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The problem of integration

7/4/2009

BARBADIAN Prime Minister Mr. David Thompson has been chided by other Heads of government for his immigration policy, which many consider as being of in synch with the true spirit of CARICOM. This is an criticism which is regularly levelled at regional leaders, and the impression is given that the people of the Caribbean are being cheated of what they want most – political union. However, is that an accurate assessment? Are politicians really the root cause of our disunity?

We all understand the need for greater unity from a purely intellectual viewpoint. We understand that we live in a world which is being made smaller. This perceived shrinking is due not to the speed and efficiency of modern communications, especially over the Internet, but also because the globalised feel of the modern world economy.

We in the Caribbean have come to rely on tourism and other services as our chief foreign exchange earner but these too will be affected by the rise of global markets. Services and the people who provide them are also fast becoming commodities. We must now compete with other destinations which offer sun, sea and sand, for half the price. The present recession has also meant a significant decline in visitor arrivals. The effects of this downturn are being felt in rising unemployment in many territories. The effects of the recession are magnified in each island, and each island has embarked on its own programme for alleviating the economic situation.

From an economic point of view, therefore, it make sense that the region become more integrated. In order to alleviate the effects of the downturn and save jobs, individual governments have instituted tax reductions and waivers and turned to international agencies for credit.
These measures, while they are necessary will add to the debt burden of the region, which in some cases is over 50 per cent of GDP. A larger single state could absorb these costs more easily. Since purely economic reasons suggest integration is absolutely essential, it should not be hard to convince citizens of the region that it will be impossible to survive alone in the future.

Still, movement on the issue by Heads of government is lukewarm at best. Their apathy and inefficiency are often blamed for the slow movement of regional integration, but this ignores one important fact: Our leaders are politicians. Like all politicians their survival is based their ability to fulfill the wishes of their people. Politicians who do unpopular things do not last long. Therefore, is it not conceivable that the reason that regional integration has been slow in coming is based not governmental apathy but the reluctance of the region’s people? The idea may sound radical but it makes sense.

The present immigration incident revealed in no uncertain terms how much division there still is in the region, revealed in the words of bloggers, university lecturers and the media. While such rancor exists below the surface, it is unrealistic to expect our leaders to achieve regional unity, even in the face of overwhelming evidence that it is necessary. It may be that economic concerns cannot encourage Caribbean citizens to relinquish individual sovereignty. This recession, like all previous recessions, will pass and with the return of good fortune the need for full integration will seem less pressing.

So how do we convince the average CARICOM citizen to truly embrace integration? This is a question which cannot be answered in the brief space of time afforded for Head of Government meetings. Nevertheless, it is one which must be examined if the integration movement is to truly get off the ground.

Indices

as of close 9/15/2009


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