Labouring in the Vineyard
Sir Shridath Ramphal’s Eric Williams Lecture in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on May 26, 2012.
I hope the advent of electronic ‘readers’ does not mean that there will no longer be books for authors to inscribe to their friends on publication. Some of my most treasured books are of that kind; among them, none more treasured than the copy of From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean 1492 – 1969, inscribed as follows:
My dear Sonny
We are both labourers in the vineyard.
It is in this spirit that I send you this book
Bill.
That was 1970. “Bill”, of course, was Prime Minister Eric Williams. The vineyard was economic integration. West Indians were nurturing Caribbean unity from the CARIFTA seedling to the sapling of Caribbean Community. The blossoms of CARICOM and the Treaty of Chaguaramas had actually sprouted. In this Lecture, I want to follow that inscription through the decades that have passed, asking what has come of our labours – what is the state of the vineyard?
The Eric Williams Memorial Lecture has a distinguished vintage; I am honoured and humbled to have been invited to join the list of those who have given it over the years. I thank the organisers and all those responsible for the invitation, and the Governor of the Central Bank, in particular, Mr Ewart Williams. And I am twice honoured, in giving the Lecture in this special year of the 50th Anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago’s Independence.
With Jamaica, you mark this year the first 50 years of West Indian freedom in its larger sense; and you have much of which to be proud.
Today, May 26th, also marks 46 years of the independence of Guyana whose initial Constitution I had a hand in drafting as its Attorney-General. But there are ironies which I must share with you – and questions which I hope you will allow me to ask.
Read complete lecture : [Labouring in the Vineyard – Sir Shridath Ramphal]
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What are the direct benefits of independence for Guyanese? – letter
What are the direct benefits of independence for Guyanese?
Stabroek staff On May 27, 2012 Letters | Comments
Dear Editor,
Given what has played out in local politics after the British politicos left Guyana in May 1966, I can’t really think of anything significant which we can celebrate, thus rendering any thought of a 46th anniversary celebration one more of symbolism than of substance.
It may be a paradox that exists in many other ex-colonies that attained political independence, but it would be interesting to learn what the latest studies are showing the pre and post-independence thoughts of people, as well as comparative analyses of socioeconomic and political conditions before and after independence in ex-colonies, from sub-Saharan Africa to Central Asia to Latin and South America and the Caribbean.
For example, neighbouring Barbados (166 sq miles and 288,000 people), which attained independence on November 30, 1966, from Britain (six months after Guyana), is exemplary when it comes to political stability and social and economic progress. In 2010, it ranked first among 193 countries in political liberties and civil liberties. Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2011 ranks Barbados as 2nd in the Americas and 16th among 183 countries.
The Index of Economic Freedom 2011 ranks Barbados as the 4th freest economy in the Americas and the 37th in the world, while the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012 says Barbados is the 3rd most stable banking system in the Western Hemisphere. Should I impress you with more astonishing facts about tiny Barbados just to make the point? Continue reading →
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