Robert Buddan, Contributor
RECENTLY, A most distinguished set of regionalists gathered for a conference at the Mona Campus. The conference was organised by the UWI Principal, Professor Kenneth Hall and Michael Manley Professor, Dennis Benn, both of whom have edited major books on governance, CARICOM and globalisation in recent years.
The idea of the conference was to assess the new directions of CARICOM. The conference was important because it admitted the slow pace of regional integration over the last 30 years and recognised the beginning of a new phase of accelerated regionalism. Towards this end, the conference sought to report on new institutions agreed upon to speed up regional integration. But it was also an opportunity for regionalists to contribute their thoughts on what the new directions of CARICOM should be.
I use this opportunity to share some comments because it was felt that the region was not sufficiently abreast of what is happening.
PEOPLE'S REGIONALISM
The constant issue has been the role of people in regionalism. Regionalism is often thought of as an arrangement between states that heads of governments, technocrats and bureaucrats talk about; and an arrangement for big economic players to trade and invest. The conference acknowledged that leading regionalists themselves might be at fault for giving this impression.
It therefore accepted the need to bring regionalism more to the people, if not to make the people the centre of the arrangement, as some believe should be the case. Regionalism is associated with the multilateralism and diplomacy of states rather than appreciated as a community of people. There is a growing sentiment that regionalism must be primarily about people and CARICOM's future direction should shift to reflect this.
Rosalea Hamilton got right to the heart of this when she suggested that regionalism's analogy should be the family and member countries, or more to the point member peoples should treat each other the way they treat their brothers and sisters. Carolyn Cooper pointed out that the sometimes technical language of regionalism is alienating and drives a wedge between technocrats and people.
For example, people's regionalism is captured by cricket regionalism and more people knew about and attended the Red Stripe Bowl final between Guyana and Barbados that was running parallel to the CARICOM conference. CARICOM needs to tap the people's own energy to bring regionalism to their everyday consciousness the way cricket organisers have.
The attendance at the conference by students and the general public was poor. Although there was media coverage one student remarked that the coverage had not been of the drama and priority given to murders and that we seem to pay more attention to destructive behaviour than to constructive events. The fault might lie on all sides but there was consensus that academics, journalists, politicians and so on must do more to educate the people about regionalism. The people too must make an effort to be educated. Citizens' democracy begins with people accepting responsibility for their own education in public affairs.
GOVERNANCE AND REGIONALISM
I was privileged to have been asked to make a presentation at the conference and I stressed that regional governance will only be as strong as is the national governance of member states. Rules pertaining to quality and standards, rights and non-discrimination, transparency and fairness will only work if national ministries are structured for them. People's participation in regionalism will be realised if they have national participatory structures. National governments will only be responsive to regional concerns if they have the means to listen and consult with their own people. The Regional Charter of Civil Society must be matched by national charters in practice. National systems of justice must support the ideals of the regional court.
Trevor Munroe similarly made the point that the attention to regional governance, justified as that is, should not ignore the improvements that are needed in national governance. Others in fact remarked that some people seem to be so caught up in the struggles of national politics that regionalism becomes peripheral to their consciousness.
The point is that if people do not feel that they can get good governance from their own systems they will not feel that they will get much through regional governance.
I suggested that CARICOM should establish an institute on governance that could bring regionalists from all spheres together to continuously research, study and deliberate on ways to improve governance regionally and nationally. Through such an institute regional democrats could deliberate in common on matters that affect the governments and politics of small states, territories and people of the Caribbean. These would include the threat to security, environmental issues, corruption, political and constitutional reform, justice, and others such areas.
Talk of regionalism and governance might bring fear that this is really about federation. Neville Duncan did explore some issues of federation, confederation and unitary government between St. Kitts and Nevis. However, most discussions were concerned with how to make regional and national governance compatible. National sovereignty will still be preserved through arrangements for intergovernmentalism leading to flexible regionalism.
There was one issue raised about ways to include opposition parties in regional institutions. This is a good idea but as Stephen Vasciannie pointed out, to institutionalise a structure of governing versus opposition parties in regional institutions would be to give the character of federalist politics to regionalism. Probably there can be some other way of doing it.
This is something that this generation of Caribbean leaders, faced with the special task to renew governance, must think through and apply. They must also think through ways to combine the new CARICOM regionalism with renewed governance to transform the region from the old and inherited styles of politics and social development in one grand and bold thrust towards improving the quality of life in the Caribbean.
EDUCATION AND DEMOCRACY
Regionalism and governance should be about people but they can serve people to the extent that people learn the culture of democratic citizenship. This means that they must build a culture of trust, tolerance, civility, compromise, consensus and participation. Too many citizens are not willing to learn and are stuck to old stereotypes of politics. Too many depend on others to do things for them rather than getting involved directly. Too many complain and do not construct. Too many only get involved with their MP when they want something for themselves. Too many expect government to do most things for them. Too many are too lazy to participate. And, too many have too many excuses for defending their old habits.
Citizen democracy rests on the premises that new forms of democracy are emerging and citizens must be educated into what these are; and that governance is not just for politicians and government but is about how citizens treat each other and how responsibly they take up their duties in the family, community, workplace and wherever else they associate.
CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
I was pleased to host guests of the United States Office of Public Affairs recently, who were visiting Jamaica to talk about citizenship education for democracy. There are three points from this seminar that are relevant here. One is that democracy must be seen as an evolving project and we must always be looking at ways to make it better. The second is that democracy is not just about process like free and fair elections but about culture. It becomes real democracy when people can practice civility, tolerance and compromise as second nature. The third is that people, acting as citizens, must continuously refresh their democracy. Democracy cannot be defined by abstract constitutions but by people acting out democracy through participation.
These points are relevant for considerations of national and regional governance and for developing real citizens' democracy.
Robert Buddan lectures in the Department of Government, Mona, UWI. E-mail: Robert.Buddan@uwimona.edu.jm
