– “a rich time” Montserrat
by Bennette Roach
CARICOM Change facilitation team
How can Montserrat better support the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and how can the community support us? This was one of the questions among others that was posed at the Consultation between a Change Team and a wide cross section of government and the rest of the Montserrat public.
Claude Hogan
Dr. Gwendoline Williams of Trinidad & Tobago and her Facilitation Change team led the two-day CARICOM Consultation on the reformation and development of its five-year strategic plan. Senior Officers of Government, Department Heads, Statutory Bodies and Companies, NGO’s, Community Business Organizations, Private sector Representatives, Civil Society, Youth and Youth leaders, the church and the media, divided into five groups, following a half-hour opening session participated in the consultation.
Radio and TV personality Ben Meade moderated the consultations over the next two days with the organiser and resident Change Driver and Foreign Affairs Officer Claude Hogan. The full Facilitation team comprised: Dr. Gwendoline Williams, Miss Maria Mason-Roberts, Mrs. Jennifer Brathwaite, Mr. Keino Cox, Dr. Claudia Harvey and Mr. Glenn Wilson.
Some areas discussed in the hopes of establishing the priorities for Montserrat in relation to CARICOM support were agriculture, in particular food and nutrition security; Crime and Security; Energy security; Intra-regional transport; Environment and climate change; Economic growth and development; Youth, and ICT.
Youth Ambassadors, Ian Gerald and Clarise Yearwood with Helena Dorsette
At the end of the two-day sessions, group 5 (Youth and Youth leaders) being the last, the team summed up their dialogue and interaction. One team member mentioned, “some of the topics covered which came out,” especially for example transportation as a priority, the frequency and cost of transportation between member states, equity in transportation; communication, public education, education as regards to cost and development CSME, development, importance of the CSME…”
The summation referenced, “feedback that we were getting on critical issues around for example agriculture, intra-regional transport, education and youth development.” The team said, we heard, communicate, communicate,” and so there was mention that, “we will be using that information to put forward to the regional media plan – communication, how can we get the CARICOM message out – mention made also of the suggestion of a new name, “The United States of the Caribbean.” The conclusion, “We have had a very rich time…”
The team which plans to visit all the OECS territories having visited three so far, noted and promised that all pertinent matters will be included in the various country reports promised: “We have captured all the information, and we’re going to using our tool that will make all the things that you’ve said linked to some specific priority. We ensure that the areas that we have looked at, there were factors for concerns. We can assure that every single person would see when we send back the country report, that we would have taken everything into consideration,” assuring further that they will be using that information to put forward to the regional media plan.
The primary outcomes of the consultations are to form Montserrat’s contribution to CARICOM’s five-year strategic and development plan of the future vision and focus for the CARICOM Secretariat.
Family and friends in the Diaspora were encouraged to view and contribute to the conversation via Skype video chat or email. There was very little or nothing on this front.
Meanwhile, a release from the GIU had indicated that the UK Government assisted with funds for a full review of the organization which celebrates 40 years of existence this year. Montserrat has been a full member since May, 1974.
Opposition Member Dr. Lowell Lewis participates from a distance
The opposition members were among those absent from group one that consisted of Ministers of Government and other members of the Legislative assembly. On Thursday, The Premier was away on business with the Financial Secretary, One opposition member was off ill, another was attending a funeral overseas and Dr. Lewis sent in his apologies and regrets, but sent his contribution.
In a document he covered several areas as he called firstly on CARICOM to renew their support to Montserrat still trying to climb out of catastrophe. “Government, and the people of Montserrat, require and deserve the Community’s continued sensitive and unwavering support and cooperation to mobilise both technical and financial resources, to fill the gaps that remain in key sectors such as tourism, culture, sports, agriculture, as well as the budgetary and capital aid programmes needed for our recover,” he wrote.
He reminded of a desire for region, to take on, “an ongoing training program in Disaster Preparedness and Search and Rescue Services.” He attached a draft proposal in Disaster Preparedness and Search and Rescue Services.
He wrote of, “the introduction of an OECS/CARICOM inter island ferry and sports project.” This he said he had mentioned in a presentation to the inaugural meeting of the OECS Assembly in March, 2013.
And finally among other suggestions, “I encourage all CARICOM member Territories to work together to retain for our peoples, the affordable techniques and approaches for essential health care, whilst at the same time restoring the confidence of the tourism international insurance agencies, in our Health Care Services.”
