Imagine Prime Minister Said Musa being able to dial up Trinidadian Prime Minister Patrick Manning and being able to talk to him, not just on the phone, but on a screen! You don't have to dream because it is now a reality. Call it direct-dial diplomacy because through a program funded by the World Bank and implemented by the CARICOM Secretariat, government leaders in the region will be able to teleconference, meaning both talk and see their counterparts. The equipment was handed over this morning by CARICOM Secretary General Edwin Carrington to acting Prime Minister Johnny Briceno. Carrington called it emancipation day.
Edwin Carrington, CARICOM Secretary General
"Today for us in our view is truly emancipation day. We are emancipated from having to travel out for every possible meeting. We've had some 220 meetings in the last year and so you can understand the scale of importance of what we are about to do."
Hon. Johnny Briceno, Acting Prime Minister
"I am sure you wives and your husbands are going to be so much happier because you could be spending more time at home and not on the airplane. I am certain that your families will be happy about that."
Edwin Carrington,
"It means connectivity all around."
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"The savings that we can have as proposed by the this project that we are undertaking, will allow the secretariat to become even more efficient and for their assistance to be even more efficient. Dr. Carrington I want to congratulate you and your staff. For us here in Belize we have some technical difficulties internally to ensure that we can have this connection and we will continue pressing to make sure that this will be available at all times and whenever we need it."
All countries in CARICOM will be linked. This is only the pilot phase, which will run until October.
