Nationals of OECS must change mindset – Charles Maynard

Maynard

Nationals of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States OECS must change their mindset for an economic union within the sub grouping to succeed, OECS Ambassador Charles Maynard has said.

One feature of the union, the free movement of labour, came into effect last Monday.

The initiative necessitates that OECS nationals use only a valid form of identification and completed travel document to move throughout the region. The free movement lessens travel restrictions imposed on nationals within the OECS Maynard said, but there is more work to be done.

“We have to change our mind-set from seeing each other as foreigners to seeing each other as part of one financial and economic space,” he said on a government funded radio program last night.

He said OECS leaders, through the economic union, are eradicating restrictions to facilitate freedom of movement and economic activity among nationals. Free circulation of goods and facilitation of trade are other features of the economic union.

“Once countries became independent they had to put their restrictions and it’s a time now to remove those restrictions,” Maynard argued.

Dominica is among six independent members forming the OECS. Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, and St Lucia are the others.

Three overseas British territories are member states: Montserrat, British Virgin Islands and Anguilla.

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12 Comments

  1. Ashley
    August 6, 2011

    mister need to retire and go and take a rest.

  2. Tell Skerrit
    August 5, 2011

    Maynard u must tell Roosevelt Medard Skerrit unless i am given the rights that i deserve i my homeland,the OECS movement is of no significance to me.It is now the other islands will be fed up with Domi-in-cans.

  3. me
    August 5, 2011

    We also need to ensure that educated Dominicans are given first priority to vacancy positions in Dominica. I hope

  4. warma
    August 5, 2011

    I have to agree with Mr. Maynard. Personally, I look at all my West Indian people as brothers and sisters, not as foreigners because, for all intents and purposes, we are all the same. Our growing up is identical to each other. When the slave ships came across the Atlantic, they all came from the same place, the only difference is which harbor they dock in. Some of us have added influences in our culture, like us Dominicans have French influence b y virtue of the fact that we were once colonized by the French, but we all have similar life experiences.

    We have to look at each other the same way Canadians and Americans look at each other; we’re all the same. A Dominican going to St. Vincent or a Kittian going to St. Lucia should be as flawless as a New Yorker traveling to Texas, or someone from Toronto traveling to Alberta, or someone from London traveling to Scotland; we’re distinct insofar as to our origin, but we’re one insofar as our collective is concerned. II happen to think that this is especially critical to us in the OECS, since we’re all small. I am also well aware of the perceptions of us as being “small islanders” in the wider CARICOM grouping and the so-called “big islands” have a tendency to look down on us. What these “big islands” tend to overlook that collectively, we the “small islanders” are a powerful influence on their economies, and they ought to be thankful. Which is why I am in favor of us “small islanders” coming together as one big group – it gives us leverage, greater economic power, and a force to be reckoned with.

    • Prophet2
      August 5, 2011

      I totally agree!

  5. Anonymous
    August 5, 2011

    Free movement? I beg to differ.

    Immigration still harasses everyone in all the countries and the same way we treat the Hatian nationals is the same way we get treated by the Antiguans, Tortolians etc etc.

    We can only be free when we free ourselves from this stigma that we are better than others, and when we free our selves from mental slavery.

    Jim ‘Jimmy D’ Duggan

  6. caribguy
    August 5, 2011

    Traveller Antigua did sign up on the 1/8/11
    but they don’t know what they singed up for.
    I ask the question if a OECS member came here to work, were dose that preson pay income tax ect, do they pay it in Antigua or to the country they came from. All I got was a blank stare

    • Sout Man
      August 5, 2011

      The employer makes the deduction on behalf of the government; so wherever the business is located. I personally think that pension is a more difficult issue to work out. After working almost your whole life in Antigua, for example, do you get a paid pension from Dominica’s Social Security because you worked there for the last 5 years before you retire? Will workers pick and choose where they retire depending on how generous the pension is? Or, should Antigua supplement their pension?

    • ProudKittitian
      September 21, 2011

      It is obvious that if someone came to work in a country that they are not a national of they will pay their dues to nic and everyting else just like the nationals of that country. It will make no sense fr them to pay dues back in their country when no one knows what they are working for in the other country. WHAT I need to know is if one will still have to pay for a work permit to work in another oecs country or not. THAT IS THE IMPORTANT QUESTION

  7. why?
    August 5, 2011

    So why have we got that phobia?
    How do you propose to tackle this Mr. Maynard?

    How are you to empower a people who have been burnt by politicians who have favored non nationals?

  8. traveller
    August 5, 2011

    Antigua has not agreed to the free movement of people. OECS nationals still has to pay for time and for work permit. They will never agree because they make their bulk of money from work permits.

    • caribguy
      September 22, 2011

      Traveller, Antigua did sign on for this on the 1st August & there as been 3 test cases since that I know of. It seems as long as you pay all your taxes & walk with a job letter from your employer you are fine.
      So no need for a work permit.

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