The votes had barely been tallied on the Brexit vote which the “leaves” won, than authoritative voices in Jamaica placed on their national agenda, the question of whether their country should follow the example of Britain, the former “Mother Country”, and leave the Caribbean Community (Caricom) as the former had exited the European Union (EU).
Britain, after all, had been the inspiration for Caricom, which was launched in 1973, the same year Britain finally was allowed to join the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the EU. As it prepared to quit ruling its colonies in the Caribbean directly, Britain had floated the British West Indian Federation (BWIF) in 1958, which cobbled together 10 British colonies, including the “big three” – Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. But with independence in sight, politicians in Jamaica raised the spectre of their country flooded with “small islanders” and losing their sovereignty in the federal structure suggested for the proposed independent West Indian Federation (WIF).
Alexander Bustamante’s Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) was against federation while Premier Norman Manley’s People’s National Party (PNP) was for it. The latter organised a referendum on the issue in late 1961, and as with the British Conservatives last week, lost “corn and husk”. In 1962, Jamaica achieved independence on its own with Bustamente as Prime Minister. Jamaica’s departure prompted T&T’s PM Eric Williams’ famous quip “Ten minus one leaves zero”. The Jamexit was almost a dress rehearsal for Brexit 54 years later.
Even though Jamaica was one of the “Big Four” – the “Big Three” plus Guyana, that launched the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) in 1968 and which later became Caricom in 1973, at the grassroots level, there was always a strong reservoir of doubt among Jamaicans about the burdens of Caricom outweighing its benefits. When in 1994, the US started pushing for a mega trading bloc – Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), Jamaica was a fervent supporter.
Jamaica has complained in recent years of its increasingly unbalanced trade with T&T in Caricom which they posit is due to the latter’s extremely low electricity costs – US 5 cents compared to Jamaica and the region’s US 23 cents and up. Because T&T subsidies its entire economy and not just specific industries, under Caricom’s rules they cannot object even though it does give what they consider to be an unfair advantage to T&T. Another area of contention is the tens of billions of dollars their economy would gain by collecting duties from other present Caricom members.
But the most salient and widespread grouse against Caricom in the minds of ordinary Jamaicans has been the despicable and harsh treatment of Jamaicans by other Caricom jurisdictions. This is not just violative of the spirit of “free movement of citizens”, set as the goal of the “Community” as articulated in the Common Single Market and Economy (CSME) but of common humanity. This would be the deciding factor if there were to be a referendum in Jamaica on leaving Caricom.
Such a referendum is ever more likely in the wake of Brexit since former JLP Foreign Affairs Minister Oswald Harding immediately cited the discriminatory treatment against Jamaicans’ free movement. Echoing the “leave” leaders in Britain, he said Jamaica’s future as a Caricom member shouldn’t be decided by politicians but by the Jamaicans who will be significantly impacted by any decision that is taken.
Facilitating a referendum would be the “Caribbean Community (Caricom) Review Commission” (CCRC) established by PM Andrew Holness just a month ago, headed by former PM Bruce Golding. The CCRC is supposed to evaluate the effects Jamaica’s participation in Caricom has had on Jamaica’s economic growth and development, with particular reference to trade, investment, international competitiveness and employment creation. It would analyse Caricom’s performance against the goals and objectives enunciated in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and identify the causes of any shortcomings.
Ominously, the review will encompass relations with Cuba and Dominican Republic. Jamexit is on their agenda.
