(Trinidad Express) There is need for caution in free movement under the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), as it can create tension between nations, says former head of the public service Reginald Dumas.
Caricom has agreed to work towards the free movement of all Cari¬com nationals within the Community by March 31, 2024. The Caricom Secretariat is to prepare a timeline of actions necessary to complete policy and regulatory work to bring the regional capital market into being by July 2024.
In a telephone interview with the Express on Thursday, Dumas said there is need for careful consideration and implementation of the CSME.
“I think that’s something that might be desirable, but in practice might be a little awkward in the sense that the economic situation in the region is not very good, and if people see others arriving from ¬other countries to take jobs at a lower rate (salary), then there could be awkwardness,” he said.
Dumas added, “I think we need to be careful by what is meant by freedom of movement for people to come and live and work. For instance, would you have a situation where Barbados fishermen are allowed to come in freely without hindrance to fish in the waters off Tobago and take all our flying fish because they have ice boxes and can stay several days at sea, whereas our people are coastal fishermen who go out for a couple of hours with a small boat?” he asked.
He said there will be difficulties and instead of furthering Caricom cooperation, tension could be created and therefore this requires careful action.
Dumas said further that he was particularly struck by what the Presi¬dent of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, said.
“He said you can’t go pointing fingers at people all the time. What are you doing for yourself? Use your own abilities to enhance your image, economies and intelligence,” he said.
Dumas also questioned whether the edu¬cation system is fit for purpose in the 21st century. “In general I would say no because we are training people to pass exams, we are not training people to think and look at the new technologies that are coming in, like artificial intelligence (AI),” he said.
He said further that the region needs to collaborate on how it can help each other in the area of health and combating non-communicable diseases.
With respect to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s announcement that Michael Ben’Ary will be the United States’ first co-ordinator for Caribbean firearms prosecutions, Dumas said stopping the flow of guns must be addressed.
“You can only prose¬cute somebody when they are caught. I am talking about the actual trafficking which comes before being caught— how are we going to go about stopping a flow of weapons from the United States into the region? That is what concerns me. Unless this special prosecutor has extended functions which include trying to limit if not stop the flow of arms, I have not seen his terms of reference, but if it is prosecuting people who have been caught and arrested and charged, that is the last step,” he said.
