PM’s political union

doomed to failure

Several reasons can be advanced to support the incremental view that Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s latest political incarnation totally lacks any semblance of credibility.

Readers will recall that in 2004, Manning floated a similar plan to achieve political union with St Vincent and Grenada by 2007. That plan never saw the light of day.

His current political union aberration now involves an Eastern Caribbean political union with six countries by 2013. That is one year after the 2012 general election that Manning acts as if he is guaranteed to win because he does not need the support of the Opposition for the proposed union.

He also does not need the support of either the Opposition or the electorate (referendum) for the requisite constitutional amendments because, according to his convoluted and doomed ratio decidendi, a simple majority is all that is needed.

The proposed political union will entail the total abandonment of the existing 1976 Constitution to be replaced by an Eastern Caribbean Union Constitution.

With respect to his 2004 edition of the political union with Grenada and St Vincent, an ANSA McAL poll then showed that more than 60 per cent of the people were opposed to any political integration and 84 per cent of those polled rejected Manning’s regional concerns and stance at the expense of domestic rectitude.

Why do these four Caribbean leaders still feel that they can adopt a failed and rejected, top-down, Federation-style approach to political integration without consulting the people?

Has Manning ever considered it politically correct to issue a White Paper on his red-herring approach to political integration that is designed to distract us from the serious domestic problems that are plaguing T&T and exposing the ineptitude of his governance?

Is this union a diversionary political strategy designed to embellish his regional image to com- pensate for his flagging, Burnham-style, lacklustre performance at home?

What is needed as a first step is an internal study and political initiative that is designed to demonstrate quite cogently to the people of T&T what superior benefits will accrue to them were they to agree to proceed from the economic-integration CSME stage to the proposed political union with Grenada, St Vincent and St Lucia.

Having recently achieved favourable maritime boundaries against T&T, Barbados will not be keen to dismantle them in a hurry having decided not to send its PM Thompson to the Port-of-Spain meeting.

As for Grenada, I do not know what mandate newly elected PM Thomas received from Grenadians to be toting the union baggage/MOU of Manning in his trip up the islands to collect signatures from other Caricom Prime Ministers.

Manning’s political union, driven by utter disrespect to Caribbean people, is doomed to failure.

Stephen Kangal, Caroni

Manning should come clean on what political union means

Is Caricom breaking up? That’s the question I am asking myself as I hear the statements by PM Patrick Manning about a “political union” with some OECS countries.

What does this “political union” consist off? What will it mean to the people of T&T?

Manning should take example from Jamaica Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who asked if there have been consultations with the Oppositions in the four countries (T&T, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and St Lucia).

From the comments made by Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday, no such consultations have taken place in T&T. So again we see Manning attempting to impose his ideas on us without involving the people or their representatives.

Now Manning is flying off to other OECS countries “to sell” his idea. Well, based on the negative response coming out of Jamaica, this plan will lead to the demise of Caricom, much like the West Indian Federation.

It is time we demand that Manning and the PNM come clean with the population and inform us what this “political union” will entail before he goes committing the people to things they may not want.

Kelvin C James, Sr

Via e-mail

Let’s fix T&T first, Mr PM

The decision by Prime Minister Patrick Manning to moot the idea of an economic and political union with several Caricom countries evokes a series of questions.

Manning stated after his meeting with his Caricom partners last week that Caribbean integration was always on the PNM’s agenda since its founding in 1956.

Do we remember who suffocated and finally killed the West Indies Federation in May 1962? It was the founding father of the PNM, Dr Eric Williams, who told his PNM convention that “1 from 10 leaves 0.”

Then he hurried to Marlborough House in London to secure independence for T&T, which the British gave away on August 31, 1962.

Now we have Manning pushing another political union.

Manning should really focus on the socio-economic development of the whole of T&T before designing a plan for another West Indies federation which, from all counts, would be another failure.

Even the mighty European Union continues to have teething problems with its grouping. Some European countries opted to hold referendums so that the people could decide whether they want to enter in a political union with their sister nations of Europe. The Manning model is far removed from this kind of decision-making process.

