Former St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, has strongly encouraged Bermuda to transition to a full member of Caricom, emphasizing that Caribbean nations must work together to combat shared challenges like climate change, health crises, and crime.
Gonsalves made the remarks during a recent episode of the Caricom Conversations broadcast, hosted by Progressive Labour Party MP Christopher Famous.
Pointing to the region’s shared background, he explained, “All Caricom members” have a common history, our systems have evolved in particular ways, all of us speak European languages, and there’s a geographic closeness to each of us”. These factors, he argued, naturally predispose Caribbean nations toward integration.
Without uniting through institutions such as Caricom or the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Dr. Gonsalves warned that Caribbean countries risk remaining “separate and inchoate”. He highlighted that the necessity for “functional co-operation” has been clear since 1962, following the collapse of the multinational West Indies Federation.
For Bermuda, which currently holds associate membership in the organization, Gonsalves noted that full Caricom membership could specifically protect and develop the island’s financial regime. While acknowledging the global interest in curbing money laundering and terrorism financing, he warned that international regulations can sometimes be designed in a way that could “emasculate your financial services”. To counter this, he argued that Bermuda needs the collective support of non-colonial territories facing similar issues, such as Barbados, Antigua, and St Kitts & Nevis.
The Bermudian Government has already begun exploring the possibility of deeper integration, recently publishing a Green Paper titled The Story of Us and hosting three town hall meetings on the prospect of full membership.