Speaking recently at Bocas Lit Fest, Jamaica’s former Prime Minister, P J Patterson, observed that in recent years there had been a “deliberate attempt” to split the Caribbean.
After referencing the EU’s divisive action in relation to the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of Nations (the ACP), he went on to say “I am afraid to say (fragmentation) is happening in CARICOM and perhaps the difference in our approach in relating to Venezuela is the best example of that”.
Such divisions, he observed, are becoming more pronounced “the more so when there is interest in a commodity which is being found to exist in abundance in Guyana”. He also noted how difficult it will be for the Caribbean to achieve its objectives in relation to debt, climate change, COVID-19 and participate in the development of a new world order if others divide regional unity.