What will come of latest OECS get-together?

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]t the opening ceremony for the 65th meeting of the OECS on 18 June, Mia Mottley made her first regional address since becoming prime minister of Barbados. Notwithstanding this being her first time, Ms. Mottley displayed poise and eloquence as she effortlessly delivered her speech. After reminiscing on a visit to Saint Lucia as a child, where she attended her first political meeting (albeit in patois), she began her presentation.

Ms. Mottley noted: “Barbados, in spite of us being outside of this institution, has been ever-conscious that you are our family.” She believes that there is room to improve the level of inter-governmental co-operation; especially since Caribbean countries are confronted with similar challenges.

After last year’s deadly hurricane season, which “reminded us of our fragility,” she said, “there but for the grace of God goes any one of us. The only way we can move forward, conscious that we’ve already started another season, is by recognizing that our fragility requires of us an effort and commitment that goes beyond anything we have seen thus far. We must find modalities to help each other in this Caribbean region—particularly as we confront the issues of climate change, and our ability to adapt as we go forward.”

One issue that has plagued many Caribbean islands, and is growing increasingly over the years, is that of the invasion of seaweed. Here in Saint Lucia it has affected many beaches, and negatively affects the livelihood of countless fishermen. The accompanying stench is an intolerable irritant.

Mottley called for a collective approach in harvesting the seaweed and maximizing economic benefits from it, instead of only treating it as a nuisance.

Referencing the movement of people throughout the region, Ms. Mottley suggested it was time that we stopped talking about inter-island ferry transportation and got down to making it happen. “These meetings mean nothing unless they bring benefit to our people!”

Present at Monday evening’s gathering were most of the heads of government from the member countries,
including the outgoing OECS chairman, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet. He followed his Barbados counterpart at the podium. Obviously impressed by her performance, he recalled a time when the late Dunstan St. Omer cursed his luck at being required to deliver an address immediately after George Odlum, in his time considered one of the region’s most arresting public speakers.   

Mr. Chastanet, who has responsibility for disaster management in the CARICOM quasi-government, seemed to be fighting back tears as he recalled the “fury of storms Irma and Maria”.

Although the season “left a significant trail ofdeath, destruction and dislocation in a number of states,” he said, “it also brought out the best in us as individuals, communities, nations and institutions.”

He had some special words for international organisations: “All too often we, as small states, are invited to meetings and given three minutes to make a presentation—as if that were all the time we deserved. And then we are further insulted: they obviously don’t even listen to what we say!” Chastanet suggested the solution could be resolved “only through a collaborative effort on our part”.

Like the speaker before him, Chastanet urged representatives not to allow meetings to simply be talk shops. He said Saint Lucia measures its participation in regional meetings on basic principles. Will the participation improve governance in the country and will it reduce the cost of governance?