SUNDAY 7TH JUNE, 2015 – UWI TODAY
9
THE FUTURE OF THE CARIBBEAN
Todaymarks a definingmoment
in the history of our region
as we initiate a new dialogue and begin a novel journey that
challenges the status quo and philosophical paradigms of
traditional Caribbean development. Our aim is to create a
fresh dispensation of ideas, thoughts and actions that will
help our region reposition itself as an important player on
the international stage and secure sustainable development
in an ever-evolving and competitive world system.
Before I continue, I must tell you how thrilled I am that
this transformative and mould-breaking forum is taking
place right here on the grounds of our University. It brings
tomemory the vision of our founding fathers captured in the
Irvine Commission Report of 1944. This report envisioned
the regional UWI, “to be something more than the best
possible institution for production of our graduates. It
should be ‘The Intellectual Centre of our Region’.”
The hosting of this important Forum therefore bears
witness that The UWI is indeed re-positioning itself at
the centre of thought, being a catalyst and driver for the
development trajectory of our region. Let me thank the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNDP in particular,
and all the other supporting agencies for collaborating to
host this Forum. And most importantly, let me thank all
of you, our distinguished guests and stakeholders from
various sectors for taking time out of your busy schedules
to be present with us today.
It is imperative that as a region, we shift gears and look
towards the future. The time in which we live demands
new thoughts and new paradigms which will result in new
solutions. We need to create a new vision for our region,
our countries, our institutions and ourselves. As I reflected
upon the future of the Caribbean myself, I could not help
but think of some of the possibilities. This morning, I think
aloud and share some of my thoughts with you.
What if we removed every barrier to trade for
manufactured and agricultural goods within the
Caribbean region that have been certified by their States
of origin?
What if we ensured the free movement of people
within the Caribbean region? Or what if we created a
Union of Caribbean States?
What if we brought together the resources of the
Caribbean including capital, technology, labour, energy,
manufacturing, production and distribution knowledge,
our land and marine assets, etc. to build a robust
production capability within the region – a matter which
the late Professor Norman Girvan passionately advocated
since the 1960s, but a matter that has never materialized
up to today, much to our region’s loss?
What if Trinidad and Tobago utilized its geographic
location and became a trans-shipment hub for goods
going to South America, would this not open up the Latin
American market of over 350 million people to Caribbean
and global exporters? What if we build a bridge from
Trinidad to Venezuela?
What if the regional UWI becomes the leading
university not only for the English-speaking Caribbean,
but also for the Spanish, French and Dutch-speaking
Caribbean, thereby serving great numbers of students
from these countries; What if the regional UWI
introduces a liberal fee regime that opens itself up to the
wider world, including the sons and daughters of the West
Indian diaspora and those from our ancestral origins?
What if all our State-funded higher education
institutions, universities, colleges and technical institutes
are brought together to form one regional collegiate
system anchored in quality, technology, mobility and
efficiency?
What if all the countries of our region implemented
legislation with structured funding for research at 1%
of our GDP? Or what if there was a regional research
funding agency (funded also as a percentage of each
Bold Solutions
Do Not Reside in
Past Thinking
B y P r o f e s s o r C l e m e n t S a n k a t
These are the opening remarks made by Pro Vice-Chancellor and St. Augustine Campus Principal,
Professor Clement Sankat
at the
Forum on the Future of the Caribbean
at the Teaching and Learning Complex, UWI St. Augustine Campus on May 5, 2015.
country’s GDP), could we imagine how this may propel
problem-solving, creativity, innovation and knowledge
generation for our societies?
What if university funding was guaranteed and
enshrined in the constitutions of our countries in the
region and as a percentage of GDP, as it is in some Latin
American countries, could we imagine how this will
remove all publicly funded universities from the financial
challenges of the day?
What if the countries of our region implemented long
and medium-term visions, strategies, direction and major
capital development projects which cannot be changed
through the electoral cycle (apart from exceptional
circumstances)?
I ask you distinguished ladies and gentlemen, to ponder
upon some of these questions, and I hope that more of these
will be generated today, for although probing these questions
may be seen in some quarters as ‘radicalism’ at work, I say
that in the context of an ever-evolving world system, bold
solutions to our present challenges and building an exciting
future for our peoples will not reside in past thinking. I am
therefore of the firm belief that we must speak about fresh
ideas, concepts and models; pursue new perspectives and
paradigms; while discarding inappropriate old approaches.
This is the spirit and philosophy behind this Forum on the
Future of the Caribbean. Bold thinking must no longer be
on the periphery, it must now be at the center. This is not
to say that we must forget our past, our rich history and the
significant strides we havemade post-independence, but the
time has come for us to begin to think outside the box, to
be creative, innovative and industrious if our region is to
achieve sustainable development! Hopefully, this Forumwill
begin to interrogate some of these issues, remembering that
The UWI must always remain a space for critical thought.
The hosting of this
important Forum
therefore bears witness
that The UWI is
indeed re-positioning
itself at the centre of
thought, being a catalyst
and driver for the
development trajectory
of our region.
