APPEAL BY GRENADA’S PM

Monday’s appeal by Grenada Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, to his Caricom colleagues for the award of scholarships for young Grenada nationals to study in their respective countries, if followed through can result in a plus for his country recently savaged as it was by hurricane Ivan. However, his appeal for the provision of job opportunities for them in Caricom countries, should this be accepted, could result in a loss to Grenada of many of its trained personnel, a valuable human resource needed in the long term for the reconstruction and development of the Isle of Spice. While Dr Mitchell has not spoken of the conditions under which he envisages the young Grenadians would be employed, nonetheless even if they are able to access jobs on contract, there is no guarantee that they would feel compelled or be under a compulsion to return home at the end of the contracted periods.

This should be understood, for should the Caribbean Single Market and Economy be implemented next year, or failing that, the range of the categories of workers entitled to freedom of movement within the Caribbean Community of Nations be expanded (and because of this includes their skills or professions), then these young people could very well be lost to Grenada. And while Dr Mitchell may have generalised his request for reasons of diplomacy, Trinidad and Tobago with its energy based industries and expanding manufacturing base, along with its relatively sizeable Grenadian and Grenadian descent population, may be the principal target of his appeal. Even with rising rents and real estate costs in Trinidad and Tobago, the familial ties in this country of many of the young Grenadians who may be attracted, should Mitchell’s appeal be accepted, would prove along with the job opportunities and salary levels, an added ingredient.

Limits of offered job opportunities would have to be imposed, not merely overall but ceilings for skills as well. Unless this is done there can be resentment in the host countries as a result of an inferred, if not very real, narowing of the job market for nationals of the respective Caribbean States. Added to this would be the medium and long term problem for Grenada of a loss of its critical human resource to which we referred earlier. Admittedly, there would be remittances, but unlike those from the United States of America, for example, where the US dollar is somewhat stronger than the Eastern Caribbean dollar, the reverse holds true with one Eastern Caribbean dollar being worth TT$2.38. This means that the value of the remittances would be adversely affected by the relative weakness of the Trinidad and Tobago currency in relation to its EC counterpart.

But there is another and certainly more troubling minus. Other Caricom countries which were hit as was Grenada by hurricane Ivan, might, should Dr Mitchell’s appeal receive a positive response here, seek equitable treatment. In turn, should their and Grenada’s reconstruction be held back through a loss of needed manpower to Trinidad and Tobago, then this country will suffer since Caricom is its second largest export market after that of the United States of America. While we want to see the economies of Grenada and the other Caricom islands which were severely affected by hurricane Ivan strengthened, and in the shortest possible time, Government should weigh carefully all the negatives and positives, and above all hasten slowly with respect to Dr Mitchell’s request for job opportunities here for young Grenada nationals.