Think of the long-term effects on our people before signing the CARIFORUM-EC Economic Partnership Agreement.

That is the message coming from the region’s ecumenical organisation to government leaders.

“The Caribbean Conference of Churches reiterates its call for you together with the other Heads of Government of CARICOM to consider the long-term good and welfare of the people of the region whom you serve and to exercise the leadership that is urgently needed at this time”, the organisation said in a September 8 letter penned by general secretary Gerard Granado.

The statement was addressed to current chairman of CARICOM, Antigua and Barbuda’s PM Baldwin Spencer, and copied to Bahamas PM Hubert Ingraham, Belize PM Dean Barrow, CARICOM Secretary General Edwin Carrington and Guyana PM Bharrat Jagdeo.

Referring to its previous letter on the subject sent August 25, which called on CARICOM not to sign the agreement in its present form, the CCC said there are others who agree.

“As the date approaches for the special meeting of the Heads of Government of CARICOM on the EPA, we wish once more to express our hope that due consideration will be given to the several issues of concern that have been raised throughout the region, and especially those raised by our distinguished academics and practitioners, notably Sir Shridath Ramphal and Professors Havelock Brewster, Norman Girvan, Vaughn Lewis and Clive Thomas.”

The CCC welcomed the September 5 consultations on the EPA in Guyana, and shared the view “that the position taken by President Bharrat Jagdeo to sign an agreement confined at this time to ‘goods only’, serves as an example of what is possible in the circumstances.” 

The CCC also had words of support for President Jagdeo: “We want to commend this intelligent and courageous stance. It is our hope that it will be supported at the upcoming meeting of Heads of Government and that every effort will be made to obtain consensus with respect to collective action on the way forward”. 

It urged CARICOM leaders not to fall victim to the assertion that failure to sign would threaten Caribbean exports into Europe as “we feel that our leaders should not be constrained to pursue a course of action which could prove to be adverse to our people in the long run”.  Trinidad and Tobago PM Patrick Manning said he will sign the EPA as is. - RS