INTEGRATING HAITI INTO CARICOM
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
January 10, 2007
IT WAS good to learn from Secretary General Edwin Carrington last week that the Caribbean Community Secretariat is working “assiduously” with the government of Hait to “fully integrate” that country into CARICOM.
What this means in practical terms is yet to be made clear. What is known is that since becoming a member of CARCOM in July 2002, Haiti’s pariticipation in the Councils and programmes of our 33-year-old Community has been generally viewed as being largely on the periphery.
This has much to do with the cycle of political crises and violence in Haiti. But there also appears to be a lack of focus by CARICOM on how it could usefully be involved in helping a government in Port-au-Prince to methodically deal with the technical aspects of the CARICOM Treaty for Haiti’s active involvement in the region’s economic integration and functional cooperation. .
Haiti is very far behind in preparation to function as an active participant in the emerging CARICOM Single Market and Economy *(CSME), the framework arrangements for which should, hopefully, be completed by late next year.
Further, accepting the reality of its own limited resourcs, CARICOM is not known to be identified in any systematic manner with even limited community-based programmes that could make some difference in the life of segments of a vastly poverty-stricken people.
The small “Representational Office” the Community had established in Port-au-Prince with the help of The Bahamas diplomatic mission in that country long before the ousting of President Jean Bertrand Aristide from power, has had no significant impact.
Now that, as disclosed by Secretary General Carrington, CARICOM plans on re-opening its “Representational Office” in a different climate under the administration of President Rene Preval, few caveats need to be addressed:
For a start, it is to be hoped that more careful consideration would be given to the qualification and experience of the primary designated “representative”; establishment of clear lines of responsibility and accountability and, of course, provision of basic facilities and tools to ensure at least reasonable efficiency in functioning.
CARICOM has, undoubtedly, been consistently playing a useful role, within a broad framework of international cooperation, to encourage the flowering of electoral democracy and functioning of democratic governance in Haiti.
Much of what democratic governance means, as well as the financial aid provided by foreign governments and international financial institutions are yet to impact on the lives of Haitians languishing in their historical poverty.
Last week, when he paid his first official visit to Jamaica since his election last year, President Preval received from Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller the warmth of friendship that he knows all Community leaders hold for Haiti and its people. Therefore, let’s see what materialises from the “hard work” currently being done to “fully integrate” Haiti into CARICOM.
(Reprinted courtesy yesterday’s Daily Nation of Barbados)