Message to CARICOM leaders

Caribbean Movement for Civil Empowerment

30/06/2011

Opinión

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The Caribbean Movement for Civil Empowerment has initiated a petition to governments for action on the reform of regional governance, expediting the CSME, reforming the CARICOM Secretariat and involving civil society in regional decision-making. Within a short space of time the Petition gained the support of over 150 Caribbean citizens from different countries in the region and from all walks of life.

Honorable Presidents and Prime Ministers:

We write to report on the views expressed in a public forum held on June 30^th, 2011, at the UWI Institute of International Relations, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, on the subject of The Future of Caribbean Regional Integration.

Participants at the forum reaffirmed that the people of the Caribbean view integration as crucial for the region’s survival and development; yet there is a strong sense that the process of integration is in decline and is in need of renewed leadership.

We are taking this opportunity to call on the leaders of CARICOM to re-invigorate and re-energize the integration process by taking account of the deeply felt desire for a renewed leadership.

We wish to draw your attention to the recommendations of this public forum, where participants called for the following:

Resolve the question of the CARICOM Secretary General by offering the position to someone with gravitas and vision, and who commands the respect of both the Heads of Government and the wider region.

2. Empower that person to lead a complete overhaul of both the governance structures and the orientation of the CARICOM Secretariat, giving it the legal space to become an implementation institution.

3. Make a new effort at upgrading communications: the people of the Caribbean deserve to have a public broadcasting entity which produces content from the region, for the region across radio, TV and the web, informing everyone about their regional brothers and sisters.

4. Give genuine effect to the 2002 Liliendaal Statement of Principles and implement the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society as a matter of urgency.

5. Take decisive action on the question of regional transportation, and especially maritime transportation. Travel within the region is fragmented, inefficient and prohibitively expensive. Effective action on this issue could stimulate a range of regional benefits, from cultural co-operation, to much more effective intra-regional tourism.

We call on leaders to respond to these demands which we believe are supported by the majority of our people.

Respectfully

Caribbean Movement for Civil Empowerment

Keston Perry

30 June 2011

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