Op-Ed: Caribbean Politicians Need to Travel More Efficiently

By David Rowe
Op-Ed Contributor

It’s not easy getting from island to island in the Caribbean.

Seemingly every month, Caribbean politicians and government officials do their own version of island hopping, either for CARICOM events or intra-regional dialogue.

But in the digital age, is this still necessary?

Skype, international videoconference, e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and text messages are certainly options for Caribbean Ministers and MPs who need to make sure that they are constantly in touch with other international leaders.

In 2012, Montserrat Premier Reuben Meade called for a “green approach” on this issue.

“Instead of traveling by plane to meetings,” he said at the time, “we need to increase the use of video conferencing.”

This kind of travel is sometimes unavoidable, however.

When you’re effectively making a sales call on behalf of your country, doing so over the phone, just like in the world of business, won’t always work.

The question is, for these kinds of trips, why don’t Caribbean ambassadors abroad cover at least some of these assignments? Certainly our diplomatic representatives are well-trained and carefully selected.

Indeed, do Prime Ministers themselves need to make these trips? Prime Ministers tend to bring large delegations with them, from assistants and secretaries to security officials.

Would a delegation led by the Foreign Minister not be necessarily leaner (and more cost-effective?) And come to think of it, given the size of most Caribbean countries, should Caribbean Prime Ministers automatically hold the role of Foreign Minister, too — a position they tend to fill on a de facto basis anyway?

Ultimately, many of these trips are necessary for the Caribbean’s heads of government. But they need to be done with taxpayers in mind.

Case in point: Jamaican Prime Minister traveled to Cuba this week for talks with President Raul Castro and to attend the CELAC Summit.

She was accompanied by six Jamaican officials and an undisclosed number of security officers. Was it necessary to bring along such a large Jamaican contingent?

Similarly, Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina traveled to Honduras this weekend for the installation of that country’s new president, similarly bringing along a six-member delegation.

It’s hard to justify bringing along such large groups for foreign trips, especially those within the region.

This kind of travel is hard to avoid, but when it comes to using taxpayers’ money, it needs to be done in the most efficient way possible.

David P Rowe is an attorney in Jamaica and Florida and an adjunct law professor at the University of Miami School of Law in Coral Gables, Fla.

Note: the opinions expressed in Caribbean Journal Op-Eds are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Caribbean Journal.