Pan Trinbago boosts regional unity

THE EDITOR: I am of the view that Pantrinbago’s president, Patrick Arnold and his executive members should be given high honour by the Caricom Secretariat for their efforts to forge Caribbean unity. The cultural missions mounted by Pantrinbago to the Carnival celebrations of the other West Indian islands have been a big plus for regional unity.

The Trinidad and Tobago cultural contingent has been interacting and forging links with the cultural fraternity of the islands, thus laying the basis for the development of a potent and viable culture industry in the Caribbean. Arnold and his executive members such as Vice President Keith Byer, Secretary Richard Forteau, PRO Milton ‘Wire’ Austin, Assistant Secretary Ricardo ‘Bachac’ Herbert, and Zonal Chairman Vernon Morancie, have all been an integral part of the process. Surely, it is such efforts, which will give real and practical meaning to Caribbean integration as culture impacts on a wide cross section of regional peoples. Credit must also go to the hundreds of Trinidad and Tobago nationals who take time off to make these trips to the islands’ carnivals because in so doing they are contributing to the unification of Caribbean peoples.

Government Ministers Senator Joan Yuille Williams and Pennelope Beckles must be given credit for their role in facilitating this project. However, the time has surely come for our regional governments to move swiftly to eradicate the unnecessary red tape which frustrates regional unity. For example the immigration process between islands should be relaxed to ease the frustration it causes passengers. For example in Grenada passengers on the MF Panorama had to stand in line for three hours to be processed.  As we move to unite our people of the islands there must be ways our government could find to deal with such matters. Let’s ‘play one’ for Patrick Arnold and Pantrinbago.

OPOKU WARE
Scarborough