Time to leave CARICOM

Thirty years ago Jamaica was the dominant trading partner in Caricom. According to former PNP minister, Claude Clarke, in 1988 Jamaica had a trade surplus of US$3 million with our Caricom trading partners; by 2008 it had been converted to a deficit of US$1.6 billion. Between January to August last year, Jamaica imported US$766 million worth of goods and services from Caricom countries while only exporting US$45 million. The biggest culprit is Trinidad and Tobago, which continues to exploit and rape this country. In 2010 Trinidad exported approximately US$710 million worth of goods to Jamaica while only importing less than US$1 million worth of Jamaican goods. 

Trinidad has oil and natural gas; the cost of electricity in Trinidad is US$0.06 while in Jamaica it is US$0.32. Admittedly, we can't compete under these circumstances and must look to alternative energy. However, at the same time Trinidad has been duplicitous in its standing agreement to sell Jamaica LNG, reneging  on the agreement. At the same time they have no problem selling the gas to Barbados.   

Equally galling is their baseless claim that Air Jamaica is responsible for the financial losses at Caribbean Airlines even though they did not get any of Air Jamaica's liabilities. 

Member of Parliament for North East St Catherine, Gregory Mair is on to something. It is time to leave the joke that is Caricom.