Former Deputy Premier Bob Richards says CARICOM ‘does not fit’ Bermuda; Home Affairs Minister Alexa Lightbourne says facts do not support his comments
Alexa Lightbourne, Minister of Home Affairs, has argued that a former OBA Finance Minister doesn’t have his facts straight on CARICOM.
In an opinion piece (PDF below), Bob Richards commented on Government’s pursuit of full CARICOM membership, and cited the difference between Bermuda’s economy and that of most of the Caribbean.
“Caricom was not created for an economy like ours”, he says, “therefore it does not fit”.
Mr Richards, also a former Deputy Premier, cites his own “very strong” Caribbean roots in British Guiana and Turks & Caicos, but says Government’s CARICOM campaign emphasis on shared history and identity are “matters of the heart, not of the head”.
He says Bermuda’s US connections are ‘glaringly omitted’. He notes the US State Department’s ban on issuing visa to some CARICOM member states, and adds that “cosying up to a region that the US views negatively in not in our interests.”
“Becoming part of a group of small nations whose economies are fundamentally different from ours and who have significant issues with our major trading partner, the USA, is not in Bermuda’s best interest.”
Mr Richards does not make many references to specific CARICOM member states, although he does say fellow associate members Cayman and the British Virgin Islands follow similar economic models to Bermuda, while highlighting the Bahamas as the only major CARICOM member that has never had to turn to the International Monetary Fund for emergency assistance.
In a subsequent press release (below), Government Minister Alexa Lightbourne acknowledged Mr Richard’s comments, but said several of his claims are directly contradicted by the factual record.
On any risk to Bermuda’s relationship with the US, the Minister highlighted the Bahamas as a full CARICOM member since 1983 that does not participate in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
“The United States maintains a $4.5 billion trade surplus with the Bahamas”, she says. In 43 years of full membership, the Bahamas has suffered no geopolitical penalty and its relationship with Washington has never been stronger.”
The Minister does not cite any other US relationship with a CARICOM member state.
As for whether Bermuda would gain nothing more from full membership since we can already trade with CARICOM, Minister Lightbourne says “access to a market is not the same as a seat at the table where the rules governing that market are written.”
“CARICOM is building regional food security frameworks, supply chain resilience programmes, and collective trade negotiating positions. Associate members observe. Full members shape.”
On the claim that Bermuda’s economy is too different, the Minister says that CARICOM member states already have very different economies, citing examples such as tourism in the Bahamas and oil in Guyana.
“Bermuda’s strengths in financial services regulation and risk management are precisely what the region needs”, Minister Lightbourne says. “The region’s collective leverage on climate resilience, trade negotiation, and disaster preparedness is what we need.”
Minister Lightbourne adds that Bermuda already sits alongside every CARICOM member state as a full member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, and no one has ever suggested that this membership poses a geopolitical risk.
The Minister concludes by saying the Green Paper and the Together for CARICOM website addresses all these concerns, and welcomes submissions of feedback, “provided it proceeds on the basis of facts.”
Bob Richards Op-Ed on full CARICOM Membership:
Government of Bermuda Press Release:
The Minister of Home Affairs, the Hon. Alexa Lightbourne, JP, MP is aware of the comments and sentiments expressed by former parliamentarian Bob Richards.
And the Minister has moved to ensure clarity and balance regarding his views, which are largely his opinion.
Today Minister Lightbourne said, “Mr. Richards opinion is acknowledged, however, several of his claims are directly contradicted by the factual record.
“On the suggestion that CARICOM full membership poses a geopolitical risk to Bermuda’s relationship with the United States: The Bahamas has been a full CARICOM member since 1983. It does not participate in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. The United States maintains a $4.5 billion trade surplus with the Bahamas. In 43 years of full membership, the Bahamas has suffered no geopolitical penalty and its relationship with Washington has never been stronger. If full membership carried the risk Mr. Richards describes, we would have seen the evidence by now. We have not.
“On the assertion that Bermuda can already trade with CARICOM members and therefore gains nothing from full membership: access to a market is not the same as a seat at the table where the rules governing that market are written. CARICOM is building regional food security frameworks, supply chain resilience programmes, and collective trade negotiating positions. Associate members observe. Full members shape. The question is not whether Bermuda can buy produce from the Caribbean today, it’s whether Bermuda should have a voice in the institutional architecture that will determine supply chain reliability for the next generation.
“On the claim that CARICOM economies are too different from ours: CARICOM has never required economic homogeneity. The Bahamas, a tourism and financial services economy, sits alongside Trinidad’s petrochemical sector, Guyana’s oil economy, and Jamaica’s diaspora economy. Bermuda’s strengths in financial services regulation and risk management are precisely what the region needs; the region’s collective leverage on climate resilience, trade negotiation, and disaster preparedness is what we need.
“It is worth noting that Bermuda already sits alongside every CARICOM member state as a full member of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force, which we have chaired. No one has ever suggested that this Caribbean regional membership poses a geopolitical risk.
“The Green Paper and the Together for CARICOM website at TogetherforCaricom address each of these concerns with supporting evidence, data, and analysis. We encourage Mr. Richards, and all Bermudians, to review those materials and to submit feedback through the consultation’s official channels. We welcome it, provided it proceeds on the basis of facts.”
