in place the professionals/persons who are required to fulfill the goals that it sees are necessary. But what must be guarded against is the intentional or unintentional sacrifice of the nation’s human resource potential on the unholy altar of expediency, victimization and opportunism for short term gain.

Sometimes, political parties across the region contain fringe group(s) of persons who wish to subordinate the national agenda to a private one. If they do not attain their goal then they tend to become a disruptive element and seek to enforce influence through various visible and often contentious means. For the overall thrust of achieving regional integration, there must be some degree of continuity in fundamental national goals if we are to maneuver within and between the showers and hurricanes of economic forces and other barriers.

The officials who are asked to serve us often begin as trusted and respected men and women. We give them the privilege of serving us for the good of all in our individual Caribbean nations. We often hold them to a higher standard.

But there is another painful and bitter pill to swallow, which is the fact that often the persons who elect officials do not hold themselves to the same standards that they expect of the elected.

A minority of our Caribbean people must break the mindset that it is only through excessive favours, patronage and begging that a person’s life has meaning and worth. To advance society requires the infusion of purpose with creativity. This includes taking a position of self-reliance.

It has been said that “Creativity is fundamentally a form of problem-solving. But it is a special type of problem-solving- one that involves problems for which there are no easy answers: that is, problems for which popular or conventional responses do not work. Creativity involves adaptability and flexibility of thought.”

The current international environment with the resulting dismantling of many barriers to trade vividly reminds us of the benefits which were once harvested by certain economic sectors. This is now a fast disappearing era of trade preferences.

The people of the Caribbean Community need to be creative and develop the level of maturity at which issues are viewed. Let a priority be the development of everyone’s sensitivity and understanding of the threats posed by the new order for international trade following the creation of the World Trade Organization.

The ministerial meeting held in Hong Kong earlier this year shows the clear demarcation between the rich and poor countries. This serves to highlight the vulnerability of small states in the present hostile international trade environment. It is critical that our small and vulnerable countries band together and undertake fair and effective

Measures aimed at strengthening the integration process. This MUST include the successful implementation of the Regional Development Fund, and other fair measures to the less developed territories, will facilitate more effective approaches to the challenges which we face as we continue to seek meaningful and sustainable political, economic and social development together as one.