Robert BuddanPRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson has inspired a new idea using the World Cup of Cricket (2007) to give CARICOM an urgent and extra push towards a Single Market and Economy (SME). Cricket, that leading West Indian institution would, in my interpretation, be given the vanguard role in mobilising the emotional power needed for cementing deeper regionalism. Cricket is to be the catalyst for other aspects of regionalism to come together. Cricket would become the stage and centre-piece for the larger regional show.
To be fair, all English-speaking CARICOM heads are enthusiastic about the World Cup and individuals like Pat Rousseau and Christopher Dehring must get credit for their work from five years ago to win the hosting of the World Cup and preparing the Heads for what will be demanded. What Mr. Patterson seems to be doing is positioning the World Cup at the centre of regional attention and using it as the lead-in to deeper regionalism. Early expectations are for the Caribbean to net US$500 million from the World Cup and this surely must attract interest to the economic side of cricket regionalism.
The West Indies will be hosting the World Cup of Cricket in 2007. Mr. Patterson did not miss the opportunity at the assemblies of CARICOM heads last week to call for a World Cup Act that would give greater freedom of movement within CARICOM to facilitate the cricket tourism that will be possible. CARICOM heads have put the World Cup on its 2003 agenda. They know that larger and smaller countries alike will benefit from the World Cup. Whatever else they might differ about, they know that this regional project will benefit Caribbean economies. West Indies cricket has a world renowned label, a proud history, a re-emerging future and great marketing potential. It is the most powerful bond among Caribbean people. For all these reasons, it makes sense to use cricket as the force for the final push towards a SME. Cricket can be the platform for raising the regional passion for the SME that has been missing.
CRICKET: THE UNIFYING FORCE
There is good economic reason to have the SME. However, the economic appeal has not excited the Caribbean people even if they favour the single market. There is good reason to have greater political co-operation but the fear of federalism mutes enthusiasm for this. There is good reason to have a Caribbean Court of Justice but the idea has been controversial, especially in Jamaica. For all the arguments favouring deeper regionalism, the project has not elicited great excitement from the average West Indian, especially the average Jamaican.
Where economic, political and judicial reasons have failed, cultural reasons give hope. Sports and cricket, in particular, can now become the agent to mobilise popular enthusiasm for regionalism. It has long been held that regionalism, however beneficial it can be, has been an élitist project among Caribbean politicians and intellectuals but lacking the grassroots enthusiasm that it needs to succeed. Sports like cricket can succeed where other projects have failed.
SPORTS AS
PEOPLE'S PROJECT
Cricket and other sports are events that people from every background take part in, succeed at, and win popular support for. Sports are people's projects. Economic, political and judicial systems, in contrast, are seen as the preserves of those who traditionally hold power and prestige in society. Criticisms over the disparities of power in these spheres between mass and élite, have led to cynicism about who these traditional institutions serve. Cricket, in particular, is a West Indian people's project. West Indians identify with each other as a cultural entity. Because the cricket team is a regional one, there are no boundaries that artificially separate the islands from this West Indian cultural form. Economic, political and judicial systems are territorial rather than regional. Caribbean people cannot identify with each other through these. Caribbean island systems are insular.
As a co-selector and Trinidadian, Captain Brian Lara accepted and even advocated dropping two Trinidadians, Mervyn Dillon and Daren Ganga from the last Test team, to include two non-Trinidadians, Fidel Edwards and Vasbert Drakes. He had a broader view of what was good for the West Indies. In contrast, those in Jamaica who advocate retaining appeals to the Privy Council seem insensitive to the wider Caribbean view and what the Caribbean Court of Justice would mean for the broader Caribbean project. They do not act like captains of regionalism.
There is yet another difference between cricket and political, economic and judicial systems. Caribbean cricket governance is more democratic than those of these other spheres. The West Indies Cricket Board has no regional parallel. People might criticise the judgment, professionalism or vision of the Board from time to time but it is structured for greater democratic regionalism than political and economic governing bodies are. For this reason, Caribbean people feel a greater identity with regional cricketing authorities than with other authorities. Caribbean people might feel that the Board must be more open and transparent but at least the Board represents the unity of cricketing governance. In fact, the world cricketing authority, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is more democratic than many leading world political and economic bodies. The United Nation's Security Council, IMF, World Bank and WTO are notorious for their lack of accountability and the way they impose decisions about war and economic sanctions on hapless states and peoples.
Small Caribbean states have more voice in the ICC than they could expect to get in the present world political and economic bodies. After all, the ICC has put its faith in the region's ability to host this world event recognising that the Caribbean has a claim equal to those developed countries that have hosted it in the past. These are all the more reasons why we should use cricket as a means of cementing regionalism. The ICC is responsive to cricket regionalism in the West Indies and we in turn can use West Indian cricket to promote broader regionalism. The IMF and World Bank treat countries on an individual basis rather than on a regional one. The ICC provides a more democratic niche for small states, allowing them opportunities, to develop regional cricket as a vehicle for developing regionalism itself.
SEIZING OPPORTUNITY
The past week has witnessed the celebration of 75 years of West Indies Test cricket and 30 years of CARICOM. This combination provides an opportunity that must be seized for the future. World Cup cricket will provide more investment, visitors and global audience than any single event has ever done. It will treat the West Indies as one. Mr. Patterson says we must make it the best cricket World Cup ever to be hosted. Mr. Patterson has already launched that campaign.
The Government has made Michael Holding a Special Ambassador, and he and Ambassador Courtney Walsh have been asked to promote the coming World Cup. Other Caribbean countries must appoint their cricket ambassadors to help. The Jamaican Government has called upon other CARICOM countries to enact legislation that would make freedom of movement in the region possible for people of the Caribbean and those who will be attending the World Cup matches. The success of the World Cup will be greatly assisted by a Single Market and Economy that allows freedom of movement of people, services and goods. No other World Cup has taken place within a SME and the Caribbean case will test the advantages that are possible.
With the World Cup slated for 2007, the relevant laws should be put into place as quickly as possible. Business persons who want to make full use of open regionalism will benefit. The hotel, airlines, food, media, ground transportation, shipping, construction, entertainment and other industries that will want to do cross-border business will want the legal and political framework to be in place for them to do business together. While we debate our place in the CCJ, we must be aware that events are moving fast and we have to keep in stride. Business persons and sports fans need a regional judicial system like the CCJ to give confidence to regional projects. We cannot, as the JLP suggests, hold off a decision on the CCJ for 10 years. This view shows a lack of understanding of the events that are unfolding. Jamaica must catch up with events. We cannot force events to go at the pace of our domestic politics.
Robert Buddan lectures in the Department of Government, UWI, Mona. E-mail: rbuddan@uwimona.edu.jm
