And many would say that when it comes to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, Prime Minister Mottley is right to be aggressive. That's because for small countries like ours every negotiation is better done as a block and the faster we work to set up congruent economic systems the better off we'll be.
It's a question that was recently asked of CARICOM secretary General Carla Barnett and she agrees, telling her interviewer about the many advantages the Caribbean community could look forward to if only we can get the CSME right.
Dr. Carla Barnett, Secretary-General CARICOM
"The COvid Pandemic has emphasized for us is the real importance of being able to support one another, combine our efforts on economic development, invest in each other countries making sure that where they are opportunities they are shared, where there are risks we address them together because at the end of the day within the CSME that is really about our future and we learned it as we battled to get access to vaccines, for example, we learned it as we had to treat with the food security issue that at the end of the day we have to take care of ourselves, and one of the key parts of taking care of ourselevs is ensuring that we develop the CSME as best we can and yes we admit upfront that there have been delays in implementing key aspects of it. I was a part of a discussion a few days ago w Prime Ministerial sub-committee and I would have to tell you that every single prime minister, every single person around the table recommitted to CSME because people understand more than ever now that in fact it is critical for us to get the CSME going properly, because the advantages are there."
