Currently Director of the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Guyana (UG) and well-known in academic circles for his contributions at both the University of the West Indies and UG, as well as his books, other published works and discourses, Thomas was one of the leading presenters at the just-concluded activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the Central Bank of Barbados (CBB).

His two options, as outlined for "the way ahead" in regional economic integration - a "fall back or "default position", or a "customs-built option" - should prove useful for more than the CARICOM Secretariat and the Community's decision makers.

The co-author, with Dr. Havelock Brewster, of what is regarded as a seminal work of the 1960s, `The Dynamics of West Indian Economic Integration', pointed to the credit side of initiatives that make a difference to Caribbean life and spoke positively of CARICOM while citing its deficiencies.

That came as a refreshing surprise to those who attended the CDB's panel discussion on `Caribbean Economic Integration: Challenges and the Way Forward', particularly as the region tends to be in a self-flagellation mode for failures while often overlooking the examples, even when recognised by credible international institutions, for its significant strides, against the odds, measured in terms of established social and economic indicators.

Like Brewster, Thomas has been one of the more informed critics of CARICOM, but like other scholars of their stature they have always been offering alternatives to what they oppose or with which they have some disagreements.

Therefore, before sharing with readers some of his ideas on the "way forward" for the Caribbean region at this period of much discomfort and uncertainties among poor and developing states, it was surprising to hear both Thomas and the Barbados-born economist, Professor Andrew Downes, Director of the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies, I think it is relevant to point out how disappointing it was to learn that they are virtually ignored in ideas-sharing by respected colleagues of the CARICOM Secretariat.

Not that they were complaining. They were simply telling their representative audience that while they frequently receive documents/position papers from international agencies and institutions for comments/reactions, this is not the practice where the CARICOM Secretariat is concerned, a source that churns out endless documents and reports on issues of importance to the region's development.

Personally, I feel that like other scholars and intellectual workers, they belong to what remains a long overdue mechanism - creation of a mobile Caribbean `Think Tank'. This should be composed of some of the best regional minds of all sectors, to be at the service of the Caribbean, as required for specific assignments/missions, with the public and private sectors contributing to a special fund to make it a functional project.

Perhaps, as surfaced at the discussion panel at which Thomas made his presentation and chaired with useful interventions by the CDB's high profile Governor, Dr. Marion Williams, another relevant initiative that should be pursued with some seriousness is the establishment of a Regional Skills Bank, the moreso now that there is more 'talk' and also a little more 'action' to facilitate intra-regional free movement of skilled CARICOM nationals.

The ISES' Downes, for whom labour and human resources-related issues have been of particular interest, feels, as Thomas does, that the region's universities and the Caribbean Development Bank are well placed to exercise initiatives to help in the establishment of both the envisaged mobile Caribbean Think Tank and a Regional Skills Bank.

I would add to the universities and the CDB, such institutions as the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD) and organisations like the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce (CAIC) and the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) as able contributors to bring such mechanisms on board.
`Default Position' vs Customs-built Option