By Phyllis Thomas, News Editor 
ONE OF the main issues to have emerged from last week's 24th meeting of CARICOM heads in Montego Bay was the failure of regional leaders to implement decisions they have taken
to strengthen regional integration.
For 30 years the region has been talking about its goals to achieve integration and has just barely crept past some of them. So when the leaders grouped in Montego Bay last week, it was seen by some as another round of meetings and another round of urgings.
This failure to implement decisions has long been identified as a weak point in the integration movement. The now defunct West Indian Commission, which was headed by Sir Shridath Ramphal, had in 1992, presented a report to the CARICOM heads of Government pointing to the weaknesses of the movement.
In 1994 then Prime Minister of Guyana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan said, "...After more than 25 years, our community-building efforts seem to have come to a halt in a rapidly changing world situation. We are now at the cross-roads to the future. It would not be a secret to say that we are rather disappointed with the economic progress of the community."
Now, nine years later, current chairman of CARICOM, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has still found it necessary to urge fellow regional heads into action. He warned his colleagues at the opening ceremony for this round of talks, that they could no longer continue to talk about the goals of regional integration without moving to implement decisions agreed on.
"The people of the Caribbean have invested their trust in us. They are now demanding a dividend from the edifice of integration; tangible results which improve their well-being... We cannot continue to talk and fail to implement. We now need to take steps required to make
our decisions, declarations
and commitment binding on Governments so as to reassure our peoples of our resolve to fulfilling the objectives and goals of the integration movement."
But reports out of the meetings indicate that the slothfulness of CARICOM will remain a while longer. At the end of the second business day some of the leaders were reported as saying that the deliberations were not going as well as planned.
Of note too, was a proposal by Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo that a commission be set up to see to the implementations of decisions out of meetings. He got the support of Edison James, former Prime Minister of Dominica, who said that it would be a means of implementing the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). The call for a commission suggests that there is an underlying cultural problem that is presenting itself as a barrier to the implementation of decisions. Because if the problem was about legislative matters, such a commission would be of no use.
The West Indian Commission was established at the Heads of Government meeting in Grenada in 1992 to identify issues that would guide the countries in the region closer to integration. Among its list of areas for immediate action were hassle-free travel and the free movement of skills within the region. A summary of the status of decisions taken by CARICOM heads, leading to the CSME, was released by the CARICOM Secretariat last week. It revealed that the elimination of passport for CARICOM nationals, for intra-regional travel was not implemented by some member-states, who continued to require CARICOM nationals to present passports at their ports of entry. This was up to very recently but all member-states had up to June 30 to implement it.
Where the free movement of skills is concerned 12 member- states including Jamaica have put in place legislation to facilitate this. But only Jamaica and Antigua have completed the necessary regulatory and legislative arrangements to allow the free movement of media workers, artistes, musicians and sports persons. This also has a June 30, 2003 deadline. Jamaica is the only country to have taken action regarding the immediate removal of restrictions under Protocol 11, to expand the categories of persons eligible to move freely. These persons include self-employed service providers, entrepreneurs, technical, managerial and supervisory staff, spouses and immediate dependent family members.
It is recognised that each country has domestic issues that can be presented as obstacles to the success of the movement. Jamaica's squabble over the Caribbean Court of Justice is an example. But I think that a major hindrance to CARICOM unity since 1973 when the Treaty of Chaguaramas established it, is that we don't trust each other. And until we can look beyond any perceived invasion of space, superiority complex and ultra nationalist ideals we are in for a very long day.
Some leaders at last week's meeting were talking about political union. But if economic union is proving to be such a toothache I cannot imagine political union among the wider region anytime now.
Prime Minister P. J. Patterson feels nevertheless that CARICOM has been a success and listed the formation of several institutions.
The gains made by this movement so far are important to the citizens of the region. However the decisions that form the essence of the regional integration remain on the books and that is
disconcerting.
Send your comments to phyllis.thomas@gleanerjm.com.
