A few months ago the Caribbean would have been embarrassed by the report: The judge who’ll head the new British Supreme Court says Caribbean and other Commonwealth cases are taking up too much time of the Privy Council. The statement would have come against the background that only Guyana and Barbados have signed onto the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final civil and criminal appellate court for the Caribbean.
In the aftermath of one of the worst natural tragedies in world history and for a second time our regional leaders have been the target of disrespect by the so called First World. A Caricom mission which included three Caricom Prime Ministers were declined permission to land in Haiti as part of a regional first response to the disaster in Haiti. Whether the reason was US authorities in charge of the airport were forced to prioritize air traffic because of limited apron space. Whether the other reason circulating that US authorities are trying to keep Venezuela and Cuban involvement out of the relief effort, it doesn’t matter – REFUSING THE CARICOM MISSION PERMISSSION TO LAND IN HAITI WAS UNACCEPTABLE.
As if to add insult to injury the Prime Minister of Haiti has been reported in the media suggesting: that the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping could play a leading role in securing much needed financial and technical assistance to his earthquake battered country in the years ahead. Prime Minister Bellerive said he had already held talks with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Bruce Golding on what role CARICOM could play in the rebuilding of the country. If we are to accept the sincerity of Prime Minister Bellerive’s reported statement there seems to be a disconnect between the US authorities and Haitian authorities regarding the important role Caricom is required to play.
Of course the resources and expertise of the Americans is needed at this time. The same accommodation which would have been extended to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Head of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon to land at the crowed Haitian airport, the same should have been extended to the Caricom delegation. Is it unreasonable that the Caricom delegation could have hitched a ride with the two officials? Haiti is a Caribbean country with observer status in Caricom, the role of any Caricom delegation should have been immediately obvious to the USA. The relief effort on the ground is the first priority for authorities, however some may suggest that equally as important is the need to build governance structures in Haiti to ensure the medium and long term interest of Haiti is protected. The history of Haiti exposes many who are currently playing a role.
The people of Caricom have witness the disrespect directed at the Caricom delegation; intended or not. How our leaders respond may have implication for the confidence which many Caribbean people have for Caricom. Caricom is charged with the responsibility of implementing CSME which up to now has been a sticky issue. Many like BU will wait to see what leadership is exercised by our leaders in the weeks to come concerning the Haiti reconstruction.
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