Leader of the Opposition Ralph Thorne criticised the Mia Mottley administration for failing to explain why three of CARICOM’s fellow founding members — Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Jamaica — opted not to join the new free movement arrangement that Barbados entered into on October 1.
But Thorne — leader of the Democratic Labour Party that co-founded the regional bloc in 1973 — was on the attack against the government as the Caribbean Community (Free Movement of Nationals) Bill went through its second reading in the House of Assembly on Monday.
The bill seeks to ratify the move to allow free movement of nationals between Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and Belize, granting them the right to enter, live, work and enjoy similar status as Barbadians from October 1.
In a speech punctuated by asides and points of order from the government side, Thorne insisted that “no party can by itself claim ownership in the regional integration exercise”.
The Christ Church South MP told the House: “The government comes here through the querulous voice of the Honourable Member for Christ Church East and tells you what a fantastic project this will be for the Caribbean and for Caribbean integration, and not once has he explained the absence of these . . . countries, in the exercise of regionalism.
“The people of this country expected to hear by way of explanation why Jamaica is absent, why Trinidad is absent, why is Guyana also absent. Are the people of this region not entitled to that explanation? Are they not? You cannot discuss CARIFTA and then CARICOM and the Caribbean Single Market and Economy unless you discuss those three countries in addition to Barbados who were at the foundation of the modern regional institutional arrangement.”
Insisting that the people of Barbados deserved an answer on this matter, he questioned whether the move lacked credibility given the absence of Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago from the project.
He said: “Why are they absent? No explanation. What we do know is that Guyana has just had an election, Jamaica has just had an election, and Trinidad has just had an election. And we’re not going to disguise our association between, or the correlation, between this legislative initiative and elections.”
Thorne warned: “This government must not, must stop sneaking around this country passing legislation with disguised intent. And I want to tell them that Barbadians believe that not every motive and intent has been spelt out across the letter of this legislation.”
(IMC)
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