by Linda Straker
- Emmalin Pierre represented Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell at OECS meeting
- Leaders of the Opposition were updated on OECS Commission’s work
- In February 2024, Dr Claris Modeste attended a regional workshop in Trinidad
Emmalin Pierre, Member of Parliament for St Andrew South East represented Opposition Leader Dr Keith Mitchell when the OECS convened the 3rd meeting of the Leaders of the Opposition on 21 March 2024.
Held via video conference, the meeting aimed at recognising the value of perspectives of regional parliaments towards regional integration. In his opening remarks, Director General of the OECS Dr Didacus Jules told the Leaders of the Opposition that each represents an important and consequential voice in the diverse and vibrant community of nations within the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).
A news release from the OECS Secretariat said that the Leaders of the Opposition were updated on the OECS Commission’s work under its 5 strategic priorities of accelerating regional integration, reinventing the economy, valuing the environment, building resilience, and advancing equity and inclusion.
“The Commission’s work is implemented within 4 main divisions — economic affairs and regional integration; operations; human and social; and environmental sustainability. Directors of the Commission presented the projects currently being executed in the 2021–2024 triennium and anticipated plans for the next one set to begin in July 2024,” the release said.
Dr Jules told the Opposition Leaders, “In the last triennium we have sought to deepen the process of consultation at all levels and across all sectors because ultimately regional integration cannot succeed if it does not engage, listen to and respond to what matters most to all sectors — from the citizen in the public street to families, to communities, from the business sector to the civic sector.”
He also noted that the convening was not just to update on the progress of regional integration, but also to “deepen a process of inclusion that is essential if we are to achieve genuine progress on our collective aspirations and in addressing our shared challenges.”
The meeting’s topics of discussion were guided by the presentations for each division. Leaders of the Opposition shared their feedback, noting that their inclusion opens room for discussions, sharing opposition stances and that of various demographics, and also for the opposition groups to share their support for OECS initiatives.
The participants also honed in on matters of urgency in the region such as increasing crime rates and access to nutritional food. Dr Jules supported the request for more frequent meetings of Leaders of the Opposition to share information and to address matters of urgency that affect regional integration efforts and not political motives.
The Leaders of the Opposition, according to the release, expressed their commitment to promoting the commission’s regional integration work to their stakeholders and acknowledged the importance of the free movement of people, goods, and services for the region’s success. “There was a strong focus on the impacts of free movement within the Eastern Caribbean Economic Union and the work accomplished so far. The OECS Commission highlighted the developments across OECS borders in environmental sustainability, education, border management, and crisis management during natural hazards.”
Besides MP Pierre, Opposition Leaders attending the meeting were Hon. Jamale Pringle of Antigua & Barbuda; Hon. Jesma Paul Victor of the Commonwealth of Dominica; Hon. Mark Brantley of St Kitts & Nevis; Hon. Dr Goodwin Friday of St Vincent and the Grenadines; Hon. Cora Richardson-Hodge of Anguilla and Hon. Ronnie W Skelton of the British Virgin Islands.
Pierre is not the only current MP to represent the Opposition Leader at a regional event. From 27–29 February 2024, Dr Claris Modeste attended a regional workshop in Trinidad on the work of Public Accounts Committees and parliamentary trade scrutiny.
