Caricom leaders held their 30th mid-year summit in Guyana

Broadly speaking, that mandate is Caribbean integration.

As written elsewhere on this site: "Seldom has the annual anniversary summit been prefaced with so many open criticisms by member countries of each other."

"We remain full cognisant however of the desire of the people of the Community for more tangible results from the efforts at integration and undertake to be responsive to those desires," the draft additional declaration to the communique stated after the summit.

BBC Caribbean's Mike Jarvis spoke to the chief executives of two of the largest pan-Caribbean companies

Grace Kennedy's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Douglas Orane

Heads of Trinidad Cement Limited Dr Rollin Bertrand

What do you think about Caricom?

What's working?

What needs fixing?

Caricom is real and exists. However, it is currently not living up to the priniciples upon which it was instituted and also it has lost its mandate an purpose as the body charged with developing the region and bringing meaningful progress to the pillars upon which it is suppose to work.

But what are the reasons for this? Leadership; fear of losing power; lack of vision;

There are many and some will even go as far as to point fingers at different persons at varying levels. But I would not join that club.

For Caricom to work effectively and efficiently in ensuring that the region survives all the current crises and comes out on top, we have to make the change starting with oursleves.

Joshua Chowritmootoo

Irving, USA

Caricom, born of the ideals of the then incipient independent ex colonial states leadership, has lost the fervour and the drive that propelled the Chagauramas charter. Caricom had moved from the thesis to the antithesis form of a political process with one significant difference;it lacks the dynamism inherent in the antithesis stage of development. It has become a paradox with all singing the hymn of old but all living in the differences of fear, discontentment,and parochialism. We have not identified ourselves as a unity - much more living as one people. We are just too poverty stricken philosophically, politically, and economically to submit to a unifying thesis. Caricom remains an ideal, an academic adventure and a bureaucratic vacation.

Hal Austin

London, UK

Caricom, and more recently the CSME, has been deliberating on issues that are decades old. Nevertheless, on the one hand Caricom is working, on the other is not working as well as it could or should be in a way that optimizes benefits for all. Key among this is the lack of political will to take risk as a group. If we want to really know if Caricom is working then get rid of it and we will see. Undoubtedly Caricom is working but they are so many stalemates and double standards that it is shameful the last meeting of the Heads is about re-commitment to issues this they had agreed on so long ago, that is grossly lacking in implementation. Despite this, one thing remains, and that is,which ever Caricom member feels that they can go it without the group in this globalized world is definitely fooling themselves. The lack of progress of the regional body can only be the responsibility of its members, no one else is to be blamed.

Soroya Tute

Georgetown, Guyana

Caricom lacks integration within itself. Unless we as members of the Caribbean Community recognize that we are all united in one goal, one economic purpose and bond by our common history, there will always be inefficencies within our leadership

Sase Loaknauth

Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

Caricom can work if all its members contribute financially to the cause and stop depending on hand-outs from Trinidad and the other more affluent islands.

Neil

Grenada

To Karen F, from St. Lucia who suggested that ST. Lucia and Dominica join the EU, along with Guadeloupe and Martinique, because she believes that this would allow them some visibility. Think again. We are no longer Commonwealth Countries, and the EU, is exactly what it siginifies - European Union. They don't really care what the old colonials think. Try getting along with your Caribbean neighbours, and stop trying to annex yourself to people who don't really care. If anything, we should be seeking relationship with the Canadians, and south American. They are in our hemisphere, and yes Canada has done more for the Caribbean in recent years. A word of warning to the corrupt politicians.Sop revoking citizens with Dual Nationality. They can be considered an asset to your country, not a liability like the politicians would like us to believe.

Rose

USA

Caricom can work, mindful all states must stop fretting and start looking at possible solutions, and bringing resoultion to the matters at hand.

Balram Inderdeo

Scarborough, Canada

The only question that needs to be answered is, since its creation, has Caricom improved the lives of Caribbean people in a demonstrable way? If it is I don't see it.

Alex

No country given

Caricom, or whatever name a grouping of the Caribbean nations is called, such a grouping is a necessity to survive globalisation.

The Caricom plan ought to embrace the next 30 years and once a nation subscribes to it, it ought to be enshrined within the nation's legislation so incoming governments are binded too.

