The legendary Treaty of Chaguaramas will be amended.
This is according to Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley who said the decision was taken to make a change to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas at the Caribbean Community’s Heads of Government Meeting in Barbados last week.
Signatories of the Treaty signed in Chaguaramas in 1973 were Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. The agreement was designed to promote regional economic integration, foreign policy coordination, human and social development, as well as security for the people of the region. In 1989, the Treaty was revised to improve standards of living and work.
Dr. Rowley said this proposed amendment will be to the clause that says all CARICOM countries have to agree on regional decisions.
“But to say that on matters where some countries are ready to go forward and others are not ready, that that small sub-group that is ready to go forward must be allowed to go forward within the ambit of the revised Treaty.”
The Prime Minister revealed that there was one territory where there are already more foreign nationals in the country than citizens.
“That is why we have gone to revise the Treaty to allow the good of the freedom of movement, and I am saying here to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, from the private sector, the public sector, we at CARICOM must support the freedom of movement within CARICOM if we are to get the benefit of such a decision and of such a market.”
Dr. Rowley noted that the move toward food security for the region is also on the regional and local agenda. He said an area of food supply will soon become available.
“South America is our backyard. Once that road is built in Guyana, the Brazilians are there, South America is available as a source. But we would need to do our part. We would need to have proper marine transport from a port in Guyana to a port in Trinidad, and once that is done, a new umbilical cord would have been raised.”
The Prime Minister made his comments at a Sod Turning Ceremony in Point Lisas for the Nutrimix Animal Feed and Pet Food Plant.