All of us leaders believe we are PM’s of an individual continent
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica asserts that for the OECS to attain genuine integration, it is imperative for countries to be prepared to divest some of their national sovereignty.
Skerrit states that he can state unequivocally, even during the consultation, that he was resolutely in favour of transferring certain elements of Dominica’s so-called national sovereignty to the centre to facilitate integration within the sub region.
“If we’re going to be able to deal with these issues, we have to be prepared to move towards political union or some of it. But the reality is, let’s be honest with ourselves. Every one of us in this room believes that we are prime ministers or premiers of a continent, an individual continent, and that we want to hold tightly to that which we have inherited or managed on behalf of the Crown, and we do not want to divest any of these things. So we have to be prepared to move to the route of political union, which should now usher in a divestment of some of our constitutional authorities.”
Skerrit says when members of Parliament meet, It is not a tea party but to discuss serious matters affecting the lives of our citizens. And so for the OECS to get to that point, the prerequisites have to be put in place. However, countries have to move to divest some of their national authorities to the centre if we are to seriously achieve some of the objectives that are being spoken of.
“I would suggest, colleagues, that we set a time when we can discuss this matter and decide whether we have gotten to the state of maturity. To do that which we say we would like to do”.
