(NOTE: This article was published by Dominica News Online on Thursday, November 23, 2023)
The recently-penned Samoa Agreement, which will govern trade and aid arrangements between Europe and its former colonies in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (ACP) for the next 20 years, has divided the Caribbean with some countries either signing on to it or showing willingness to sign on, while others have not.
The agreement has raised concerns, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, that it will be used by the European Union (EU) to impose values and ideologies that are contrary to Caribbean culture and traditions.
Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port of Spain, Jason Gordon, has criticized it saying that while it is “written as a trade agreement, anyone who signs the agreement will have abortion legislation in their countries. They will have to impose abortion legislation, transgender, LBGTQ, comprehensive sex education, and a whole range of values because of the signing of that document.”
St Vincent and the Grenadines and Barbados have already signed, while Dominica and Jamaica have said they will be doing so. Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, The Bahamas and Grenada have not signed. Grenada has made it clear that it is no rush to subscribe to the agreement.
“Grenada for sure we are not willing to surrender our sovereignty to any international organisation and if there is any part and proposed agreement inconsistent with our constitution and with our values, we will think very long and hard before entering into any such agreement,” that country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Export Development, Joseph Andall, said in a statement on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell believes that whether or not international accords exist, morality and values are shaped by the culture of every given country or region and the morality of countries should not be imposed on others.
“As a result, we must be cautious not to blur the line between private morality and law,’ he stated. ‘And I firmly believe that, from our perspective, the morality of other countries should not be forced on the morals of countries, nor should it be linked to help.”
He pointed out that this would imply that countries are attempting to impose their own moral or public policy on countries by attaching it to assistance or aid.
“That is not something we support philosophically,” he stated. “Our stance is that if countries choose to engage in grant financing, aid funding, or loans with us, those are business matters that should be governed by commercial conditions. If you attempt to impose what I would call morality issues into them, then I think certainly from our perspective…it is not likely that this government would simply sign because we need to get some grant funding or aid funding.”
The Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, has a different opinion on the accord, saying it is very comprehensive and won’t require the changing of laws in his country, or any country for that matter.
See complete article in Dominica News Online at https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/samoa-agreement-divides-caribbean/
