CARICOM’s silence may remain because…

Jul 18, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

CARICOM should ensure that Governments have abiding respect for human rights, the rule of law, and take action to ensure social and economic justice. It should also provide proactive, visionary leadership for promoting and reinforcing the spirit and commitment to regional integration, emphasizing transparency, accountability and operational excellence within all organs and institutions of CARICOM countries.
On the CARICOM website, under the caption, “Who we are” and subsection “Pillars of Integration”, it is stated that, “CARICOM rests on four main pillars: economic integration; foreign policy coordination; human and social development; and security”.
However, I was shocked when Pat Robinson Commissiong, in his letter published by KN on July 16, was trying to protect Caricom for their silence and reluctance to speak out on the present political situation in Guyana.
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is a creation of CARICOM, despite which countries may use it as their final Court, as such CARICOM must ensure that the CCJ is not being made ineffective, and that judgment issued must be honoured and respected by all stakeholders.
The claims of Pat Robinson Commissiong that CARICOM will continue to remain silent because they are not political is mind-boggling to say the least, since CARICOM was one of the first organisations that spoke out on the political situation in Guyana after the 15th December 1997 elections.
In fact, the then PPP/C Government committed itself in facilitating every effort by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to have a successful intervention of a top-level CARICOM Goodwill Mission to Georgetown, to diffuse three weeks of tension that gripped the city after the PNC rejected the poll results.
The Mission, comprising eminent Barbadian Sir Henry Forde, Guyanese Sir Shridath Ramphal, and Grenadian Sir Alister McIntyre, succeeded in getting minority leader Desmond Hoyte to agree to a poll audit, among other things, to agree with President Janet Jagan.
In a press release on the 1st June 1998, (Ref#:43/1998/868), CARICOM committed to playing a major role in the implementation of the Herdmanston Accord it brokered with Guyana’s political parties post-1997 elections unrest.
So the question is: why has CARICOM suddenly became dumb, deaf and blind on the present situation that is strangling Guyana’s democracy, but reacted in three weeks during the post-elections unrest in 1997?
CARICOM’s silence may remain because the PPP/C is not disruptive enough to get its attention.
Regards
Zamal Hussain

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