IF the people of the Caribbean Community are anxious to know what progress was really achieved at the recently held Heads of Government Inter-Sessional Conference in Dominica to advance the CSME — the claimed “flagship” project of the regional integration movement — a quick answer could be “precious little” or, perhaps more correctly, “nothing new”.

One does not have to be either a bitter critic of Caricom or too much of a cynic to arrive at such a disappointing conclusion. The four paragraphs in the 13-page communiqué released at the conclusion of the two-day conference in Roseau provide a useful reference.

And in doing its work in the service of the integration movement — now entering its 37th year of existence — the Caricom Secretariat may have unwittingly further contributed to the prevailing mood of disappointment and cynicism by an announcement last Tuesday (March 23), consistent with decisions taken at the March 11-12 conference in Roseau.

In its press release titled “Free Movement Impact Study Underway in Caricom”, the Secretariat disclosed the launch of “a study to better facilitate the free movement of persons and the integration of the regional labour market” involving the 12 states participating in the CSME.

“To better facilitate (my emphasis) free movement” of Caricom nationals? The Secretariat and the governments it serves cannot be serious! Certainly not against any evidence of significance that member states, which have contributed not only to the severe slowing down of the free movement project, but have created unfortunate bitterness and hostility by politically expedient immigration initiatives, may now be willing to rethink their positions.

For starters, Antigua and Barbuda, which is among the dozen CSME participating states, has with the consent of the other 11 excluded itself from this latest “free movement study” because, as the Secretariat explained, “it is presently being serviced by a separate project”.

Free movement study

The reality is that the limited ‘free movement impact study’ is taking place in isolation of what is viewed as a much-needed initiative for Caricom to mount a project for a major skills data bank on available talents within the region and also extended to include the Caribbean diaspora.

The ‘free movement study’ is a six-month exercise being funded by the European Development Fund (EDF).

Incidentally, in the European Union, with whom Caricom and the Dominican Republic in 2008 signed a full Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) — the implementation of which remains another matter of deep concern — free movement of European nationals is treated as “a fundamental right”.

Within Caricom, nationals can often experience quite shabby, if not humiliating treatment by some immigration authorities, compared with the deference and preference shown to foreigners of a certain pigmentation and nationality.

With some nine categories of free movement of “skilled workers” approved over the years in Caricom’s slow march on labour mobility for the CSME, the reality is that no enabling regional legislation has been enacted to facilitate the crucial issue of contingent rights.

As a result, a number of Community nationals continue to experience problems, at times quite embarrassing, to obtain relevant social services for family members, including health and education.

Questions

Worse fears have recently emerged over denial of citizenship by place of birth for children of Caricom nationals in a few jurisdictions, including those subscribing to the skilled workers’ programme.

A question of relevance therefore arises as to whether the launched ‘free movement impact study’ on immigration trends and the demand for social services under work permit arrangements is really aimed at correcting prevailing problems.

Or, is this another device to further rationalise the lack of political will to make progress in what some see as “managed migration” in the face of continuing excessive emigration of Caribbean talent to Europe and North America by West Indians, who find little or no encouragement to remain and serve at home or in the region?

We have been told, by way of the communiqué on last month’s meeting of Caricom leaders in Roseau, that “key issues and recommendations” from an “appraisal report” on the status of “implementation” of the single market component of the CSME were considered.

Further, that endorsement was given to “a detailed agenda for continued action” by all participating member states to honour their obligations within stated timelines.

Encouraging as it may seem, this decision appears to be little more than a reminder for defaulting member states (who happen to be in the majority) to get moving on what is expected of them.

The latest outcome of the “appraisal report” on the status of implementation of single market targets is scheduled for discussion at the coming 31st annual Caricom Summit to take place in Jamaica in July.

The Roseau conference seemed to have made a stunning discovery with the stated conclusion by our leaders that “there is still outstanding work to be done” by individual member states to consolidate and to improve the functioning of the single market.

Question: When will the region’s people be advised on specific actions for sequential implementation of the far-reaching report authored by Norman Girvan on “Towards a Single Economy and a Single Development Vision”; or the recommendations from the Vaughn Lewis-led team of experts on “Matured Governance” in Caricom?

The reports are gathering dust at the Community Secretariat and in the offices of member governments.

When will “actions” replace “assurances” on implementation of core programmes of the CSME? Or, as others ask, when will Caricom leaders stop the politics of what Trinidadians cynically equate with “spinning top in mud”?

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who has himself been complaining publicly about recurring problems over lingering barriers to free trade and free movement of Caricom nationals, will have the opportunity to, hopefully, arrest the spreading cynicism and disappointments when he hosts and assumes chairmanship of the 15-member Community this July.