Tewarie in fear of Caribbean anarchy

The turmoil in Haiti should be a warning to the whole Caribbean, alerted University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine, principal Dr Bhoe Tewarie. He was addressing the opening ceremony of a conference on “Size, Power and Development of the Emerging World Order,” held yesterday by the Institute of International Relations (IIR) at UWI, St Augustine. The region, he said, was today in a most turbulent situation. “It is not just Haiti. If we are not careful Jamaica can become Haiti. And Trinidad and Tobago can become Jamaica. The countries of the region can unravel.” He warned that independence and sovereignty could become meaningless words. “Anarchy in the region is not inevitable, but it is a possible option. How are we going to avert the push in that direction?”

Tewarie deplored the signs of strife in the region. While our citizens murdered one another on land, he said, Caricom neighbours drew battle lines in the sea. “Everywhere drugs are rampant, guns proliferate, youth is in crisis, schools are challenged, the AIDS pandemic intensifies. Civil war is possible in Venezuela and terrorism is possible in Trinidad and Tobago.” Finance, food security, and education and innovation were all challenges to regional governments. He pondered: “Even as prime ministers of the region meet to discuss their collective response to the Haitian crisis, over the last year or two the big issue in Caricom has been frustration with non-implementation of decisions.” These frustrations, he said, included the establishment of Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), possible restructuring of the Caricom Secretariat, and the establishment of more effective mechanisms and institutions for implementation. In view of these challenges, he said, the IIR had been re-oriented, and hoped to work directly with regional governments and their institutions. “I am hoping that all of you here who are not already part of the institute will become collaborators and partners of the institute in one way or another.”