in a speech delivered to the Third Caribbean Media Conference in
Georgetown, Guyana on May 5th, 2000, Prime Minister Owen Arthur argued
that:
"For much of the Caribbean Community is confronted with quite
considerable uncertainty, and a tendency towards disorder in just about
every sphere of political, social and economic life."
Politically, St. Vincent, Suriname, Jamaica let alone Haiti are a mess.
And, things are so hopeless that some of us are contemplating applying
for re-colonialisation (our appeals to the EU for a special economic
considerations is what he's here referring to).
Socially, we are being "overwhelmed" by HIV/AIDS, crime is occurring at
ridiculous levels, the drug trade is still a problem and where being
like the west (the only culture icons we will be able to recognize he
bemoans are Macdonald's and Michael Jordan)
Economically, we are marginalized and confused (i think that's the most
polite way to characterize his assessment). the old trade preferences
are withering away but yet we still haven't convinced ourselves that
open boarders and free enterprise are the way forward.
WHAT DO WE THINK OF HIS ASSESSMENT? CAN THINGS REALLY BE AS DIRE AS HE
DESCRIBES THEM? OR CAN WE DISMISS HIM AS A CYNIC?
I look forward to your thoughts,
kihika
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Virgil Henry Storr
Department of Economics
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
Email: [log in to unmask]
"Have you ever wondered to yourself why it is that all people like me
seem to have learned from you is how to imprison and murder each other,
how to govern badly, and how to take wealth of our country and place it
in Swiss bank accounts? Have you ever wondered why it is that all we
seemed to have learned from you is how to corrupt our societies and how
to be tyrants? You will have to accept that this is mostly your fault."
(Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place)
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