IT is not easy to be a leader of any Caribbean state. The challenges are formidable. Individually and collectively these have been the worst of times. Everywhere things seem to be falling apart. Everywhere politicians appear to be unable or unwilling to confront the serious problems of state and society. The appalling state of politics mirrors intractable weaknesses in the economy and the society at large. Caribbean problems have been diagnosed extensively, but successful remedies appear elusive. Yet things are not as bad as they appear from street-corner discourse and the situation is not yet beyond the pale of salvation.

The Caribbean needs a model for sustainable economic development that creates and maintains conditions so ordinary people can feel comfortable and optimistic. Of course this is easier said than done. Few countries in the world today enjoy a satisfactory combination of political, social and economic success. Moreover, globalisation has thrown almost everyone into a common cauldron. So the first thing to be recognised and admitted concerns the near impossibility of insulating any single state or society from the centripetal disruptions of global forces.

The fact that the entire world shares in an increasingly integrated marketplace does not mean that all participants benefit equally. Indeed, large, populous societies with ample natural resources retain a marked advantage in international market relations. Nevertheless, large populations do not necessarily correspond with extensive land area or abundant natural resources. Russia is by far the largest country in the world with a land area of more than 17 million square kilometres. Yet it ranks ninth in population behind China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Sudan is the 10th largest country in the world, but ranks 33rd on the population list.

Sometimes, as in the case of China, India, South Korea, Japan, and the European Community as a single entity, the natural resource base might be small and the productive capacity large. Brazil has the enviable position of being fifth in area, fifth in population, and an abundance of natural resources. So these countries are able to use exports to boost their gross national product figures, and as the case of Brazil illustrates, improve the overall well-being of their populations. Competition produces volatility and so no state, however well endowed, can relax lest it be overtaken by its rivals. History reminds us that all empires fall and no state exercises political and economic hegemony for very long.

The eternal vigilance of large well-endowed states is multiplied several-fold for small, modestly endowed states such as those found in the Caribbean. How can they sustain themselves when the big players with manifest advantages struggle? The satisfactory answer lies in keeping both the questions and the solutions simple. One has to play the cards that one receives. It is no use lamenting or wishing for what might have been.

Constructing a sustainable society is not easy. If it were so then finding sustainable societies around the world would be a commonplace. The fact that it is not easy should not be equated with the complexities of astrophysics. Economic development requires unrelenting discipline and consistent attention.

There is no single simple solution to economic underdevelopment. For a very long time policy makers tried to distort history into supporting positions that justified either a state-controlled marketplace, as unreconstructed Marxists would have it, or an unfettered marketplace as the lunatic fringe of capitalists consistently propose. The myopia of zealots disguises the fact that successful civil societies require a delicate harmonising of public and private interests in order to achieve the common good. And the common good should be transparent government that offers the greatest benefits to the greatest number of citizens.

Small populations in locations of limited resources like Jamaica and the other Caribbean nation states must begin by asking themselves what they can do well for themselves and for others. Thinking that they can ever be counted among the major economies and societies with elevated purchasing power is an exercise in self-deception. Jamaica will never become a Caribbean version of a Brazil, or a United States or Great Britain. Most consultants seem to come from countries that have little in common with the Caribbean states, and so it should not be surprising that Jamaica seems to be slowly falling apart during the decades since Independence. Jamaica needs a better development model urgently.

Singapore is often suggested as a model for Caribbean states. In many respects it is an apt one. It got its Independence from Great Britain about the same time as the British West Indies, with internal selfgovernment in 1963 and complete Independence in 1965. It is a very small country. Jamaica is more than 17 times the size of Singapore and has only one-half the population. Singaporeans live in a congested urban space with only about one per cent of the country supporting agriculture. The economy is based on trade and finance.

When Singapore got its independence the per capita income was just about US$500. Today Singapore boasts a per capita GNP of more than US$21,000, the fourth largest financial centre and the fifth busiest port in the world. Although a small country in every respect, Singapore plays with the bigger boys on their terms — and wins.

A state-supported education system is the key to the economic success of Singapore. Standard English is compulsory at all educational levels. The regular curriculum emphasises English along with a “mother tongue” that is Mandarin Chinese (spoken by about half the population), Malay or Tamil. Mathematics and science are also required subjects. While much public support is given to education, there is little tolerance for social deviation. Amnesty International remains critical of the harsh ways in which Singapore deals with criminals. The death penalty is mandatory for first-degree murder, for drug-trafficking or for having personal firearms. Public caning is a common penalty for rape, rioting, recreational drug use and vandalism. It works. The good society requires discipline as well as material well-being.