Two Town Halls On CARICOM Membership
There will be two additional public meetings as part of the national consultation on the proposal that Bermuda become a full member of CARICOM, one on Thursday, May 14 in Sandys and one on Tuesday, May 19 in St. George’s.
A Government spokesperson said, “The Hon. Alexa N. H. Lightbourne, JP, MP, Minister of Home Affairs, announced two additional public meetings as part of the national consultation on Bermuda’s deepened relationship in the Caribbean Community [CARICOM].
“The sessions will take place on Thursday, 14 May at St. James Church Hall in Sandys and on Tuesday, 19 May at Penno’s Wharf Cruise Ship Terminal in St. George’s, and both sessions will begin at 7:00 p.m.
“These public meetings follow earlier consultation events and are designed to bring the conversation directly to communities in the West End and East End of the island.
“The meetings build on the existing conversation related to CARICOM including Public Consultation, which the Ministry launched alongside a Green Paper, an online public survey, and a series of targeted stakeholder discussions spanning youth groups, community organisations, the education sector, the public and private sectors, unions, and healthcare. The consultation is open to all residents and reflects the Government’s commitment to grounding this decision in public input before any position is advanced.
“The Green Paper outlines several areas where strengthened CARICOM engagement could deliver tangible benefits for Bermuda: expanded economic access to regional markets, trade, and investment; enhanced food security through stronger regional supply chains and resilience against global disruption; workforce mobility and skills exchange to support economic growth and opportunity for Bermudians; and deeper regional partnerships in climate resilience, disaster response, and shared services.
“Bermudians are encouraged to review the Green Paper in advance, submit questions ahead of each session, and complete the public consultation survey at togetherforcaricom.gov.bm.”
Minister Lightbourne said, “This consultation belongs to the people of Bermuda, and these town halls exist so that every person has the opportunity to be heard.”
“The Hon. Alexa N. H. Lightbourne, JP, MP, Minister of Home Affairs, announced two additional public meetings as part of the national consultation on Bermuda’s deepened relationship in the Caribbean Community”.
Clearly the PLP Government does not have the mandate it wants.
The whole Caricom deal is pointless, we get to trade with members of Caricom today. Full membership offers us nothing more than we already have with the associate membership. So why spend the extra dollars?
From Caricom website:
“All CARICOM countries are classified as DEVELOLPING countries. They are all relatively small in terms of population and size, and diverse in terms of geography and population, culture and levels of economic and social development.”
I highlighted Developing as Bermuda is developed.
The PLP is trying to get you to accept that this is about race. It has nothing to do with race. Why do they want you to think this is about race ? Simple, because that is the only way they see that they can hold onto power and line their politicians pockets. This Caricom change in membership status is not about you, or for the benefit of you.
Don’t forget freeing ourselves from the shackles of oppressive Britain.
Look at how well that worked for Sir John Swan in 1995!