Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Big Three and little CARICOM in the Caribbean

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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This should have been a parallel process along with the transition to an EPA since 2002....The english speaking region now has a large number of university graduates trained in Cuba and Mexico who speak Spanish and are a pool of talent that the Anglophone countries can use. Frankly the OECS seems to be better prepared for such an economic union with the DR than CARICOM...though the DR would dwarf the OECS in economic size....but the institutional thickness and its achievements over the last fifteen years stand in stark contrast to that of CARICOM.

I would think that this is a decision whihc needs to be carefully considered, with regard to monetary policy and fiscal policy, inflation, minimum wages and particularly security. As we see with the EU an economic zone is not enough...once you go there fiscal and monetary issues begin to emerge...CARICOM needs stronger institutions to manage this...the most important institution for this process the CCJ has not been thoroughly tested and is not yet accepted by all CARICOM member. Clearly DR is ready to play and realises the benefits of CARICOM...when will CARICOM realise this itself. The advantages that an English speaking region has in business is tremendous and can help it overcome its size, the integration of the Spanish speaking will only make the entire geographic region more economically formidable and able to withstand external shocks without knocking on the doors of IMF as some are already doing.

Anonymous said...

This would be a mistake. I've lived and interacted with people from the DR and most of them are crooks with no morals.

Massacre-ALR said...

I like the point Mr. Saunders raised about the CMC and CBU. We really do need to increase the flow of information, ideas and culture between the members of the CARICOM. How can one think about opening a business in say Belize if no one knows the tastes and attitudes of the Belizian people. Good journalistic work and increases in funding will go a long way in bridging the waters that divide our islands.

Anonymous said...

Let us not brand our Caribbean neighbours as all crooks...this is what is brewing a row between St. Vincent, Barbados and Guyana on immigration