- Grenada will not allow other country’s morality to dictate funding
The Grenada administration signalled Wednesday that it would not rush into signing the Samoa Agreement, which would serve as the main legislative framework for the European Union (EU) and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) partnership for the next 20 years.
The accord, which replaces the Cotonou accord, was signed last Wednesday in Apai. It addresses issues such as long-term development and growth, human rights, and peace and security.
The agreement’s temporary applicability will begin on January 1, 2024. It will enter into force after being approved by the European Parliament and ratified by all EU member states as well as at least two-thirds of the 79 OACPS members.
Dominica and Jamaica have now indicated that they will sign the agreement, which has “raised concerns in several quarters, including the Roman Catholic Church,” amid fears that it will impose regulations on Caribbean people that are contrary to their culture and traditions.
However, both Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Export Development, Joseph Andall, warned reporters at a press conference here on Wednesday that St. George’s will not be hurried into signing any accords including moral issues.
Andall stated that “there is a window for countries to sign” after mentioning that several CARICOM countries have yet to sign 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,” Andall said in a statement.
Whether or not international accords exist, morality and values are shaped by the culture of every given country or region, according to Prime Minister Mitchell.
“So I think the questions raised by the Archbishop’s comments are always questions for debate,” Mitchell, an attorney, said, adding, “I want to say morality is a private issue…we have to keep that in mind.”
“Certainly, in the context of the region, we have long had separation of church and state…And, from a public standpoint, the government deals with law and what is and is not legal.
“As a result, we must be cautious not to blur the line between private morality and law.” 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 stated that it would imply that other countries are attempting to impose their morals or public policy on other countries by attaching it to aid.
“That is not something we support philosophically.” 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” .
While the Archbishop’s views are “clearly his, and the sense I got from his words is…I have not yet read the agreement, so I cannot tell you whether it states what people are stating.
“I suspect at the end of the day our technocrats and bureaucrats will go through the agreement and be in best position to tell us exactly what the agreements actually state,” he said.
