By OSWALD T. BROWN
WASHINGTON, D.C., November 4, 2021 — The appointment of Leslia Miller-Brice, Member of Parliament for Seabreeze, as Bahamas Ambassador to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is an excellent decision by the recently elected Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) government, led by Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis.
Throughout the campaign leading up to the September 16 general election, Ms. Miller-Brice waged an impressive campaign, during which she highlighted several exceptional education-related initiatives, and I fully expected that she would have been high on the list of Prime Minister Davis’ potential Cabinet ministers – quite possibly Minister of Education.
However, for some inexplicable reason, which still baffles me, she was allegedly overlooked for a ministerial appointment because her husband in involved in the “numbers business,” even though numbers houses in The Bahamas are now legitimate legal businesses.
Indeed, Sabas Bastian — co-owner of Island Luck, the most successful “numbers house” in The Bahamas – was appointed Bahamas Ambassador to South Africa by the former Free National Movement (FNM) government shortly before September general election, and it is being speculated that the PLP will do likewise when it announces its diplomatic appointments.
There is no question that Ms. Miller-Brice would have been an effective Minister. The businesswoman and former beauty queen honed her political skills growing up as the daughter of Leslie Miller, one of the most seasoned political operatives in The Bahamas for several decades.
I became convinced that Ms. Miller-Brice would be a good choice for Minister of Education after seeing a post on her Facebook page on April 28, 2021.
As I published in BAHAMAS CHRONICLE at the time, here is what she posted:
“Today we celebrate the success of LB’s Learning Academy. The program was introduced to afford Bahamians at every age the access to educational and personal development programs…
“On March 8th 2021, we kicked off this program with free after-school tutoring sessions for grades six, nine and twelfth grade students. Led by certified teachers, over two hundred students were able to engage in virtual tutoring sessions focusing on areas such as Math, Science, Reading, English Literature, Social Studies and much more.
“Students and teachers shared great remarks on the time spent and the materials learned during each session. Some Students felt better equipped for the BJC/BGCSE examinations while others felt confident to take on new challenges in school.
“I am so grateful we were able to assist so many students in this program. I would like to thank my team, the teachers, students and parents for your hard work and dedication to this program. It could not have been done without you!”
Commenting on her appointment as CARICOM Ambassador in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, November 3, Ms. Miller-Brice said her role will be to provide strategic advice, recommendations and support to the CARICOM community.
“We must foster and enhance diplomatic relations, including the development of economic, political and cultural relations between The Bahamas and CARICOM [and] additionally protect and promote the economic interests of The Bahamas,” Miller-Brice said.
She added: “I believe that The Bahamas must take full advantage of the potential for investment funding, joint ventures, training opportunities and cultural exchanges that the Caribbean can offer The Bahamas.
“Through my appointment, The Bahamas will further create opportunities that will foster new economic growth and create international partnerships that will strengthen our country with a special focus on agriculture, cultural affairs, education, gender affairs and youth development.”
(EDITOR NOTE: The following background information on CARICOM, which has a great deal of influence within the Organization of American States (OAS), was copied from CARICOM’s website.)
HISTORY OF THE CAERIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM)
WHAT IS CARICOM: The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is a grouping of 20 countries: 15 Member States and five Associate Members. It is home to approximately 16 million citizens, 60% of whom are under the age of 30, and from the main ethnic groups of Indigenous Peoples, Africans, Indians, Europeans, Chinese, Portuguese and Javanese. The Community is multi-lingual; with English as the major language complemented by French and Dutch and variations of these, as well as African and Asian expressions.
Stretching from The Bahamas in the north to Suriname and Guyana in South America, CARICOM comprises states that are considered developing countries, and except for Belize, in Central America and Guyana and Suriname in South America, all Members and Associate Members are island states.
While these states are all relatively small, both in terms of population and size, there is also great diversity with regards to geography and population as well as the levels of economic and social development.
PILLARS OF INTEGRATION
Functional cooperation, in various conceptions, has always been a quest for countries of the Caribbean. From the early efforts for a political union which led to the establishment of the West Indies Federation (1958), to the deeper and more structured engagements of the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) (1965), to the more sustained measure of regional integration through a Caribbean Community(1973). The last, for Member States, offered the best prospect for Caribbean economic development.
CARICOM came into being on 4 July 1973 with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas by Prime Ministers Errol Barrow for Barbados, Forbes Burnham for Guyana, Michael Manley for Jamaica and Eric Williams for Trinidad and Tobago. The Treaty was later revised in 2002 to allow for the eventual establishment of a single market and a single economy.
CARICOM rests on four main pillars: economic integration; foreign policy coordination;human and social development; and security. These pillars underpin the stated objectives of our Community:
- to improve standards of living and work;
- the full employment of labor and other factors of production;
- accelerated, coordinated and sustained economic development and convergence;
- expansion of trade and economic relations with Third States;
- enhanced levels of international competitiveness;
- organization for increased production and productivity;
- achievement of a greater measure of economic leverage;
- effectiveness of Member States in dealing with Third States, groups of States and entities of any description; and
- the enhanced coordination of Member States’ foreign and foreign economic policies and enhanced functional cooperation.
OUR JOURNEY
CARICOM is the oldest surviving integration movement in the developing world. Its achievements along the way are many. Great strides have been made, particularly through functional cooperation in education, in health, in culture, in security. Its Single Market functions,and it is a respected voice in international affairs because of a coordinated foreign policy.
