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By Rickey Singh |
Nov. 7, 2005: AFTER THE STORM came the calm. I am not referring to the threats posed last week by Dennis the menacing tropical storm that brought back dread memories of Ivan in 2004 for Jamaicans, before veering off to inflict, tragically, fresh disasters in Haiti and Cuba.
I am alluding to what happened at the 26th annual CARICOM Summit in St Lucia with some strange positions and decisions taken during the four-day event.
Perhaps the best two examples would be the fracas over cricket, involving in particular the Prime Ministers of Barbados (Owen Arthur) and Grenada (Keith Mitchell) before a surprising decision; and the Venezuelan-initiated project, "PetroCaribe"
* OIL: First the reservations publicly expressed by Prime Minister Patrick Manning of Trinidad and Tobago at the ceremonial opening of the summit last Sunday afternoon over Venezuela's initiative the previous week for the inauguration of the multinational "PetroCaribe", under which CARICOM states would benefit from less expensive oil.
A number of Manning's colleagues in off-the-record comments had noted that although some of his expressed reservations were shared, they should first have been privately discussed at a working session of the conference.
Instead, he had articulated his reservations in a manner, they thought, that conveyed the wrong impression. Such as seemingly admonishing CARICOM partners that have signed the "PetroCaribe" initiative while having concerns of their own.
But without prejudice to Trinidad and Tobago's position as the traditional major supplier of petroleum resources to CARICOM states, knowing that negotiations are to continue.
The final outcome? Manning was chosen by his colleagues to continue discussions on behalf of CARICOM, with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez on aspects of the "PetroCaribe Accord" yet to be finalised.
Another surprise came with the strange SILENCE of the official summit communique on ANY aspect of the "PetroCaribe" project and Venezuela's offer of cheaper oil to Caribbean partners.
This is in sharp contrast to the end-of-summit media briefing at which Manning was quite pleased to say that for all the claimed divisions on "PetroCaribe", "all's well for our unity... We have kissed and made up".
Barbados, which has an oil facility arrangement with Trinidad and Tobago that is unique within CARICOM, has not signed the Venezuela Accord, but also avoids criticising it.
Question: Who then from CARICOM will also be on Manning's delegation for the coming talks with Chavez on the "PetroCaribe" project?
* CRICKET: With a lingering crisis resulting from intractable disputes between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA), involving a mix of problems of selection of players and sponsorship of test series,
the CARICOM leaders decided to discuss the situation in caucus.
Sharp differences reportedly arose with some strongly opposing any involvement that could undermine the independence of the WICB in its administration, or right in selection of players.
Others argued, equally in favour of some kind of mechanism for structured dialogue devoid of any intent to erode the independence of either the WICB or the WIPA.
References were made to the increasingly integral role of cricket in the region's social and economic development and the importance of ensuring that Cricket World Cup 2007 is in no way jeopardised by current controversies that also involve the two foreign telecommunications corporations, Digicel and Cable & Wireless.
In the process, outbursts between Prime Ministers Arthur and Mitchell became so fierce that at one stage the Barbadian leader abruptly walked out while the caucus session was still in progress.
He later explained that he had left "for a cup of coffee" and that he had returned to offer suggestions that were incorporated in the final decision.
More surprise was to follow. In finally deciding to intervene in the WICB/WIPA impasse, the Community leaders came up with the idea of a "Good Offices Mechanism", comprising three eminent Caribbean persons, the Heads of Government named three of their colleagues and also a resolve to invite the WICB to become an "associate institution of CARICOM".
Spearheading initiative
The Prime Minister of St Lucia, Kenny Anthony, host of the summit and current CARICOM chairman for the next six months, is to spearhead the "good offices" initiative. The surprise, as expressed when the announcement came, was that Prime Ministers Arthur and Mitchell are the two other eminent persons.
Given what transpired during that tense caucus session on cricket, some have been wondering whether it would not have been appropriate for Arthur and Mitchell great cricket enthusiasts who acknowledge its importance to Caribbean life to have declined representation, and allow some of their other colleagues to be chosen, like Prime Minister Patterson from Jamaica.
It is indeed encouraging that the Community's leaders were pleased to paper over the cracks from the "verbal storm" that emerged at their 26th summit, and anxious to highlight instead their "unity" and "optimism" in advancing the goals of the 32-year-old economic integration movement.
Nevertheless, they need to be more sensitive to what is perceived as contradictory messages their posturings convey. Greater care is also required to reflect major major decisions taken at a Heads of Government Conference in the official communiqué. For example, on the sensitive, some say contentious issue, of the "PetroCaribe" project.