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This letter echoes the simple call I’ve been making from Day One, and which others such as Willi have been saying as well. Really, the suggestion made by the writer Shawn Johnson in this obviously well thought out letter is something that our government should seriously consider! (For some reason, the writer chose to ignore the presence of Haiti, the 15th member of CARICOM, hence his hugely incorrect “five million people” statement. Otherwise, this letter deserves its placement in The Gleaner as Letter of the Day.)
LETTER OF THE DAY - Do away with CARICOM in present form
Published: Tuesday | July 7, 2009
The Editor, Sir:
It is time that Jamaica forms a union with other countries from which it will derive meaningful benefits. We should look to the wider Caribbean, the Dutch, French and Spanish-speaking countries, including Cuba and Haiti.
Rather than focusing on a small CARICOM market of five million people, a Caribbean Economic Union (CEU) - which is a name that we could use - which consists of a market of about 45 million people, would be a much larger market for our producers, traders and manufacturers. This is what former Prime Minister Edward Seaga called for several years ago.
There is no guarantee that a wider CEU would achieve any better decision-making capability than CARICOM, but at least we would be fighting for a much bigger cake. The problem with CARICOM is that the petty jealousies have existed for a long time and some of the countries within the block are trying to posture their perceived superiority over the others, and thus reflect a parochial mindset.
Trinidad, after so many years of promises and signed agreements, is just now, making the delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Jamaica, a so-called 'national priority'. This is being done now because they are facing increased competition from other suppliers to their once-secure US market, and Jamaica will now just, become a 'dumping ground'.
Barbadians are sick and tired of CARICOM nationals overstaying in their country and taking their jobs away. Immigration officers in Barbados are reported to be giving Jamaicans a hard time on their entry to that country.
Why then are we forcing that issue? We have a US$2.7 billion trade deficit with Trinidad and deficits with most of our other trading partners in the region. We have allocated US$27 million to the setting up of a Caribbean Court of Justice - for what? What are we gaining from this farce? Our leaders are trying to take us down this road and they have not clearly explained to us what the longer-term benefits will be. The politicians are leading us down the same road that they used to take us into Independence - ill-defined and unprepared and only meant to satisfy the politicians' narrow egos.
We urgently need a clear and unequivocal debate on these issues and it should not be led by the 'geniuses' at the University of the West Indies, because I believe that they are the ones in collaboration with our politicians, who have started us down that path and they are now wearing blinkers and cannot see any other way. The Jamaica Manufacturers' Association and Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica will have more credibility leading the charge.
I am, etc.,
SHAWN JOHNSON
jamaicanshawn@yahoo.com Mandeville
LETTER OF THE DAY - Do away with CARICOM in present form
Published: Tuesday | July 7, 2009
The Editor, Sir:
It is time that Jamaica forms a union with other countries from which it will derive meaningful benefits. We should look to the wider Caribbean, the Dutch, French and Spanish-speaking countries, including Cuba and Haiti.
Rather than focusing on a small CARICOM market of five million people, a Caribbean Economic Union (CEU) - which is a name that we could use - which consists of a market of about 45 million people, would be a much larger market for our producers, traders and manufacturers. This is what former Prime Minister Edward Seaga called for several years ago.
There is no guarantee that a wider CEU would achieve any better decision-making capability than CARICOM, but at least we would be fighting for a much bigger cake. The problem with CARICOM is that the petty jealousies have existed for a long time and some of the countries within the block are trying to posture their perceived superiority over the others, and thus reflect a parochial mindset.
Trinidad, after so many years of promises and signed agreements, is just now, making the delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Jamaica, a so-called 'national priority'. This is being done now because they are facing increased competition from other suppliers to their once-secure US market, and Jamaica will now just, become a 'dumping ground'.
Barbadians are sick and tired of CARICOM nationals overstaying in their country and taking their jobs away. Immigration officers in Barbados are reported to be giving Jamaicans a hard time on their entry to that country.
Why then are we forcing that issue? We have a US$2.7 billion trade deficit with Trinidad and deficits with most of our other trading partners in the region. We have allocated US$27 million to the setting up of a Caribbean Court of Justice - for what? What are we gaining from this farce? Our leaders are trying to take us down this road and they have not clearly explained to us what the longer-term benefits will be. The politicians are leading us down the same road that they used to take us into Independence - ill-defined and unprepared and only meant to satisfy the politicians' narrow egos.
We urgently need a clear and unequivocal debate on these issues and it should not be led by the 'geniuses' at the University of the West Indies, because I believe that they are the ones in collaboration with our politicians, who have started us down that path and they are now wearing blinkers and cannot see any other way. The Jamaica Manufacturers' Association and Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica will have more credibility leading the charge.
I am, etc.,
SHAWN JOHNSON
jamaicanshawn@yahoo.com Mandeville