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Contact:
Claudia Monlouis
Monday, November 01, 2004 - Prominent Caribbean Economist and Governor of
the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Sir Dwight Venner said that the
sub-region was making a major historical transition in its formation of
political and economic alliances.
Sir Dwight said that OECS States had evolved from building togetherness as a
means of sustaining self governance, to confronting a new reality, that the
region must present a united front in order to remain competitive in the new
international environment. Sir Dwight was guest speaker at the recently held
43rd Annual General Meeting of the Saint Lucia Employers Federation.
“The issue of viability has presented itself in two different forms, at the
beginning and now at this historical juncture. In the beginning it revolved
around whether the countries had the physical, financial and human resources to
sustain their independence; now it revolves on whether in this age of
globalisation, the countries can be competitive in a highly liberalised and
interdependent world. The two are not uncorrelated; it is simply that the
external environment has changed fundamentally, between then and now”, Sir
Dwight remarked.
In light of the new implications that the OECS has to now confront, Sir Dwight
recommended wide ranging and comprehensive discussions, embracing all strata of
the society on the future of member countries.
Sir Dwight surmised that discussions should also examine the effectiveness of
structures that were established decades ago, well before current domestic and
global changes were being implemented.
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