Referendum for political union

THE EDITOR: It is good to see the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago engaging in talks about a political union with Barbados, St Vincent, Grenada and the Grenadines. Most African folks whom I know are connected to these islands. Mr Manning himself is a first generation Trinidadian with strong roots in Barbados. It is not unusual for him to desire stronger political ties with these nations. I am fifth generation Trini with ancestral connections from India.

Here are my ideas on how a political union can work:
(1) Grant a common citizenship to all citizens in these nations, one passport for all citizens whereby they can live and own property in these nations, with only the right to vote in their nation of birth or nation of citizenship.
(2) All citizens within this region could work in any one of these nations with a work permit being issued on a yearly basis. Businessmen could establish businesses working in partnership with the business community in these regions.
(3) A general meeting of heads of state can be held as a “Caribbean summit” once every year or two years. The purpose of this meeting is to set in place policies and initiatives for socio-economic integration and development.
(4) A referendum should be held to determine support for this type of integration.
(5) The merging of laws where possible should be encouraged.
These are some of the ideas, but I am sure readers can come up with a list of good ideas that can strengthen this political union that our Prime Minister is fostering.

KEM HARRIS
Port-of-Spain