The Bahamas remains resolute in its commitment to CARICOM, with the newly-accredited Bahamian ambassador pledging to explore avenues for closer participation.
Plenipotentiary Represen-tative of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas to CARICOM Sidney Collie recently presented his credentials to acting CARICOM Secretary-General Lolita Applewhaite at the CARICOM Secretariat. “I am cognisant of my responsibility in maintaining the excellent relations that exist between The Bahamas and the Caribbean Community,” Collie was quoted as saying in a CARICOM news release. “It is my mission, among other things, to identify and set up further modalities for collaboration and cooperation between The Bahamas and the Caribbean Community,” he added.
Collie said The Bahamas has been closely monitoring developments in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), and it was aware that integration was the bedrock of the Community’s flagship programme. He said that while his country had not yet become a signatory to the CSME, it maintained a “time immemorial” tradition of welcoming CARICOM nationals.
“The Bahamas is not a member of the CSME, yet, so we have not yet signed onto the free movement of labour. But that does not matter because Caribbean nationals have been coming to The Bahamas long before I was born,” he noted. Collie said skilled workers, predominantly in fields such as education, accountancy and banking and finance, had found occupation in The Bahamas and there was also a niche for domestic workers and care givers.
“There is an industry in The Bahamas for domestic workers. The Caribbean nationals who come to The Bahamas for work as housekeepers or caregivers are generally eaten up. There is no problem, if they are available and they can get work permit they are absorbed almost immediately,” he said.
Collie also said Hubert Ingraham, Prime Minister of The Bahamas, who holds responsibility for tourism in the Quasi Cabinet of the Conference, had taken the position “very seriously” as more than 60 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product was generated from tourism.
In this regard, he said The Bahamas attached “a lot of importance” to sustainable development and it was of the view that CARICOM and the wider global community should continue to build on the platform of the Mauritius Strategy for further implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The ambassador added that The Bahamas appreciates that though CARICOM has been buffeted by myriad challenges over the years, it has remained steadfast in its goals of unity and purpose, and unity of voice in the protection and the promotion of its development goals. In this context, he said that CARICOM must continue to engage like-minded countries to give voice to its concerns in fora in which it was not represented. Collie also said that The Bahamas had joined with the rest of the Community in congratulating Haiti on having conducted a successful second round of presidential and legislative elections. “The coming into power of a democratically-elected government, it is believed, legitimises its political process and helps to strengthen its institutions and civil society,” he said. “We must continue to rally the support of the world for our sister-nation and urge the international community and its constituents to make good on pledges made to Haiti as her needs are urgent. The situation in that country impacts us all. Let us never be silent on this most pressing issue,” he further noted.
