While regional and national economic development could be implemented by supporting Caribbean integration. Caribbean leaders perceive several hurdles which must be negotiated if such integration is to materialize. Discuss in light of the Caribbean experience from federation to CSM

1. #BestCourseEver
Name: Tremayne Douglas
Lecturer: Mr. Hyatt
Class: Global Marketing

2. While regional and national economic
development could be implemented by
supporting Caribbean integration. Caribbean
leaders perceive several hurdles which must be
negotiated if such integration is to materialize.
Discuss in light of the Caribbean experience
from federation to CSM
#LotsOfReading

3. West Indies Federation, former federation of 10 British West Indian
territories formed in 1958. Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados were
the principal members, but the federation included most of the Leeward and
Windward islands, then under British control. The seat of government
was Port of Spain, Trinidad. Slated for independence in 1962, the federation
did not survive its troubled infancy. Jamaica, the most populous and
prosperous member, voted (1961) to leave the federation, fearing that it
would have to shoulder the burdens of the economically underdeveloped
members; Trinidad and Tobago followed suit, and the federation was
dissolved in May, 1962.
Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago became independent members of
the Commonwealth of Nations in 1962, as did Barbados in 1966 and the
Bahamas in 1973. In 1967 the West Indies Associated States were created,
made up of Antigua (now Antigua and Barbuda), St. Kitts and Nevis,
Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent (now St. Vincent and the
Grenadines). Each of the states was voluntarily associated with Great Britain
and fully self-governing in its internal affairs. Over the next two decades, all
gained full independence, the last being St. Kitts and Nevis in 1983.

4. The Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) involves the free flow of
labor, goods and capital among participating Caribbean Community
(CARICOM) members states. The emergence, of this single market means
that legal and administrative restrictions affecting trade, labor and
technology within the CARICOM region will generally be a thing of the past.
But one of the greatest advantages is that it will encourage intra-regional
trade and allow CARICOM states to negotiate as a single entity.
^DOUBLE CLICK^

5. PEOPLES OPINIONS
The devil with CSME is not the detail, it is overall feasibility for us. Caricom is social —
fine — CSME is business. Let's delink our economic future from this imperial
construct. If we must work out our salvation in four years — we did not accomplish it
in forty — we need focus. Take this CSME off our to-do list so we can focus on
production, education, security, trade, and build prosperity. Got my "Jamaica First"
bumper sticker? Take no calls from Georgetown, leave Trinidad alone, let CAL fly
where it will, all our critical work is here. Job #1 is Jamaica, and we will catch up with
Caricom around 2024.
Some forty years ago the British went into the EU; before that they wanted to dump
us and forged a federation which fell apart and now our politicians reprise this in
CSME. Caricom was trade, fun, sport, the CCJ, and now this. CSME was created by
politicians for politicians in 2001 with no due diligence. It has no traction with the
masses; feeds expectations in business, our migrants with no future and our jobless
are not served. There is no joint radio, TV channel, newspaper, blog or call-in show for
Caricom people to meet each other. Not even a dating site. CSME is male ego and
guile not about people. Politicians took us from a common market into a single one
without our consent to copy the rich EU. We want a single economy with the rich USA
where our people strive and thrive. CSME works for EC members who use small boats
and planes for inter-island commute and trade with Trinidad, Guyana and Barbados
— don't grudge them. CSME is a distraction for us; it stresses our industrialists,
convolutes young politicians and distorts our global relations and trade. A single
economy in Caricom alone cannot help us, not now, not ever.

6. #WhatDoesThisMean
ECONOMIC integration may be bad for smaller Caribbean islands, stated by a British
economist.
Larger states, such as Jamaica, Haiti, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, would benefit
little from integration, while it would further undermine the well-being of smaller
countries, said Robert Read, a senior lecturer in international economics at the University
of Lancaster in northern England.
The West Indies Federation, since succeeded by Caricom, was established by the British
over 50 years ago as a safety net for the smaller economies, which were thought to be not
viable on their own.But it is the larger countries that have had the most difficulty since
then.
Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago have suffered problems of growth, due to
poor policies, wasted opportunities, and failing to diversify their products.
The region exports a limited range of goods, to a few markets, the top 20 products
account for 70 per cent of exports, the World Bank said. And Caribbean countries do little
trading among themselves.

