The Future of the Caribbean

 The Caribbean Islands conjure up, to most, a picture of sea, sand, sun, fun and frolic. To the Uk and US governments, the Caribbean islands seem like constantly buzzing mosquitoes they keep trying to swap but somehow allow miss.  Over the past two centuries the Caribbean Islands seems to have narrowly survived but what of the future of the islands in these changing economic times?

The Independent Train departed the islands in the early 1980's.  Any island that missed the independence bandwagon may have lost a great bargain or have they? Mismanagement of public finance in the Turks and Caicos Islands, an overseas British territory, forced the British Government to retake control of the islands.  The British Government has also layout milestones which must be attained before elections can take place in those islands and their subsequent return to the people of Turks and Caicos. In other British Overseas Territories such as The British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and Montserrat, Premiers and Chief Ministers are scrambling to avert a repeat of the Turks and Caicos situation.

What then of those independent islands?  Since their attainment of independence the islands have faced a myriad of challenges including, but not limited to, social, economic and political. Governments of these islands have struggled over the years with improving the economy of the islands.  Most of the islands have diversified from mono-cultural agrarian societies (dependent on sugar cane and banana exports) to ones in which the main sector is tourism or more recently offshore financial sector, notably the establishment of trust companies.

The governments of the islands have looked on helplessly year after year as the tourism sector in the Caribbean takes whippings from various forms of natural disasters.  With resources in increasingly shorter supply, countries such as Cuba opening up (nudged by the change in leadership and relaxation of travel restrictions by the US) and holiday seekers drawn to cheaper vacation spots closer home one questions the viability of the islands' tourism sector.

 Equally vulnerable is the dwindling agricultural sector in the Caribbean. Over the years diversification and  urban expansion have resulted in lesser agricultural land available for profitable farming and the inevitable increases in food imports throughout the Caribbean.  Professor Dr. Leonard O'garro laments that small scale farming has left the islands unable to compete internationally because of the constraints on high volume output.

On the social front, the UK and the US having been deporting hundreds of criminals back to the Caribbean.  In most cases, the criminals had left the Caribbean as toddlers and have no immediate family residing in the islands.  Moreover, the criminals had been convicted and served time in the various US and UK penitentiaries  for crimes the like of which are unheard of in the Caribbean.  Caribbean Governments lack the infrastructure, the human resources and the wherewithal to deal with such criminals.  Needless to say, the nature of crimes in the islands is changing. gang violence, gunning down of victims, sophisticated arm robbery, increase drug trafficking, witnesses' fear of giving evidence are rife in the Caribbean today.

Information that the British warship which has been patrolling Caribbean waters for decades (curbing drug trafficking in the region) is to be discontinued is not welcome news.  However, as the current economic crisis forces nations worldwide to re-examine their policies and strategies with an aim to improving efficiencies and  cutting cost one wonders how will the Caribbean islands continue to survive!