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Thought To Ponder We hold that what one man cannot morally do, a million men cannot morally do, and government, representing many millions of men, cannot do.
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In a Tribune article the Chairman of the Financial Services Consultative Forum, Mr. Brian Moree makes the case against joining the CSME. His points are: 1) Joining CSME will inevitably lead to full integration with member states. 2) A single market with a multiplicity of currencies cannot work without major political adjustments. 3) Intergovernmental co-operation as now exists will change and the dominating supranational structure will be making critical economic and political decisions for Bahamians. 4) The economic benefits are minimal and lost sovereignty is the likely price. 5) The Bahamas has not signed the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas - and are thereby not bound to terms yet to be decided. 6) Once signed to Chaguaramas there is no turning back. Former Minister of Finance Sir William Allen in a letter to the Tribune sets out his perspective for not joining. Highlights of his letter are listed here: 1) The economic case for joining has not been made. 2) It is not necessary to join CSME in order to be a part of the WTO process. 3) Economic integration with the CSME countries is not a requirement for co-operative decisions that may benefit the region. 4) Existing monetary policy can be addressed to encourage expansion of the capital market without joining CSME. 5) The development model for the Bahamas is "significantly" different from most other Caricom countries and the difference requires that the Bahamas be excluded from some of the key provisions. 6) Because the Bahamian economy is so different from other countries in the region there is no "intrinsic" value in joining - until/unless we become more like them. Condensing ideas to simple statements are starting points for discussion. Joining the CSME will be a commitment to making profound changes in ways we cannot possibly anticipate. In his talk to the Kiwanis Club Mr. Mitchell lists seven bureaucracies that will comprise the Caribbean Community from which he anticipates some benefit. Bureaucracies are notoriously inefficient and costly. How the Bahamas would benefit from more of them is not stated. Embedded in Mr. Mitchell's response to Sir William there may be a list of reasons for joining. However the deciphering required suggests that Mr. Mitchell is not sure himself where the CSME train is headed. Therefore we are not climbing aboard.
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Comments
Island Bahamian - 29 May 2005 10:08- Re: preserving sovereignty
- someone please tell this to the immgration department who can control the unchecked Haitian mass in the Bahamas
William J. Cox - 16 May 2005 04:44- preserving sovereignty
- The Bahamas has a precious gift: sovereignty. As a nation, it already belongs to supranational organizations - the Commonwealth, OAS, IADB and the UN. The Bahamas has the highest standard of living in the Caribbean, enjoys the lowest population density, and has been notably successful in attracting new, upscale, investment dollars. CSME threatens Bahamian sovereignty, lifestyle, and standard of living in that the CSME majority will demand the right to immigrate, and the Bahamas will be a preferred destination. These economic immigrants will largely be those seeking a better life, and they'll now have a right to do so. Once they arrive, they'll expect schooling, medical care for themselves and their extended families, and unemployment benefits if they cannot get or maintain a job. The one thing they won't do is leave. The rest of the Caribbean has nothing to offer the Bahamas, but it has much to demand of the nation. A decision to join the CSME can wait. Time is on the side of the Bahamas. This cannot be said for its neighbors to the south.
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