By KHASHAN POITIER Guardian Staff Reporter

"I think The Bahamas should remain where it's at. We don't need to go there. They need us, we don't need them."

The comments by South Andros Member of Parliament, Whitney Bastian, with several notable exceptions, generally sum up the views expressed by a number of Parliamentarians on Monday on The Bahamas joining the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME).

The consensus of opinion was that the CSME, designed to homogenize trade relations among CARICOM states, including the virtually unrestricted flow of certain categories of workers, held little benefits for The Bahamas, and Caribbean leaders, including Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur, have yet to present a convincing argument as to why the Bahamas should become affiliated.

The Bahamas Government had promised to make a definitive statement on the matter before a recently concluded 24th Caribbean Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Montego Bay, Jamaica, but has deferred the decision until later this month.

On his arrival in Nassau on Sunday on a two-day mission to press the case for CSME, Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur acknowledged that the Bahamas' reservations on the free movement of people were "powerful and cannot be ignored," and that some special considerations may have to be made.

Barbados, in addition to Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago were the principal signatories to the Treaty of Chaguaramas, which established CARICOM on July 4, 1973.

On Monday, during a closed session with Senators, Cabinet Ministers and members of the Opposition at the British Colonial Hilton, Mr. Arthur, the principal spokesman for the CSME, fielded questions on potential benefits the Bahamas could expect to receive from acceding to the agreement.

Following the session, however, Bahamian politicians said the benefits of The Bahamas joining the "level playing field" were still unclear.

Pierre Dupuch, Member of Parliament for St. Margaret, said: "I want to know the 'A's' and 'B's' and the nitty-gritty of this whole thing, and I think the people should be told. I'm not trying to criticize the government. This is something that they have met, some of it the FNM has met and it's about time they tell us what they have met and what they plan to do about it."

Advocating that there was no such thing as "free trade," Mr. Dupuch said, "For example, if I am manufacturing paint, and one of the other countries are manufacturing paint, we both have imports from the United States, for example.

"If The Bahamas has a 50 percent tax on raw materials and Barbados has none," he hypothesized, "We're giving them preferential treatment in our country; then how can I as a paint manufacturer compete against them? You can't. You have to then put up duties or trails in order to protect you from them.

"You're back to square one, but building up barriers at the same time," he said.

While free trade was fine for "these other people," Mr. Dupuch said, he was not elected Parliamentary representative for St. Margaret to watch over other (foreign) constituents' problems, but his own. In the same way, he said, the government was elected to address the interests and problems of Bahamians and not anyone else's.

In a statement, Free National Movement Opposition leader Senator Tommy Turnquest outlined his party's position on the CARICOM initiatives, including the free movement of goods and people.

He said that while the FNM supports efforts to promote "measured and realistic" regional cooperation and further integration of the economies, The Bahamas "should seek reservation or an extended transitional period for the agricultural and small manufacturing sectors."

However, "The Free National Movement categorically opposes the free movement of people," he said. "The FNM views free movement of people as the single greatest challenge to The Bahamas' participation in the CSME, given our peculiar immigration problems in respect of illegal migration from the south (particularly Haiti)."

Senator Turnquest suggested that a more "flexible arrangement" be made to facilitate people to fill positions where Bahamian expertise is absent and arrange work exchange programmes.

All in all, Senator Turnquest said, the FNM would support The Bahamas' entry into the CSME on the grounds that "the country is granted reservations in several of its institutional and legal provisions."

Elizabeth Estates MP Malcolm Adderley said that after residing in Barbados for five years, he recognized that diplomatic discussion between Caribbean countries was beneficial for all concerned.

"The Bahamas has been fortunate in that, even though we don't have any natural resources, it has been able to hold its own quite a bit. I think that that can be seen by the volumes of people coming to The Bahamas with a view of making a life here. There is a concern that there will be few Bahamians that will be going south, and therefore, it is a cause for concern by our people," he said.

Bahamians, he pointed out also, should consider the threat of other Caribbean people competing for Bahamian jobs.

When these facts are presented about the CSME, he said, one might not find many open-minded Bahamians.

Minister of State for Finance, Senator James Smith, maintained however, that while Bahamians are expected to be concerned about the effects of CSME, "those issues can be addressed."

The Bahamas should be open to discussions with other Caribbean countries, he said.

Caption:JOINT SESSION – Prime Minister of Barbados, Owen Arthur, addresses Members of the House of Assembly and Senate on the implications of the proposed CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) Monday at the British Colonial Hilton. Staff Photo by Donald Knowles

Posted Tuesday 22nd July, 2003