CARICOM’s Pronouncements Must be Consistent with its Charter of Civil Society
Submitted by Guyana Trades Union Congress
The Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) rejects, outright, the CARICOM Council of Minsters’ statement on the prorogation of Guyana’s parliament. This statement was issued in Georgetown on 16th January at the Ministers’ meeting.
Where this nation’s highest decision-making arm, which represents the collective determination of the people has been thrown to the wayside by the PPP administration, the Council’s response to this situation smacks at contempt for the citizens and their institutions. Their reaction to this grave matter of national, regional and international import confirms the cynicism of the region’s citizens as to the quality of leadership their governments are prepared to deliver.
For the ministers to speak about non-interference of and diplomatic proprieties by nations with whom Guyana and CARICOM countries have signed charters, even as they are intimating to Guyanese that we must accept a situation where our elected representatives are denied the opportunity to function in Parliament on our behalf, is hypocritical, self-serving and reeks of double standards.
The GTUC believes the only reason CARICOM could have issued such a contemptuous statement is to serve as insurance for regional governments in the event they face similar challenge at home to account for their stewardship, they would invoke the Prorogation clause, a feature of Westminster politics, to replicate the repressive conduct. The challenge to Guyanese and citizens of the Region is that while our ancestors fought against brutal slavery, indentureship and colonisation, their descendants are prepared to practice the behaviours of former oppressors and expect the people’s consent to the injustices and unfair acts.
Regardless of what programme a government has, the absence of the parliament makes government dysfunctional. The present repression poses dire implications, one of which can see spontaneous migration to CARICOM countries, where some of the very governments who approved the Government Information Agency-styled (GINA) press statement would reject additional undocumented Guyanese.
In the apparent focus to satisfy an immediate self-serving interest, it eluded CARICOM to examine the consequences of the repressive act of proroguing parliament. It was ignored that CARICOM subscribes to the principles that good governance can only be considered when the citizens’ Rights and Freedoms are respected and safeguarded, and all branches of government and constitutional institutions are in place and are allowed to work. These principles are not only adumbrated in the Commonwealth Charter, they are also ensconced in the CARICOM Charter of Civil Society. CARICOM can best serve the interest of the Region’s people by speaking and acting in conformity with its Charter of Civil Society.
Barbados Underground 
And CARICOM has its headquarters in Guyana shameful. I can see trouble brewing there as my grannie would say, “not too long from now.”
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Caricom and Prime Minister of Barbados had something to say about the recent tragedy in France YET nothing much about the farce in Guyana AND St. Kitts.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/extra/article.php?id=2890
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So David…
..if YOU lived in a glass house…..would you start a stone throwing session?
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Here we have two governments who have brazenly operated on the outer band of their Constitutions with scant regard for its electorate. A clear exposure of our democratic system. Then again no governance system is perfect so why bother.
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Here is a secret David….
The goal in not to find a “perfect system of governance” which will work DESPITE the unrighteousness of those within the system, BUT to develop the kind of righteousness within men, such that ANY shiite system will be made to work for the good of everyone.
Understand THAT principle and you will see that we have been chasing the wrong rainbow…..with appropriate results.
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@Bushie
Unfortunately we live in a world where the focus is on the transactions and need to be pragmatic. How values and philosophy guide our behaviour and decision making do not figure prominently.
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How values and philosophy guide our behaviour and decision making do not figure prominently.
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But boss, this is precisely the point.
If we live in a world that has been DESIGNED and CREATED around the intent to build values and righteousness (philosophy), what the hell can we expect if the “focus is on transactions”?
You think that because Vincent refuses to recognize that a great engineering mind is responsible for what we call ‘life on earth’, that this negates this FUNDAMENTAL and obvious fact?
….and if a brilliant engineer designs a complex factory to grind sugar cane into sugar and molasses, what would you expect if Vincent says to “frig that Ing.”, and let us process some old onions in the factory instead?
Boss…Don’t care wuh anybody say, if you see a man fishing in a dry pond ee head can’t be good….
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@ GTUC
I lost
Let me see if i can frame my thoughts.
I live home at my father and mother (the house = the Caricom Secretariat – Guyana)
Some siblings and some extended relatives, cousins and ting live wid we (Siblings and Relatives = CARICOM member states “reside” within the Secretariat, virtually)
Somewhere in another parish (jurisdiction) a domestic disturbance brek out and some parents, the Bordens, (government of the day) who accustomed abusing their children with whips and hoe sticks (solid waste taxes), get attack by dem daughter, let we call she Lizzie, and one uh dem parents get killed (France, mother of the Code Noire and other infamous acts of purgatory and perdition against humanite, blacks, suffers 17 casualties when her “chickens come home to roost”)
Even though me muddah and faddah (government) does practice cruelties, pedophilia and incestuous acts, me parents, come out in solidarity with the other family’s (government) remaining parent, decrying the death and violence against the surviving parent in that parish.
So wunnu not only want CARICOM, to come out in solidarity with France, in one breath, but wunna feel dat dem should broadcast their own indiscretions?
In short CARICOM, (siblings and relatives), living home at dem parents (the Secretariat in Guyana) and are supposed to denounce its parents in the muddah and fadder home??
de ole man hope he ent loss wunna to like he get lost in GTUC reasoning
Charity begins at home but CARICOM puppeteers ent so stupid
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Bush Tea January 18, 2015 at 10:14 AM #
Bushie
How my name get involve in this….yuh does love mekking quantum leaps…….leh we talk ’bout duh “Big Bang” theory nuh….yuh does too love to run.
Note a Sugar factory is not a complex thing and we are discovering that the human body has many flaws in its design……would you realy sing the praises of a designer of a flawed product……hmmmmm
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LOL @ Vincent
How my name get involve in this…?
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Just checking to see if you fall sleep like our ‘friend Del’…. ha ha ha
Boss, yuh hear that um was BBE who lit the match that started the big bang…? wuh more you need to know..?
Of course a sugar factory is not a very complex thing, ….but you ever seen one without a designer and builder? … but yet you somehow feel that nature itself could exist without a big boss engineer…?
…..and why would you wish to discuss your personal body flaws here on BU? …is that not better discussed with the wifey…? 🙂
…because you fail to grasp the complexity of design does NOT mean we have a design flaw….Um is more likely a “Vincent flaw…”
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@Bush Tea January 18, 2015 at 2:40 PM #
LOL @ Vincent
Hahaha….you have learnt the art of obfuscation well….carry on smartly……still running and ducking.
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