CARICOM heads of state meet in Belize
Think of it as a very exclusive club… and the only way to join is to be appointed Governor General or President of a CARICOM country. Those members are this year holding their annual gathering right here in Belize. And while–as every journalist knows–G.G.s don’t give interviews–News Five’s Jacqueline Woods was able to sit in on the opening ceremony.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Following the procession by Heads of State and the playing of each country’s national anthem by the Pantempters Steel Band, Prime Minister Said Musa addressed the special gathering.
Said Musa, Prime Minister of Belize
“It is beyond question that as a region much progress has been made, many meaningful solutions found for social upliftment of our people by stimulating increase economic growth and employment through investment in the productive sector be it agro-industry, tourism, aquaculture, fisheries, small and medium enterprises, and light manufacturing. The question we must ask, however, is whether this pattern of development is sufficiently comprehensive to guarantee a future of strong economies with sustainable livelihoods for all.”
It is the first time that Belize is hosting the annual meeting. The incoming Conference Chairman and Governor General of Belize, Sir Colville Young, spoke about the importance of this year’s theme “Sustainable Development: Protecting Our Region’s Biodiversity.”
Sir Colville Young, Governor General, Belize
“My friends the greatest single cause of human misery on our planet is surely poverty. And admittedly the surest remedy for poverty is economic growth and a fair sharing among the people of a country of the fruits of economic growth. That is why every political party on earth campaigns in elections by promising the people higher standards of living. But these higher standards of living have in the past been inextricably linked to nearsighted exploitation of the earth’s natural resources. It is no accident that the most highly developed countries are in general those where the harmony of mankind and nature has been most vitally destructive.”
The countries represented at the conference include the
Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Belize. Jacqueline Woods for News Five.
The tenth conference of Heads of State of the Caribbean Community will conclude on October sixth. For those viewers who are not quite up to speed with the terminology, please note that under the Westminster model a country’s elected leader is the head of government, while the person appointed to represent the Queen as a stabilizing ceremonial figurehead is the head of state. In many nations, such as the U.S.A. and parts of Europe, the head of state and head of government are the same person.
