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The other side of the EPA: Fix Guyana then negotiate

Sep 10, 2008 Features / Columnists

Peter R. Ramsaroop, MBA

INTRODUCTION:
Headlines on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) have been numerous over the last few weeks in our local papers. For the most part, it is all about President Jagdeo’s objection to the proposal by the European Union (EU).

There is no union in Caricom as yet as we struggle to implement the Single Market; therefore, many individual countries see the proposal as a good thing.

I would go out on a limb here and advocate that Guyana should not tie herself to Caricom but to the South American Bloc. We have seen the consequences so many times in the way we are treated in other Caricom countries.

Guyana’s landscape and products do not align as well with Caricom as they would to South America countries such as Brazil.

What the EU is showing us is how well they have integrated as a bloc, and what we are experiencing is how disintegrated we are as Caricom.

Come on stakeholders, the discussions should not be what this agreement will do to us, but what do we need to do in Guyana to improve our economy.

What did the President tell you he would do as the alternative to this agreement? Did he promise more jobs, more products, other markets, new investments?

Does he have other monies lined up from other Unions to attract to Guyana? Let us focus on the real issue here.

No other Caribbean leader has praised the President for his actions. Our Private Sector must learn to ask the correct questions and advocate for future development.

OUR DIRECTION:
Guyana needs to step back and take stock of what our current and future products will look like. Would it really matter if we signed the EPA?

Where else can we market our products? Would the assistance granted by the EU be better for us since no other investors are coming into our country?

Caricom is stagnant in many areas and Guyana needs to figure out what is the best direction going forward. I have written many times about the Brazil link and that is where our focus needs to be right now. The airline that we have serving us from another Caricom country treats us as second class citizens.

A fare from Miami to Trinidad (3+ hours of flying) one-way is US$89.00 and from Trinidad to Guyana (45 minutes flying) is double that, but that is another issue.

WE ARE IN NO POSITION TO NEGOTIATE DIFFERENTLY:
Had our government continued the economic recovery plan in the early 1990s, opened our investment code to attract investors and invested in key new areas such as alternative energy, the Brazil connection, and diversification of our agriculture industry, we may have been in a better position to negotiate.

The agreement as I see it is very rewarding for Guyana and what we have to give back in return is limited. Many of our products are excluded in this agreement. We will be gaining access to the largest market in the world.

What we need to concentrate on then is what we will grow, produce and manufacture in Guyana to sell to these markets. How will we take the returns they are giving us to attract investments that will create jobs for our people?

We tend to be so protective of the little we have, instead of opening our eyes and dreaming bigger. Even if a large company from the European Union with deeper pockets comes into Guyana and buys out some of our local businesses but is able to expand and create jobs while expanding our trade, should that not be our desire?

Countries such as Barbados, Belize and Trinidad and Tobago have indicated their willingness to sign the agreement. What do they see that we have not?

CONCLUSION:
Our President needs to concentrate on improving and expanding Guyana’s products first before worrying how we will be able to trade what we do not have right now. Sugar and rice will be taken care of under this agreement in a few years, so the traditional base is covered.

We need to take the incentives that this agreement will give us and use it to expand our nation in order to create jobs for our people and prosperity for all.

Let us get off the world stage and focus on making our nation’s products and investment strategy open. Let us concentrate on security and energy in order to have products that we need to get to market, AND THEN we negotiate with the power of our products and partnerships with larger countries such as Brazil. Without new agreements, we will continue to redistribute poverty among our citizens.

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