Let's prevent Caricom from becoming 'Carry go bring Come'!

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Ironically, before there was the Caribbean Community (Caricom), there was free movement of persons during the colonial era. But once we became independent, governments — intoxicated with the illusion of sovereignty — immediately instituted work permits and visas.

Now, Caricom is in an advanced state of fragmentation, riven by centrifugal forces born of economic implosion and petty nationalism. Absent is the salutary influence of far-sighted political leadership. The ultimate root cause is the lack of any genuine sense of community.

Fleeting moments of community existed when the West Indies cricket team were world champions. The University of the West Indies (UWI) clings tenuously to regionalism, and there are glimpses when we lose ourselves in the revelry of playing Mas around the Savannah in Port-of-Spain.

Our leaders meet twice a year to recite the Beatitudes of Caricom unity and chant the mantra of common purpose. But the people feel no connection to goals and few of us fully understand the platitudes of integration or the working of Caricom.

Haiti, Belize and Suriname know they are only included in Caricom in a formal sense. The Bahamas only wants formal membership in the community but not in the CSME. The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is moving ahead with its own sub-regional integration, convinced that the so-called Big Four — Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago — mean them no good.

Guyana longs for the days of preferential arrangements for sugar, and Trinidad longs to be free of its mendicant neighbours. Jamaica blames the implosion of the manufacturing sector on imports from Trinidad. Belize becomes more a part of Central America each day, and integration with Florida is a preferred option for The Bahamas.

Barbadians worry about the invasion by Guyanese, Trinidadians feel there is a swarm of Grenadians. Everybody fears the potential tidal wave of Haitians. And there is a region-wide apprehension about the violence-prone Jamaicans.

Nowhere is the lack of community spirit more evident than in the treatment meted out to Caribbean people as they try to move around the region. The immigration officials are among the most destructive elements undermining the goodwill for integration.

These often uncouth, abusive self-appointed guardians of national xenophobia perpetuate daily atrocities which generate hostility. They are not chastised for their offences because there is tacit support for their actions.

Admittedly, Jamaicans have a track record of violence, drug trafficking and illegal migration attracting visa requirements from which nearly all other countries are exempt. All Jamaicans are suffering because of the reputation and behaviour of the "bad" Jamaicans.

The latest example of the lack of community spirit is the furore of intemperate statements and appalling lack of diplomacy spawned by the complaint by Jamaican Ms Shanique Myrie that she was finger-raped in a cavity search by a female immigration officer before being thrown out of Barbados on March 14. There are numerous examples in every country, but incidents involving Jamaicans are particularly high.

The last thing we would want to see is all our countries resorting to a tit-for-tat behaviour. Because then it would no longer be Caricom but a 'Carry go bring Come' community.

We must move urgently to prevent other such incidents and restore our sense of a Caribbean community sharing a common heritage.

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COMMENTS (25)

Tony Morgan
4/15/2011

Unity in Cari com is a myth, they only come around us Jamaicans here in the U.S. because they have no choice. I have stop been friendly since these incidents, and when you look at it we are the most progressive people here from the islands. Ja can more than survive on our own without them, we just need to get rid of our no good politicians(SELL OUTS).These islands don't have anything that we don't have or cannot get elsewhere. They just envy us, enough of them, let's look to the bigger picture.

Bajan Woman
4/5/2011

As someone who has travelled up and down the Caribbean I can say that as Bajan I am met with either hatred or love, but when my JA friends came to visit my island for the first time they criticised everything they saw and said I was being sensitive, now tell me were they justified??
When you threaten and criticise are you supporting unity??
No one deserves their rights violated and as a Bajan I am sorry but what good can come of this when neither is willing to say sorry and work out our issues

Mary Smith
4/5/2011

Is Jamaica going to ban its own products; run its people out of its own country?
Just 10 weeks ago, a mother alleged that her TEN YEAR Old was made to strip at Norman Manley airport.
Jamaicans aint small minded nor they don't live on a dot, so I don't understand this allegation... bout a ten year old.

norris Richards
4/4/2011

CARICOM or political integration call it what you want is bad for Jamaica, because a large percent of poor Jamaicans don't know what is in it, for them, especially when the islands are separate by large stretches of water. The get together is for the benefit of the few elites like professionals and politicians, poor Jamaicans will never able to see the buildings where decisions are made, that will affect them. In Jamaica neighbors across the streets cannot live in harmony with each others because they belong to different tribes, yet they want Jamaicans to join with neighbors thousands of miles away... This arrangement is for the elites and the philosophers at the UWI who want to consolidate their hold on the mass of poor black people in the region. The elites have already accomplished their gold in Jamaica; they have kept black people ignorant, by limiting their education in science, math and English, and substituted Jamaica’s culture and bastadized English, which is a recipe for stagnation development. They have sold-off Jamaica resources to foreigners for pittance, our rights in our own country, depends on the goodwill of the foreigners. Black Jamaican should stop following these black colonists because they are elected through deceit and propaganda they do not have the county’s interest on the front burner. If they do, they would stop taking their travel quota, stay home and put their house in order before going on their adventures. What technology, investment opportunities are there in the Caribbean for Jamaica.