With a political union, would the people of T&T have to give up their standard of living, political choices, freedom, democracy? Are we to expect a new socio-cultural and political dispensation?

This is a very serious issue and one man or a few Caribbean leaders must not be allowed to decide our future because of political egos.

Manning, please forget any political union with other Caribbean countries. The Government must get serious about national development and nation building. It must get serious about the dilapidated roads, bridges, healthcare, government services, high food and energy prices, transportation problems etc.

I did not remember reading in the PNM manifesto any plan for a political union.

Even Caricom, after 35 years of existence, has not fully emerged from its infant status. There continues to be squabbling among countries, whether it is about fishing, energy, trade, aviation etc. The Caricom dream is falling down, all because of inefficient, immature and egoistical leadership.

Let’s fix T&T first, Mr PM.

Paras Ramoutar

Councillor

Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo

Regional Corporation

Don’t sign that

EPA agreement

Bravo to Prime Ministers Tilman Thomas of Grenada and Stephenson King St Lucia, and President Jagdeo of Guyana for having the guts to stand up against the signing of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union.

There is nothing in this for us in the Caribbean. This is loaded in favour of Europe only. They will also now have the authority to enforce European systems, laws and values upon us, or else.

This is exactly how it was before the winds of independence blew through the area.

Prime Minister Patrick Manning, do not sign this backward document on my behalf.

David Salinger

Maraval

Join with Guyana, Suriname instead

I am for integration but not with Grenada, St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The reason is not ethnicity as some may be tempted to think but simply economics. What do these countries have to bring to this “political marriage” with T&T?

A political union with Guyana and Suriname will have many more advantages. These are as follows:

n Guyana and Suriname have vast acreages of land and a strong agricultural sector that can become the breadbasket of the Caribbean, thus ensuring food security for the region.

n T&T’s abundance of diesel and gasoline can be provided to Guyana and Suriname at a subsidised price to boost agricultural production.

n Guyana, Suriname and T&T have a common historical, cultural and political experience that can be built on. For example, in all three countries there are large numbers of Africans and East Indians that are familiar with and share in each other’s religious and cultural practices.

n Eco-tourism is a major industry that can be explored in Guyana and Suriname. The Kaiteur Falls, the rain forests and the vast rivers of Guyana and Suriname are a paradise for naturalists.

n Association with Suriname will provide markets for trade with the Dutch-speaking Caribbean and the Netherlands.

n T&T’s natural gas can be used to assist Guyana and Suriname with aluminium smelter production rather than establishing smelter plants in Trinidad.

n Guyana has gold and other precious metals that can be exploited and traded in international markets for precious foreign exchange.

n The potential for wealth creation will give rise to a high standard of living, low inflation and negligible criminal activities including homicides.

n Lastly, T&T has Brian Lara while Guyana has Shivnarine Chanderpaul. 

T&T has nothing to gain by an association with those other islands. The only solution to those three states is for them to apply to the UK for dependency status and, if successful, they would be lucky to be part of the European Union, an economic powerhouse.

Unity with Guyana and Suriname is essential for T&T if we are to think of our survival beyond 2012. If we don’t move speedily in that direction we may also have to apply to the UK for dependency status.

DH Singh

Chaguanas

Medieval era, not Dark Ages, Cudjoe

Selwyn Cudjoe’s reference to the European Renaissance being a direct result of what the Moors kept alive during Europe’s Dark Age perpetuates an intellectual fraud against the achievements of one of civilisation’s greatest periods of social, political, theological and religious thought.

Those in the “know” correctly refer to this time period as the medieval era, not the Dark Ages. Philosophers of history (Catholic, Muslim and Jewish) who reintroduced Aristotle and other Greek text to the European/Latin world all contributed to the vibrant exchange of ideas during this pe-riod.

Some would even argue that the true renaissance resided in what the medieval scholars had to offer.

P Socrates

Via e-mail

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