CATEGORY: COMMENTARY
--------------------------

By Lloyd Noel



“It is one thing to gain sympathy when an un-expected situation suddenly crops up - but it is quite something else to wait until the reality of a known and long expected decision is upon you, before making a move.”




It seems that the people in authority, who control and direct our affairs,
here at home and in the Region where we share common interests and are engaged in extending them - they delight in, or perhaps get a kick out of, leaving even major decisions for the ninety-ninth hour before saying or doing anything worthwhile to inform the people, or to remedy obvious
pitfalls that even the blind could see.

And I cannot clearly determine, whether those with the knowledge or
expertise of important matters and technical issues that will affect the
people in one way or another, are simply failing in their duty to share with us lesser mortals what they know or can foresee up front; or whether they are just reluctant to rock the ships of States for fear of being branded anti-Government, or enemies of progress, or leftists, or whatever. So that, they too avoid rocking the boat while it is still afloat, and wait until it is sinking to start raising the alarms - by which time the severe damage has already been done, and major emergency measures are needed to prevent total catastrophe. Whereas they could, and should have brought their influence to bear on those in authority, and or share their knowledge and expertise much earlier in the day.

I am saying all this, because I have noticed recently that so many experts
and knowledgeable people are suddenly voicing very commendable opinions, on major issues that have been in the melting pot of CARICOM politics for some years, but very little, or nothing at all, has been shared publicly until this ninety-ninth hour.

Mind you, let me add up-front - that knowing how our Caribbean politicians (the majority of them) behave, when it comes down to ideas and opinions they did not cultivate or originate, and which are people oriented as a whole and not in their own selfish interests, whether political-party-wise, or individual Country-wise, I would not be at all surprised if those very worthy suggestions were in fact put forward to those in authority well in advance, but as per usual they were all ignored.

Nevertheless, having said the above, I am still raising the complaint or
concern, that those persons with the knowledge and expertise should have shared them publicly long ago - if only for the public education and general information which have been grossly lacking.

We are now only a few days away, from the Six months deadline given to the OECS block of Countries in January - for their Governments to put their houses in order, to be ready for getting fully on board the CSM(E) Trading and Integration Movement, that has been in the talk-shop for some years now. And the tit-bits of information, coming from those in authority and in control of their nations’ affairs, are so bare and low key that they really amount to nothing at all.

And while the President of the CCJ - which has the original jurisdiction
for interpreting the Amended Treaty of Chaguaramas (the CSME), in any
dispute between participating States - has been beseeching the Contracting States to get fully on board, and make use of his Court and idle Judges sitting around in Port-of-Spain with very little or nothing at all to do - the former Attorney General of Barbados, Sir Frederick (Sleepy) Smith was voicing concerns for the Economy of Barbados in the long run.

He noted that given the strength of the Barbados Economy, and in particular its strong currency, he is of the opinion that because of the weakness of the other Regional Currencies, the Barbados Economy will suffer. He was also moaning the fact, that because the OECS was insisting on the Regional Development Fund (RDF) before they become full members of the CSM(E) - Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad would suffer, because they would have to contribute to that Fund. He had no concern about the obvious imbalance, in a so-called free trading area where those same Big Three MDCs would be way out ahead of the OECS LDCs, and in which state of Economic Affairs competition would be non-existent and purely one-sided.

Sir Frederick also expressed concern for Barbadians who are worried about the adverse effect of Freedom of Movement of people on their job market. And he felt the Trinidad Government should be given a time frame to join the CCJ, in its Appellate jurisdiction, and if that time was not met the CCJ Headquarters should moved elsewhere; to Barbados or Guyana presumably, since they are the only Two member Countries to-date.

I am pretty certain, that those concerns are not restricted or limited to
Sir Frederick, and can be multiplied many thousands of times up and down the various States in CARICOM, at different levels in dealing with the many issues.

I have also seen some very useful suggestions and ideas, in commentaries published in the past two or three weeks by Dr. Isaac Newton and Sir Ronald Sanders - in connection with the same points raised by Sir Frederick, but more in favour of trying to alleviate the problems facing the people and the CSM(E) implementation across the Region.

