OECS marks 21st anniversary with Customs Union, other plans

BASSETTERRE — The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) was scheduled to conclude its 21st anniversary meeting in St Kitts and Nevis last evening with a new vision “on the way forward”, including the creation of a Customs Union and a common magistracy in the integration of their judicial system.

The meeting, which opened on a high note of optimism for closer economic and functional co-operation on Tuesday evening, is pushing ahead with plans for freedom of movement for citizens within that subregion of the wider Caribbean Community to live and work in the seven independent member states of the OECS.

Host and current chairman of the OECS, Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, noted that for all its current social and economic problems, which cannot be divorced from international factors of declining aid and trade, the OECS nevertheless has “succeeded in achieving significant economic and social advances”.

According to Douglas, perhaps one of the most significant achievements of the regional grouping that boasts of more integral functional co-operation than the rest of CARICOM, was the creation of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB).

The ECCB hosted an exhibition that highlighted the areas of progress by the OECS over the past 21 years, including the health, education, agricultural, manufacturing, fiscal incentives and bulk purchasing of pharmaceuticals.

It enjoys complete independence from any governmental influence in its decision-making processes, and is responsible for the administration of the common currency, the EC dollar, of all members of the subregion that has remained stable at some EC$2.70 to $US1.

Prime Minister Lester Bird of Antigua and Barbuda, the only surviving head of government to have signed on May 18, 1981 the “Treaty of Bassetterre” that established the OECS, among the leaders present for the two-day meeting, was in an even more optimistic mood as he shared his vision of how the grouping should further advance and inspire other CARICOM states to do likewise.

He proposed that the governments and regional private sector become more aggressively involved in the creation of a Customs Union — an idea first suggested by him back in 1982 — with a common customs administration.

This, he feels, would greatly contribute towards the future economic sustainability of the OECS countries.

Noting that the OECS already has a common Supreme Court, Bird said that by the time they meet again for their 22nd meeting, they should make some significant stride towards the integration of their judicial system, including “a common magistracy”.

But he feels they must remain supportive of the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), have original jurisdiction for interpretation of all disputes arising from the CARICOM Treaty until such a time as the OECS countries also access full membership of the CCJ in all areas of its jurisdiction.

An update on progress being made to establish the CCJ, with some US$20 million for its first five years of operations as a mobile regional appellate institution, is among matters scheduled to be discussed at next month’s 23rd annual regular CARICOM Summit in Guyana.

The prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, who has been given lead responsibility among OECS heads to advance ideas on political integration and free movement of people, has said that the subregion had no alternative but to press ahead with these matters to give substance to the idea of “one people, one market, one Caribbean nation”.

Carlos John staying with UNC

PORT-OF-SPAIN — Carlos John, business executive and high profile former cabinet minister and close colleague of ex-Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, has made it clear that while he intends to quit party politics, he has no intention of resigning as an MP of the United National Congress before a new general election.

He has told a media briefing, sitting next to Panday, on Tuesday, that he would continue to vote with the UNC, whenever the Parliament is convened and also intends to support and campaign with the new chosen candidate for his current St Joseph constituency, which he twice won by convincing majorities.

He, however, admitted that his decision to quit election politics had resulted from the undue and unfair pressures his family have been facing following allegations of fraud against some of his well-known business partners and the private questioning of him by the police about a cheque for some TT$500,000 he had received from business entrepreneur Ish Galbaransingh, currently among six influential people awaiting trial on alleged fraud. John is not among them.

But he declined, on legal advice, as he said, to comment on an estimated TT$200,000 (TT$6=US$1) he is reported to have transferred into a London account held by Oma Panday, wife of the UNC leader.

Panday said that he deeply regretted that his friend Carlos has decided to stick with his decision to quit politics and blamed the PNM for its “smear campaign and selective pressure tactics” designed to place the UNC at a disadvantage for the next general election that he insists must be held before year-end.

Air Jamaica, BWIA help journalists attending Hugh’s funeral

BRIDGETOWN — A group of 13 journalists have been facilitated by Air Jamaica and BWIA to attend today’s funeral of the slain veteran broadcast journalist and sports commentator, Hugh Crosskill.

The group will include journalists from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua, some of them having worked with Hugh while he headed the Caribbean News Agency radio service.

The funeral of the 47 year-old journalist, survived by wife Gillian and their three children, will take place at the University of the West Indies chapel at Mona.

Crosskill was shot to death by a security guard at a private medical complex on the morning of June 7.

Co-ordinator of the Caribbean group of journalists attending the funeral, Barbados-based regional journalist, Rickey Singh, said they were “deeply appreciative” of the generous co-operation of BWIA and Air Jamaica that chose to express their own solidarity in a “practical manner”.