John Smith
4/4/2011

"If we perish, we perish." Lol! Is weh yuh live Joan? Yuh a dual citizen? Welcome to the world of regionalism, dear Jamaicans. No union is every easy. The USA, the EU+UK... They have their continual share of arguments and there is always the secessionist element, however, they do realise that together, they're strong. Better a pack of terriers together than one rabid little runt trying to take on the big wolves of the world my friends. Terriers... They always think they're 'badda' than they are.

Brooklyn Jamaican
4/3/2011

@Joan, the way to stem Garrison politics is to lock up and indict the one who you support so vehemently. I doubt if you would support your own flesh and blood the way you support this fellow. Even as he lied about his Don connection and source of funds you backed him 100%. Stopping that foolishness will help end garrison politics.

oliver smith
4/3/2011

@Cargill Brown
You are correct, why can't they send Jamaicans home without incident. Some people are suggesting that the Bajans, have a right to chose who they wan't in their country which is correct. To target Jamaicans is one thing, but they seem to go out of there way to try and humiliate us as well. This suggest something more than them just being afraid of crime. They have so much strength in their country, but outside of the Barbados they are nothing.

Mary Smith
4/3/2011

One jamaician seek to be suggesting a better future with the USA and he is right. I am sure that the United States authorities would treat Jamaicans better afterall they see what contrinbution jamaican make to the US economy.
I would send home all the companies and products from the dot call Barbarian and replace them with USA products and companies.

Cargill Brown
4/3/2011

I think the Treaty of Chaguaramas needs to be subject to the test of a referendum, the governments involved can no longer assume that they act in the interests of their respective citizens.
Jamaica most certainly does NOT benefit significantly from this disastrous state of affairs. How long before Barbados immigration, in their xenophobic terror, kill, or seriously maim someone. Why is it so difficult for the Bajan officials to simply send people home without incident?

PL BOGLE
4/3/2011

Unity is strength, take Brooklyn for example probably the largest West Indian community on the planet , which also has the LARGEST parade in the USA , The Labor Day Parade this goes to show that if we come together we can be a force to be reckoned with . We are very supportive of each other economically & socially. Many Jamaican's are married to other West Indians as well. So if we do this in NY why can we to the same in our region.We must settle this dispute diplomatically & not ignorantly !

oliver smith
4/3/2011

Voilence prone Jamaicans? that's why our people will always be treated like dogs by our caribbean neighbors. We keep finding excuse why they should treat us that way. Trinidad has just as high a murder rate as Jamaica, if not higher. That's why they resent us, because even with that they still get overlooked. Jamaicans don't have a problem with Trinidad because of their economy. We have a problem because our inept government has made us a nation of beggars, causing our people to insulted by them

Dr. Joan Porteous
4/3/2011

@Brooklyn Jamaican Sir/Madam to population ratio Jamaica is a "murder capital." The kind of political corruption and violent garrison politics Jamaica to-date demonstrates the highest characteristics and propensity.
When will we abhor political violence collectively and condemn politicians who use garrison tactics to win elections. Can we change the law where the police can 'lock up' law breakers on election day? There must be A WAY to stem garrison politics and stop this kind of politic

Dr. Joan Porteous
4/3/2011

Get out of Caricom Jamaica! If we perish we perish. Boycott Caricom. We need no further friendly or JCC relationship it must be strictly business if any relationship should exist..

Brooklyn Jamaican
4/3/2011

The venerable doctor seems to be fully local in scope, she would have herself believe Jamaicans are the only ones prone to violence. Take a look at Champs yesterday.Proof enough that there are at least thousands of teenagers involved in positive activity. Not everyone is blinging and slinging.

Jay Brown
4/3/2011

Blacks cannot integrate , PERIOD. Sorry but its true. Here in Jamaica the wealthy blacks poor scorn on the poor and so does it exist amongst Caribbean Countries.
They seen Jamaicans as running away from their poor homeland hoping to "eat a food" in their country and they are not about to have.
We will NEVER have free movement in the Caribbean and Caricom will soon fall apart.
Black people do NOT know how to unite and build themselves into a force to be reckoned with.

