PM Roosevelt Skerrit to advocate for ‘Free Movement in Caribbean’ at 48th CARICOM meeting

The Prime Minister of Dominica, Dr Roosevelt Skerrit, is set to attend the CARICOM Heads of State and Government Conference in Barbados on Wednesday. During a recent press conference, he revealed his plans to push for the implementation of free movement among Caribbean countries during the upcoming conference.  

“I'll be traveling to Barbados on Wednesday to attend the CARICOM heads of state and government conference and at this conference we'll be we'll be discussing many issues including the free movement,” said Dr Skerrit. 

He emphasised that free movement should not be limited to the elite but rather should be a right extended to all people across the Caribbean. He added that the current discussions are stuck on the issue of contingent rights including access to education and healthcare. 

The Prime Minister further hoped that the conference could yield some progress towards this issue and will allow for the full implementation of the free movement. He noted that this will be very convenient adding that, “I think if we are truly committed to the free movement, we have to show it in a tangible way and the best way to show it is for people to be able to move freely in the Caribbean.” 

Furthermore, he also addressed concerns regarding everyone thinking that free movement will lead to an influx of people into certain countries saying that evidence suggests that this will not be the case.  

“And this notion that people are going to flock into this country or the country, the evidence doesn't show that. None of our economies is as strong as it is that people are going to flock to our countries for opportunities. We don't have enough people in the Caribbean. We don't have enough critical mass in any of these countries outside of Haiti we feel we have 13 million people, so we need to be able to have the movement of people,” said Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit. 

Apart from the issue of free movement, the Dominican leader said that the conference will also discuss pressing issues such as rising cost of living in the Caribbean. He acknowledged the fact that there are no clear strategies to address this issue at present and said that the leaders will work together to find solutions.  

CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting 

Notably, the CARICOM Heads of Government will meet in Barbados from February 19 to 21 during which Prime Minister Mia Mottley will officially be appointed as the new Chairman of CARICOM.  

This year the meeting will mark the 48th regular meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government is an important platform for regional leaders to discuss and address common issues of interest.