Caricom is our destiny not our choice!

Ja

Mayaro, Trinidad

Well I must say that Caricom is doing a good job for its citizens but the truth is that many of these same citizens if they became a political figure would continue to get worse because that is the way they are thinking from growing up. That is the way they are generally thinking.

Andy Medas-King

Brooklyn

Disband Caricom and announce the obvious fact: Caricom is a failed experiment. Eastern Caribbean leaders should push the political union of the O.E.C.S. This is the only viable entity in the Caribbean in regard to unity.

Giles

Antigua & Barbuda

I personally feel that the CSME is a waste of time, also the Caricom passport. I have listened vividly to all the comments being blasted at the Prime Minister of Barbados for the way in which Guyanese and Jamaican nationals have been deported out of Barbados. Caricom needs to address this matter with great urgency as right here in St.Kitts and Nevis, Guyanese nationals are going through the same kind of treatment.

Hazel Burke,

Basseterre,

St Kitts

Caricom can only serve the region as it was intended to if we behave as caring leaders with a bigger vision for our countries and people instead of succumbing to the parochial and insular issues that have served to divide us over several years.

We are more willing to give in to dictates of extra regional interests than to put our collective shoulders to making the region a better place for all of us to live. I still don’t understand why in this globalised world, Caricom leaders want to embrace the big fish in a sardine can posture.

Frederick Baron

Roseau, Dominica

Wow, some of the more recent comments posted are reminiscent of the the people of Israel's early cries to go back to Egypt...

It's sad to see a people losing faith in themselves. The spirit of Garvey must be long dead in the Caribbean and in the Caribbean Diaspora.

Anthony Morgan

Montreal, Canada

I would advocate St.Lucia and Dominica seeking European Union membership and adopting the Euro; an economic grouping between Martinique and Guadeloupe and ourselves. The Euro would be the standard currency. This would raise our standard of living substantially and provide us with support.

Karen F

St.Lucia

I concur with many of the opinions already posted as I believe only those who feel it know whether Caricom is working. St Clair Leacock's comments are spot on. Caricom in specific and independence in general has been a disaster for the majority of the people.

I lament our islands decision not to become overseas territories like those of France, the Netherlands, or the US. Statistics clearly show that the people in these territories are better off economically thanks to their ties to these larger developed countries and the people’s ability to freely live and work abroad. Furthermore, they have lost little of their cultural identity. We on the other hand have to fight the WTO to get out products to Europe, fight the red tape for a visa to travel to the US, and then we fight each other in the name of nationalism. Now the African Union wants Caribbean nations to join them. Will the insanity ever stop?

Alex

London, UK

Caricom has failed to achieve its goals and objectives over the years, and probably that’s the reason why T&T PM wants to form a union with the OECS. It must be clear in each country there's been change of governments, some of them while in opposition did not share their views on CSME, and now in the government seat they have to play catch up, so the transition from one gov't to the other is not smooth. However, I think each head of state must first ensure the security of its citizens; food and job securities etc. Having done this, it will help eliminate some of the hard talks concerning deportation and being over crowded etc. Finally, I think we have some good leaders in the islands who have lots of obstacles to overcome, and as such must first serve their citizens before attending to Caricom affairs/issues.

Randa

Saddlers, St. Kitts

Caricom basically serves as a means for the smaller islands to subsidise Trinidad's manufacturing sector. Whilst we compete on the open market for tourism pounds and dollars, Trinidad gains duty free concessions for their goods, and so, bleeds off this hard earned foreign exchange. Since we(small islands)are creating these manufacturing industries and the employment that results through guaranteed and protected markets, we should have access to these jobs. I suggest that if we were able to collect duties on all goods at our ports, our governments would be in a far better position to develop our small economies.

Michael St.Louis

Gros Islet, St.Lucia

Caricom is a waste of time and energy. I think it was VS Naipaul who describes it best with his concept of the mimic men. How can a group of godforsaken islands with limited resources, poor leadership, no vision ever amount to anything. The best alternative is for Britain to recolonize these "countries". They are not viable economically, they are morally bankrupt and no one wants to remain in them. How many people do you see trying to sneak in? Please let us get serious. It should not be Caricom. It is Carigone.

