Premier says attending CARICOM ‘essential’
(CNS): Premier Alden McLaughlin is on the road again this week heading to St Lucia for the 40th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which he said was “essential for me to attend” because measures to enhance the Single Market and Economy (CSME) is expected to be high on the agenda and Cayman needs to foster relations with the nations in the region.
“While as an associate member of CARICOM not all the agenda items are applicable to the Cayman Islands, there will be many areas of common interest,” McLaughlin said. “The challenges facing all CARICOM nations are great, particularly on the economic front. It is essential for me to attend in terms of a relationship building process. It is important to foster fraternal relations with our neighbours within the region.”
Traveling with him is Attorney General Sam Bulgin, Cabinet Secretary Samuel Rose, Head of the Office of the Premier Roy Tatum, international affairs analyst Jamal Anderson, and the personal assistant to the premier Jana Pouchie-Bush. Minister Roy McTaggart has also been invited to attend the Council for Finance and Planning prior to the CARICOM meeting.
In addition to the single market issues other areas of interest to the Cayman Islands include sargassum in regional waters, EU blacklisting, the potential to increase regional trade and security matters, including border control.
The event opens on Wednesday, 3 July, with addresses by the current chairman, St Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet; outgoing chairman, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Timothy Harris; and CARICOM Secretary-General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque.
CARICOM has 15 Member States: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago; and five Associate Members: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Category: Politics
Who is Jamal Anderson, and what experience does he have of international affairs that makes him an expert analyst.
No harm I guess, but it is a proverbial basket of deplorables who offer nothing to Cayman by way of ideas or money.
What qualifications does Roy have that he can be chief advisor to the Primer ?
He can ride a bike and laughs at Alden’s jokes — the one’s Alden thinks are jokes, not the policy decisions Alden makes.
We should partner with our neighbors before other nations. Work together. Of course he should be there!
We’re not even Members of Caricom so I don’t think he had to go but I understand his wanting to be there….it’s free and he can network. Pretty sure after he gets voted out in the next election we will finally be able to see what he’s been working on the last few years in office. Cause we al know it hasn’t been about helping any local people except the special few.
Fact Check:
Cayman has been an Associate Member of CARICOM since the early-1990s.
The truth, for those wishing to be truthful, would be:
Cayman is not a FULL Member of CARICOM.
Next time do make that distinction, don’t use the word “member” loosely.
Words matters.
8.49am Exactly. What that means is we pay a not insubstantial annual fee, but cannot vote on anything, and unlike a lot of the full members we are not in arrears.What it does, is allow our politicians and our “international affairs analyst”, the opportunity to tour the Caribbean to compare the quality of the local varieties of saltfish and ackee.
My word, love me some local varieties….
Having a full-flavour tasting tour is always good except if you are not the one on tour 😝
Thanks for that but my point was simply whether his having to go was ‘essential’ or not….and it’s not. If you needed information on what our status was at Caricom everyone can do as you did and just google Caricom. I didn’t think I needed to delve too deeply into our status and all it entails. So yeah.
Son, your reference to Google (not even to the Library) dates you.
Thanks for your attempt at explanation.
But my attempt at clarification comes from direct participatory experience with CARICOM over a period of 20 years, much of which you had not been born as yet.
If you were, then my attempts are truly in vain.😰
CARICOM it is.
Of course the Cayman Govt should look after “Caymanians” FIRST, “the Jerusalem” of Acts 1 command by Jesus to reach out to others, when in a better position.
However, we have seen that after Hurricane Ivan when it was mostly “the Judea people” (BDA/Caribbean) who helped, Cayman nonetherless, Cayman has been extending it’s open arms the the “uttermost parts of the earth”.(nothing agaisnt people from afar).
That’s wrong!!! Besides Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados, I believe more of the smaller islands – “Judea people”, should be working and being helped in Cayman. “Christian nation”? God will ask, ” what have you done for your small island brethren like you (OTs) lately?
So Mr. Premier, this is a great neighbourly visit, “the Cayman Kind”, to foster greater relationship and extend a helping hand where posible. (Well done, after Hurricane Maria).
Yes, there are qualified persons at home and in the UK, US etc, of small islands diaspora who can help their islands through serving in Cayman. Coming here and understanding Cayman success may cause them to return home after their tour of duty to help their islands having similar challenges.
I can see that you understand Cayman cannot be the “Lone Ranger” in the Caribbean. It should be, the Caribbean to the Rest of the World. Integration and cooperation are critical.
All the best, it’s more blessings for Cayman.
Oh god!
Participation in CARICOM events (even as an Associate Member) does make some of us uncomfortable.
Alden this goes with the job. Justified attendance.
The sourpusses will soon be on here beating on you.
Enjoy!