Free movement a must

WE WELCOME the move by Caricom leaders to introduce freedom of movement for all citizens within the region.

Whether or not Caribbean unity ever takes the form of a political union, free movement is essential if the Caribbean Single Market and Economy is to truly have life.

Wednesday’s announcement was a fitting close to the 45th Regular Conference of Caricom Heads of Government, an event for which officials in this country and Caricom should be applauded given how it has engendered a renewed sense of hope in the relevance of the bloc and paved the way for key policy decisions.

As with all such summits, however, much will depend on how the measures announced are implemented.

Already leaders have dialed down any expectation that free movement will happen overnight, setting a deadline of March 30, 2024, for full implementation. While this may appear overly conservative, it should not be forgotten that the relevant amendments to regional and national laws could possibly take time, especially factoring in the need for legal advice.

But if freedom of movement is overdue, so too is an efficient transportation network linking Caricom members, whether by sea or air. Cynics might look at this week’s announcement as merely pie in the sky in the absence of better transport connections.

However, the impact of the deregulation of the categories of workers who can find jobs within the region cannot be underestimated. The usual xenophobic fears about “foreigners” taking jobs, we expect, will be raised. Yet they cannot erase the economic benefits of a larger, more diverse labour market as well as the expansion that will occur alongside market integration.

This week’s summit was notable for its optimism, with leaders going so far as to bury a time capsule and to plan a lime in Dominica next month at the behest of Caricom chairman Roosevelt Skerrit. All as considerable clouds loom over the region, literally and metaphorically, given the uncertainties dogging the world order which has seen similar economic blocs like the European Union fracture amid the rise of nationalist sentiment.

We can today take comfort in the fact that Caricom leaders are increasingly speaking with one voice, whether as it relates to financing reforms, climate change or the issue of illegal gun proliferation.

This unity has begun to pay off, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday naming the first co-ordinator for the US Department of Justice’s Caribbean Firearms Prosecutions unit. This followed a previously announced pledge from US Vice President Kamala Harris to establish this position to address gun violence in the region.

If our leaders can implement their new policies with similar swiftness, it bodes well for the future of Caricom.