St Clair Leacock

Kingston, St Vincent

What we must all realise is that Caricom is made up of sovereign nations and as such there can be no real unity and so this expectation for identical policies is unrealistic. Caricom is not an entity set up for the more prosperous islands to support the less fortunate. Each island must ensure their own survival. Caricom is an entity that is able to work we just need a different approach. We must also realise that if we disband Caricom it will be difficult for the small island states that make up the association to truly survive and cope in the new globalising market. We have missed the point of what regional institutions are for. They are not miracle working organisations. Regional organisations are only as good as the sum of their parts.

TeeJay

St.Thomas, Barbados

I do not know much about Caribbean history, economics and politics. However it seems to me that an island focus in the current global climate of borderless economies offers only a myopic strategy to bettering the conditions and realizing the level of development we want to see our various countries achieve.

Is there any international forum in which Jamaica's, Barbados', St. Lucia's, Trinidad's, etc., single voice is powerful and paid attention to all on its own? How much bargaining power does each individual country have by itself on the international stage?

I'm inclined to believe that none of us are taken seriously in major discussions when speaking alone and that our bargaining power is slim and none when acting by ourselves at the WTO, UN, with the EU, etc...

I say all this to ask, isn't it time that Regional development in partnership with every other commonwealth Caribbean countries and Haiti be prioritized near the top of the agenda as a way to bring the advances needed in the region? Instead of looking for a top-down Caricom initiated regionalism to take hold, what are everyday Caribbean people doing to heal the divides between us and our neighbours, no, FAMILY members of the other island-states?

Anthony Morgan

Montreal, Canada

Why not pursue and deepen the integration process within Caricom? I cannot see the wisdom of devoting time and resources to set up a 'shack' within the Caricom house. A house divided against itself will fall.Our leaders need to devote more time to deal with the issues that touch and affect the everyday lives of our citizens, including crime, the economy, the high cost of regional travel and foreign policy. Several leaders have fallen under the spell of 'Chavismo' and this may lead us to deal with the issue of regional security in the not too distant future. Many of our leaders are intellectual giants in their own right who appear to have all the solutions when in opposition but lose their way in the comfort of the corridors of power. I hope that this mid-year summit will see a return to Caricom values and ideals. We need mature and enlightened leadership to steer our collective ships of state into the harbour of enhanced and sustainable regional development.

Sharon Porter

Kingstown, St.Vincent

For Caricom or any other regional grouping to be effective, there MUST be equality among states. That is not the case now.

The Federation and Carifta failed because the larger economies in the unions acted as though they were superior.

Contrary to George's belief, I think there are many good leaders in the region today. They just need to look at the bigger picture for the region.

Kojo Williams Sr

Manitoba, Canada

Caricom should disintegrate. What has Caricom accomplished in its existence? Caricom has failed, is failing and will fail because some members are depending on others to shoulder the brunt of the burdens. The island states with sound economies are fed up and tired of illegal immigrants. Each member state has to provide employment for its citizens. The OECS is an effective, governing body and shows how island states complement each other, unlike Caricom.

Yolanda Paris

USA

I agree. They're wasting tax payers money. Caricom should have made a lot more progress than they have up to this point. Highlighting integration issues facing participating states are debates that must be had to ensure that the union will work for everyone. However, this activity is pointless if no one is willing to compromise, follow agreed upon policies and voice dissatisfaction without pointing fingers and mudslinging.

Westford Joseph

Kingstown, St.Vincent and the Grenadines

The various leaders will never reliquish power for the common good of the region. The petty squabbles over 'illegality' of Caribbean nationals in each others country is detrimental to any integration process. As Bob Marley said, it's a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained.

George W. Maxwell

Goodwill, Dominica

I was trained in Customs & Excise in Trinidad in 1971 and there was division expressed then. It is most disgusting to see us move from CARIFTA to CARICOM and are yet divided among ourselves. DIVIDE AND RULE can never succeed.

Ormond V.Robertson

Snellville,GA, USA

These heads are just wasting good tax-payers money. None of them have what it take to be leaders.

George B Solomon

Canada