| Prime
Minister P.J. Patterson has described the opening
of the permanent headquarters of the CARICOM Secretariat
as a tangible manifestation of the achievements and
commitment of the people of the Caribbean.
“It embodies the spirit and vision of the fathers
and mothers of our Community, who travelled those
difficult early miles to lay the foundation for a
Community of which we can be justly proud,”
the Prime Minister said at the opening of the building
in Georgetown, Guyana on Saturday (Feb. 19).
As such, the Prime Minister said he was unrepentant
in his view, that the region could not perpetuate
the reliance on others “to interpret the meaning
of our laws and the requirements of our Constitutions”.
He pointed out that CARICOM leaders should not be
content with the erection of the new facility, but
added that the task ahead was to advance the work
of community building. “We are summoned to create
the institutional machinery and build the capacity,
which will enable us to exercise our sovereignty -
individually and collectively - for improving the
quality of life of the Caribbean people,” the
Prime Minister stated.
He noted that the journey towards regional integration
has not been a smooth one but despite the many challenges,
the spirit of the people of the Caribbean has not
been broken. He said the deepening of the integration
movement and the pooling of resources, was now an
absolute imperative to prevent the region from vanishing
without a trace in the waves of globalization and
the tide of hegemony, which now prevailed.
Stating that the 1973 Treaty of Chaguaramas provided
for the creation of the Common Market and the pursuit
of functional cooperation as vital elements of the
integration process, he said the Community must now
look forward to the inauguration of the CARICOM Single
Market by December 2005 with all member states fully
on board.
Mr. Patterson noted that CARICOM has been able to
foster the development of Pan-Caribbean trade and
industry, resulting in a remarkable growth of enterprise
throughout the region.
He said efforts must now be made to enhance the technical
capacity of the Secretariat to enable it to bring
substantial policy and programmes to the point of
decision making, by the Community organs.
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