Caribbean islands split in opposing blocs

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 16

Caribbean islands split in opposing blocs

By

ROD CHAPMAN

in Port of Spain, Trinidad

Regional integration in the former British West Indian colonies—a concept Which has always seemed more attractive to colonial administrators than to Caribbean politicians—is undergoing a crisis.

Caricom (the Caribbean Community), the political and economic grouping of the West Indies, has been struggling to prevent a growing schism between socialist Jamaica and Guyana on one side, and the free enterprise bloc led by Trinidad, which has been drawing the smaller islands into its orbit, on the other.

Jamaica and Guyana have forged close links with Cuba. The Jamaican Prime Minister, Mr Michael Manley, has encouraged the visits of teams of Cuban engineers and technical advisers and has stepped up trade between the two islands.

Guyana’s leader, Mr Forbes Bumham, has been embracing increasingly socialist doctrines in an effort to lift his country out of a worsening economic depression—which has meant a shortage of most basic commodities. Politicians in Trinidad and Tobago have been casting a wary eye at these moves,

while attempting to cement links with Barbadoes and other smaller islands in the Leeward and Windward groups. _ But the Trinidadians’ worries are as much economic as political. Trinidad is a modest oil producer but, more important, it refines much of Venezuela’s oil. Consequently, the island is beginning to acquire the trappings of a newly rich oil state: big, new cars crowd the streets of Port of Spain and trade in consumer goods is brisk. Trinidad has also been able to give aid and technical assistance to some of the poorer islands such as St Vincent.

Representatives of Trinidad and Tobagp, and Barbados, have had talks aimed at concluding bilateral trade agreements and promoting joint ventures in trade, industrial development and tourism. However, an increasing number of Trinidadian businessmen are chafing at the restraints on the island’s developments represented by Caricom. Venezuela, which is only seven miles from Trinidad, is becoming a far more interesting—and lucrative—market. “We must now seriously

consider whether our political and economic destiny does not lie in the direction of Latin America instead of the Caribbean,” said Mr Basdeo Panday, leader of the opposition United Labour Front, at a recent party congress in Port of Spain. “The problem of finding a large and expanding market has been a serious restraint on the economic development and expansion of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said.

After several years of haggling, Trinidad concluded a new fishing agreement with Venezuela in May which will substantially increase. the catches of its fishermen. Further agreements could be in the pipeline. And, to emphasise the change in direction, Trinidadian schools now teach Spanish as their first foreign language rather than French, as under the British system. A Barbadian trade mission visited some non-Caricom markets — including Venezuela and the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe—in July. A similar export mission visited Trinidad. According to the latest calculations, Trinidad can now count on the loyalty of Bar-

bados, St Vincent, St Lucia and Antigua in its confrontation with Jamaica and Guyana. The island of Dominica is still sitting on the fence. Supporters of the idea of Caribbean unity still cling to the notion that the vicissi-

tudes of West Indian politics will lead to the islands resuming their efforts at cooperation. Relations between Trinidad and Jamaica reached a high pitch only four years ago, they point out. But, at a time when the

islands are having little success in trying to wring a better deal for their sugar exports from the European Common Market, the businessmen’s arguments against Caricom are carrying everincreasing weight. 0.F.N.5., copyright.