Anthony II
4/3/2011

I really am not sure about the intent of CARICOM when it comes to free movement. In the EU, once you are an EU citizen, you move freely among the EU member states, and there are no land custom borders, for example, between places such as Belgium and France. What do we want from this thing called CARICOM? Part of the problem with free movement has to do with different economic performance, or some of the perceptions discussed in the article (e.g., J'cans seem to be CARICOM's Roms).

One Jamaican
4/3/2011

Good artcile JO. You have been holding the flag high on this. My question though is what benefit is Caricom to Jamaica. We aee a much bigger market, closer to North America, have more cultural commonalities to North America, and is far from the Eatern Caribbean, We also have better batural resources and more tourism. Caricom is a burden, and we should tax products coming from there like other rates. CSME is costly for us.

andrew green
4/3/2011

You guys need to understand theres no more caribbean community, its over these islands are just using the word caricom so it seems as if there apart of something each island envy the other when they make a step up jamaica hates trini cause they have a better economy every island hates jamaica and haiti they should all break ties and do there own thing, because if your a national of caricom and you cant travel to another state without being descrimated on its not worth it.

Ainsworth Cole
4/3/2011

This Carry down community is not working, we need a new revised treaty with a new name, new and improve institutions and new committment to its principles and provisions. The EU is a good model for us to follow, I also recomend THE CARIBBEAN UNION as the new name, the CCJ, must be one of its primary intitutions to deal with disputes and injustice. Regional Integration is only possible if we all want it, includes freedom of movement, if not we will only have as it seems now a one sided trade bloc

Brooklyn Jamaican
4/3/2011

Mr Editor go read Nation news. Their best and brightest thing its a big joke. One Rev, says the Jamaicans should undergo lie detector tests. Another says bring in Scotland Yard or the Mounties to investigate. What useless Caricom, why not call for the Vincy's, The Guyanese, or the Trinis to investigate? Know why? They have a Eurocentric mindset which is why they barely tolerate us.

Brooklyn Jamaican
4/3/2011

A Jamaica we seh. Jamaicans don't have anything against anyone, I guess Jamaicans compass point north, not south. The agitation against Jamaica is unprovoked and has nothing to do with violence. Are there no Barbadians, Bahamians or Trinis in their own Jails? We are not petty, but these events cant be blown over with Diplomatic hush hush. Check out my Barbadian Mechanic in Brooklyn yesterday, his customers mainly Jamaicans, shop empty. Its no joke. Internet reveals all things.

John Small
4/3/2011

I'm not saying we should be completely isolated but the Caribbean is not the EU. We are not a single land mass. Jamaica is far away and disproportionately large. Jamaican businesses automatically have access to CARICOM's largest market but we give free access to TT et al. Does TT give us OIL at the prices their people pay? NO...because TT is no ATM, but JA is a sucker. We should cooperate as separates. Ditch this CSME business. Our rush to implement has had us giving gifts without reciprocity.

John Small
4/3/2011

DEEP REGIONAL INTEGRATION IS A PIPE DREAM.
I am tired of people speaking of this as if it is inevitable and unquestionably desirable.
The "West Indies", as a whole, did not want Federation in 1961 and we still do not want it, by stealth, in 2011. The only heritage we share is being located in a sea with the same name (but B'dos is in the ATLANTIC) and being former British sugar colonies. Jamaica is far away and twice size and pop. We are getting artifically too close for comfort, thus tension.

Dr. Joan Porteous
4/3/2011

I believe that the islands that wish to deny Jamaicans free access are perfectly right and in order. Jamaica was once a prized jewel of the Caribbean with much more resources than other islands now look at us
If we continue to operate as blind and unaware voters supporting corrupted politicians and political parties that trade away our resources without regard for our future we must remain in poverty in Jamaica and be barred from traveling to other islands to seek advancement it is our fault.

Dr. Joan Porteous
4/3/2011

Mr Editor a very interesting topic reflective of your great sense of humor and in touch with Caribbean culture.
"Region-wide apprehension about the violence-prone Jamaicans" (Observer).
What country/island or individuals would not fear violence prone Jamaicans and his or her 'freeness mentality and corrupted garrisonized politicians?'
I can imagine corrupted Jamaican garrison politicians campaigning for the presidency of Caricom going all out to win.
"What a bim and bamba day."

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Let's prevent Caricom from becoming 'Carry go bring Come'!