7. Barbados has been successful in part because of its move from sugar to higherincome sectors such as tourism, rum and services, Read said. But the main
reason it grew was that it didn't succumb to poor policies.
An example of deeper integration that has worked, though not perfectly, is the
Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), whose members are relatively
equal partners unlike the Caribbean as a whole.
Increased co-operation; limited OECS-style integration — the elimination of trade
barriers and adoption of common policies — and increased trade among
Caribbean states, are what the region needs.
Strict integration would undermine much of the economic base for the smaller
economies in the region as activity, jobs, and output shift to larger countries.

8. #CONSIDERATIONS
For the islands, Spanish is by far the most dominant Caribbean language,
spoken by more than two-thirds of the population. By contrast, all English
language speakers together are less than those who speak Haitian Creole, or
by much less than 20 per cent of the total regional population. So to promote
more effective cooperation, the Caribbean people must move toward the
recognition of Spanish and English as the two official languages of the region.
Of course, this does not mean that other languages - Haitian Creole, French,
Dutch, and Papiamento - are unimportant and would retain strong local
attraction. But it does mean that Spanish and English should be introduced
across the region no later than the elementary level of education. The
Caribbean is a multilingual region and recognizing that reality in the
educational system would greatly facilitate closer cooperation.

9. Language deficiency is not the only regional handicap. Caribbean primary
and secondary schools need to teach more about the geography and history
of the region. That is, they need to know more than their individual unit. The
goal should be that by age twelve every schoolchild should know the size,
location, population and natural resources of every Caribbean state.
Similarly, the historical contours of each state should be common knowledge
across the region. But this geographical and historical knowledge has to be
deeper than a set of facts and figures. It must strive to communicate the
basic commonalities and values of the Caribbean experience.
Governments have a role to play in bringing the people of the Caribbean
together. To do so they must abandon useless institutions and concentrate
on long-term educational efforts. The more the common folk of the
Caribbean know about one another the better they will work together. And
that they can do without formal political integration.

10. The Caribbean needs to focus on two areas, inter-island transport (logistics) and
education, including training in information communications technology (ICT), he
said. "The world has rapidly moved on in the last 30 years, and could be leaving
the region behind."
For more than half a century several Caribbean states have been talking about
regional integration. Nevertheless the region is no closer to a cooperative system
of political and economic association than it was a century ago. The problems of
Caribbean integration are not hard to find. None is major. But the Caribbean has
a strange way of magnifying simple things.
To start, Caribbean leaders should be working toward a loose cooperation rather
than the proposed measures of integration that evoke models of the present
European community. To make integration work in the Caribbean, much
deliberate preparation over a reasonably long period of time is necessary. That
preparation must take into account the realities of the region. The major issue
for each state is whether its existing businesses and workforce can survive the
increased competition when businesses that are more successful enter the local
market. Many states are uncertain as to whether their local economy can survive
the transition.

11. From all indications, it appears that the CSME is about survival. Businesses that
do not have the resources or capacity to compete will surely whither away.
States that fail to develop their capacity must prepare to deal with economic
calamity.
But the most debated issue is the implications for employment. The free
movement of labour is limited to qualified and skilled persons. Therefore, the
idea that with the emergence of the CSME will result in mass movement of
unskilled persons to more prosperous member states seems far-fetched.
Of major concern to the Governments and people of the region is the potential
for an increase in local unemployment as a result of more persons competing for
the few available jobs. Another concern is the increased pressure that may be
placed upon social and economic institutions, in the event of mass migration,
and their ability to cope. Governments of the region are exploring various
measures to assist the public and private sectors to adapt. However, many are of
the view that, the question of whether these states have the resources to deal
with negative externalities including increases in crime, poverty and
unemployment levels is yet to be strategically addressed.
Whatever the issue, the CSME is a reality that all member states must confront.
At the end of the day, sink or float, it’s all about survival of the fittest.

12. #iTHINK
Promoting CARIBBEAN INTEGRATION will afford
them a better opportunity to influence policies
concerning global trade. Perhaps the region
may soon be a force to reckon with in the next
round of World Trade negotiations.
THIS IS SOMETHING I STRONGLY AGREE THE
GOVENRMENTS SHOULD CONSIDER ASAP!
Thanks for your time.