The Caribbean Community Has a Plan. But Does It Have Leaders?

By Michael W Edghill
CJ Contributor

IN JULY of this year, Caricom outlined its strategic plan designed to promote and strengthen the supranational organization and enhance its position in ever-changing global relations.

The overview, made available through the website of the Caricom Secretariat, points to various broad, long-term goals as well as indicating steps that Caricom wishes to see taken at the national level in order for the Caribbean Community of nations to grow in strength and solidarity.

Over time, people will be able to pick apart the details of the plan and vet the merits of the strategy.

Whether the strategic plan be sound or suspect has little to do, at this point in history, with the success of its implementation.

As with any organization, be it a corporation or a supranational institution, the success of implementation comes down to a question of leadership.

Who will step forward to lead and who will people follow?

For the future success of Caricom, it is becoming more apparent that two leaders are necessary.

One must be an individual with a certain amount of gravitas in order to motivate and inspire a skeptical Caribbean population to buy into the benefits of a stronger Caricom. The other leader must be a state actor with the credibility and influence that encourages other states to join in this effort.

In the Caribbean today, there appears to be but one individual leader with the boldness and rhetorical skill to be able to motivate all Caribbean people to buy in, at least a bit more, to the concept that a more unified Caricom is of benefit to all people in the Caribbean.

That individual is Dr Ralph Gonsalves, the Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, who has been one of the leading voices concerning Caricom amongst the heads of state in the region.

He is known for his outspokenness and his ability to use rhetoric that reflects both a well-informed intellect and a connection with the “everyman” of the Caribbean.

In March of 2014, Gonsalves spoke clearly of the limitations of Caricom and its reliance on the various heads of state and their respective state institutions to successfully oversee the implementation and adherence to Caricom decisions.

It was the type of address that needs to be repeated over and over again so that Caricom itself is completely understood and so that heads of state throughout the Caribbean are reminded that the success of Caricom is dependent upon them.

The Caricom strategic plan references the ideal Caribbean citizen.

If helping form this ideal citizen is a goal of Caricom, then the citizens must first be well informed and well educated on issues of importance to Caricom and the Caribbean as a whole.

Gonsalves is they type of political figure who has the ability to lead in that capacity — to connect with and educate the masses while at the same time motivating the political leadership to take the steps necessary to strengthen Caricom.

But one individual is not enough.

Often times it is only the will of a strong nation that can hold supranational organizations together and compel them to act.

One need look no further than how Germany serves as the vanguard of the European Union. Without Germany’s leadership, one is left to wonder if the EU would remain.

At the very least, would it remain in the same capacity as it exists currently? Caricom needs the leadership to come forth from a strong state in the region and the logical selection would be Trinidad and Tobago.

Going back more than a decade, Trinidad has emerged as the de facto leader of Caribbean states, hosting numerous foreign dignitaries and conferences. Its energy wealth has placed it in a unique situation among its Caribbean neighbors as far as economic stability is concerned.

But despite the advantages of stepping forth as a regional leader, various governments of Trinidad & Tobago have been hesitant to step forth for fear that embracing a position of regional leadership may impose even the slightest risk to the nation’s economy or, worse yet, create domestic political problems.

This dynamic goes all the way back to Dr Eric Williams declaration that “Ten minus one equals naught”, asserting that Trinidad would not be the sole ‘supporter’ of the West Indies Federation.

It continues to the current day with Trinidad’s tepid embrace of the Caribbean Court of Justice despite the fact that it is headquartered in Port of Spain. While not structured in the same way, Caricom needs a state-leader similar to what the EU has in Germany. It is left for the people and government of Trinidad to decide whether or not they are willing to shoulder the burden that comes with leadership.

If the Caribbean community wishes to see Caricom’s strategic plan for the future start to manifest itself and produce the positive results offered in the plan, then leadership is required.

Due to the nature of the Revised Treaty of Chagauramas which binds the community, such leadership cannot be required by anyone.

It is only through voluntary actions that we will see leadership emerge.

For the good of the Caribbean community, one must hope that the leadership offered here, or other quality leadership, emerges soon to help shepherd the Caribbean into the future and to provide stability and guidance for a region dealing with global transition.

Michael W Edghill, a Caribbean Journal contributor, teaches courses in US Government & in Latin America & the Caribbean. His work has also appeared in the Yale Journal of International Affairs and Americas Quarterly.