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Sep 17, 2013 Letters
DEAR EDITOR,
Perhaps one of the more remarkable documents to be produced and circulated around the Caribbean is the Caricom Calendar of 2013 – titled “Celebrating 40 years of Integration”. It could possibly claim to be the most concise informational on the history of Caribbean Integration to be digested – a memorial to be preserved.
At the same time, however, there may be some of those involved in what may be termed as part of the pioneering or building period who may have reason to be nostalgic about other features of Caricom’s growth, including the development of the Secretariat itself.
From a Guyanese perspective for example, the heart of Caricom would appear to be under-represented. Even forgiving minimal reference to its co-architect Burnham (in a single picture of the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas) whose vision also inspired the conception of Carifesta, opportunity could have been taken to reproduce the earlier loci of operations of the Secretariat, namely Colgrain House, Bank of Guyana building, and possibly one or two of the several Annexes used to accommodate the increasing numbers of staff.
It is interesting also that little reference was made to the several agencies which operated under the Caricom organisational umbrella. The case of agriculture brings to mind the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), based at St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
That Education could have been overlooked in the face of the institution of UWI; and the non-recognition of CXC examination courses that are statutory across the Region, is at least puzzling, particularly also that it must be a substantive component of any human and social development pillar of the Community. Those countries whose economies are substantially driven by tourism must wonder about its omission from this historical document.
Perhaps, uncharitably, one holds a biased perspective of the document’s insights into Caricom’s future – youth, without indicative expertise that would contribute to developing economies; or the identified potential areas for the Region’s future leadership.
A similar bias perhaps informs the view that in the milieu too many of the officers who made substantial contributions to the foundation on which the Secretariat’s performance now purports to thrive, have been overlooked. The Human and Social Development programme takes little or no account of the ‘wellness’ of the Secretariat’s former employees for example, ‘and the management, despite the latter’s persistent representation, through at least seven years of correspondence and direct interface, continues to procrastinate regarding a policy for increasing the rate of pensions paid at least to its retirees of the 20th century; while internal arrangements are in place for levels of current staff to have periodic compensation adjustments, allegedly to reconcile with increasing economic demands.
The Secretariat’s position in this year of celebration has been to ignore any entreaties altogether. And yet their value has been consistently acknowledged by the significant rate of retention of retirees in the establishment over the past decade and more.
EB John
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