I cannot believe that all those knowledgeable persons are only just seeing
the many problems the Amended Treaty embodies - so it must be the impending reality, of ‘to be or not to be,’ that is bringing out the bulk of those comments and reservations.

And as we get to our own backyard, where we continue to be brushed off with very silent non-reaction from the powers-that-be on the said CSM(E), we suddenly had some breaking news from the Minister for Finance, Hon. Anthony Boatswain, that Value Added Tax (VAT) is again back on the front burner to come into operation in September , 2007.
And he almost reluctantly conceded that we stand to lose Millions once the CSM(E) is fully implemented into our Laws, because VAT cannot adequately replace the Customs and Excise duties we would be sacrificing at our Ports of Entry, for CARICOM goods under the Single Market principle.

The Minister did not venture to say how he plans to fill the major holes
that would be created in his Revenue Collection Budget - and he did not dare try to say there could be savings on the expenditure side, because he knows more than all of us that the said side has already gone through the ceiling.

I heard the Prime Minister bemoaning the fact, that the much-vaunted
National Reconstruction Levy (NRL), now 3% across the board, has not been coming up to expectations, in terms of Collection target. I really cannot see why he is shocked, because the idea was invented to get
back at those Civil Servants and other Trade Union personnel, who are on fixed salaries and wages with Employers that will be mandated to deduct the ‘Tax’ - but the thousands of other workers, mostly self-employed in various fields, would be on a frolic of their own - and trying to collect from them to come close to the collection target would be un-economical.

I have not heard a whimper from the powers-that-be on the huge increase in the price of a bag of Cement - now $26.75 retail. The same wage-earners who are forced to pay the 3% Levy, now have a Four to Five dollars increase in one item of their reconstruction list, and thousands still have a lot of rebuilding and renovating work to do. And to-date, we have not been told of any new, or recurring, benefactors who have pledged or sponsored any funds since the NRL came on stream - in
response to the sacrifice the people (some of them) have been forced to
make, which we were told then was the rationale for the new ‘Tax.’
And I frankly do not see any changes to that scenario on the financial
horizon, because it is common knowledge and quite visible evidence - that the only reconstruction or structural replacements taking place now-a-days, are all geared towards the National Stadium and its surroundings, in hopeful readiness for Cricket World Cup 2007.

And while all the other Islands’ politicians are admitting, that the
expenditure to get their facilities CWC 2007 ready in time - is phenomenal, our Government spokesmen/women are going out of their way to keep on telling our suffering people, that the extra cost is no big thing - just a couple Millions.

And talking about CWC readiness for 2007, I am getting some disquieting news on the Stadium grapevine - that there are problems surrounding the Cricket Pitch (the Wickets) preparations to meet the expected deadline. I recall some months ago, during one of those inspections of the Stadium, mention was made of the Wickets being prepared by experts, I believe, from Trinidad, and the deadline for handing over was July. And that time frame was crucial, because those pitches have to be tested and played on, and the process repeated over an extended period of time so as to ensure, as far as is humanly possible, that the playing surface comes up to expected international standards.

The situation in Jamaica some years ago, when England was playing West Indies, is an indication of what needs to be done. On that occasion the Test Match was abandoned before Lunch on the first day, because a newly laid Wicket was not sufficiently tested and the bounce
was considered too dangerous to permit further play.

The information on the grapevine is that work has stopped on the Wickets, due to a problem with Finance between those experts and those in control of that aspect. We were not told whether the Chinese were also responsible for the playing area in their sponsorship package, so some quick solution needs to be found - if the information is correct.

There is no doubt, that the Stadium itself is moving ahead and upwards by leaps and bounds - but the most palatial and accommodating structure without the corresponding Wickets and outfield to meet the required World Cup standards, would not see us through.
So somebody has got to pull those fingers out, and wave the magic money wand to try and save the day. The tendency to keep the people in the dark and always guessing, or to wait - until the last hour before sharing or seeking solutions to growing problems - is clearly not the way for dealing with issues that could have far-reaching impact, and dire consequences.

It is one thing to gain sympathy when an un-expected situation suddenly
crops up - but it is quite something else to wait until the reality of a
known and long expected decision is upon you, before making a move.



Your views or comments on this article can be sent to grenadianconnection@gmail.com