Former prime minister Edison James says his United Workers Party (UWP) is supportive of the move by governments of the sub-region to have a single economic space through economic union of the OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States).
The UWP leader says economic union “is one further step where hopefully our smallness of size and our small numbers individually, can be to some extent negated by us cooperating as a larger body”.
He expects the move to result in some increased economies of scale.
James has also welcomed a planned OECS assembly where sub-regional matters including OECS economic union can be discussed by parliamentarians – government and opposition across the OECS.
The first assembly is being held in Antigua next month.
The assembly of parliamentarians is the OECS organ required to serve as a forum for deliberation on primary and secondary legislation proposed for the organisation.
The assembly is to comprise parliamentarians chosen from elected government and opposition members of national legislatures, reflecting as closely as possible the proportionate representation of government and opposition members in the legislatures at the time of selection.
James and parliamentary opposition leader Hector John last week attended a meeting of opposition parliamentarians where the sub-region’s integration efforts were discussed.
The UWP and other regional opposition parties are reported to have expressed support there for the OECS economic union.
The OECS treaty pushing forward the integration process through the establishing of an economic union went into force in January 2011.
WE NEED A PUBLIC MEETING OF THE UWP IN THE CENTER OF NEWTOWN
EVERYBODY IS FED UP WITH THAT PARL REP
ASK THEM LABOURITES AND THEY WILL TELL YOU
ITS A YOUNGER MAN THEY NOW WANT
ENOUGH IS TOO MUCH
WHO IS FOOLING WHO
WORKERZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
I really want to comment on the MOU ,but your poll item does not accomocate comments .Indicatoins are that only a YES or NO answer is allowed .
To make such a disclosure of highly classified document would be a very big mistake .If the two parties are in agerrment they could make a joint statement.A unilataral disclosure by the P M WOULD BE A MAJOR BLUNDER.
Diplomatic relatios are conducted in secret and resulting documentS are classified as “TOP SECRET” .
God forbid such a move!The Caribbean is representative of an Archipelago and thus all islands must be in such an Economic Union,regardless of Political or Governmental Systems.Haiti has much suffered through the anals of time by colonial and greedy Afro-Caribbean leaders who rush to to get “A GREEN CARD”,just attain knowledge and Education to rule over the people and thus,centralise wealth in the hands of a chose few families who have sold their soul to the Devil!”God is not mocked,for whatsoever a man soweth,that he will also reap,thus sayeth,The Prince of Life;Jesus Christ who is the only mediator between God and man.Behold He stands next to the Creator,just asking us to love and to serve,not to lie and cheat;not to accuse each other falsly,not to sleep with your brothers wife or your sister’s husband.He wants us to be humble and kind.He wants us to remember it is not about us being “The Superstar” or itching to be the Halls of Fames of the NBA,the NFL,the MLB and Golf.Being the “halls of fame”,is a “A HALL OF SHAME”.WE should yearn and thirst to be in Christ Book of Remembrance.Everything else is just a “RAT RACE.”
I agree with all of this. Let us concentrate on the OECS. The larger CARICOM is too cumbersome and supporting its bureaucrats in Guyana is very expensive and nothing is happening. Also Trinidad and Jamaica will just gobble us up.OECS is the way to go.
i totally agree with you. Besides, these larger islands are not in support of the single economic space either so we should definitely focus on the OECS.