CASTRIES, St Lucia — Describing resistance to the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) from some sections of Jamaica as unfortunate, St Lucian prime minister, Dr Kenny Anthony, says it is time for both the Government and the Opposition to come to a consensus on that and other issues of regional unity and for Jamaica to once again take a leading role in the regional integration process.

“I have always found the Jamaican position extraordinary because — I speak, and I hope I am understood in what I am saying — Jamaica has always inspired the rest of the region. Jamaica has always been the most anti-colonialist country in the Caribbean, barring, of course, Trinidad to some extent,” Anthony told Jamaican journalists attending the World Travel Awards here Friday night.

“But Jamaica led the way to decolonisation, and so, today, it seems extraordinary that there are persons in Jamaica who stand in the way of the establishment of the court when Jamaica has provided the example of fighting colonialism and asserting sovereignty,” he said.

Regional governments have been discussing the idea of establishing the CCJ that will have jurisdiction in interpreting the treaty governing the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) when the region becomes a single trading bloc by December 2004.

But the proposed court has been mired in controversy over its other proposed realm, that of being the final court of appeal for criminal and civil matters for several Caribbean countries, replacing the Privy Council, which sits in London.

Critics of the CCJ have raised objections ranging from the quality of jurisprudence in the Caribbean to inadequacies of the justice system in the region, fear that the court will be under-funded and political interference.

St Lucia was the first country to ratify the agreement to establish the CCJ and according to Dr Anthony, both the island’s Opposition and the Government have agreed to work together to introduce legislation in Parliament this year that will solidify St Lucia’s position on the issue.

Jamaica’s Government and Opposition, he said, need to make a similar move towards consensus.

“I really would want to see Jamaica at the forefront of leadership of the Caribbean again on this matter. And Jamaica has the capacity to inspire the region. The tendency to look inwards is most unfortunate because it seems to me that the wider Caribbean, particularly the Eastern Caribbean, is even more prepared to embrace Jamaica,” he said.

Dr Anthony, who was in Jamaica last week for the swearing-in of Prime Minister P J Patterson, said Patterson’s retention of the country’s leadership would be good for the move towards regional unity.

“In a sense, I believe that Jamaica is really poised to play a major leadership role in the region and P J is extremely experienced and he is really rich, full of wisdom and very well-respected,” Dr Anthony said. “Of course, I am not suggesting that the same cannot be said of his opponents. Frankly, I do not know them very well, but I know that there is a lot of confidence in P J Patterson and I also know that he has guided the region with his usual calmness, his grasp of the issues and, for many of us, for younger politicians, we have for him a lot of respect and appreciation.”

Anthony said that while Patterson’s role in the move towards regional integration was well-known, the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) appeared to have an opposite outlook.

“Suffice it to say that I think the JLP, historically, has been a little more isolationist than the PNP (People’s National Party). The PNP, historically, has embraced the Caribbean more fervently,” he said. “And I believe that there is an obvious opportunity to begin to strengthen the Caribbean institutions, because you have a political party in Jamaica that is far more receptive to Caribbean integration and Caribbean co-operation. But fundamental reality, however, is that given the outcome of the election (the 34-26 share of Parliamentary seats) the two parties will need to get together and co-operate on the fundamental issues. And there is going to be need for some kind of consensus by both political parties on the approach Jamaica should take to the Caribbean region and to the establishment of institutions of the Caribbean community.”

The government and the Opposition, he said, also need to respond to the nation’s call for a move away from tribal politics and towards national unity.

“The few hours that I spent in Jamaica (for Patterson’s swearing-in), (it was clear) that the Jamaican people are anxious for some kind of unity; that the tribalism that has accompanied their politics over the years must give way to something that at least elevates the quality of political life and can give hope to the Jamaican people. Jamaica has always been a powerful example for the rest of the region,” Dr Anthony said.