Caribbean News Now!

By Julie Carrington

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- Prime Minister of Barbados, Freundel Stuart, has lamented the silenced voice of regional organisations such as the Caribbean Congress of Labour and the Caribbean Congress of Churches, whose utterances and writings have stirred the psyche of Caribbean nationals for decades.

He made this observation recently while addressing the sixth University of the West Indies (UWI) Distinguished Alumni Lecture on the topic: The Global Crisis: An Opportunity for Collaboration and Cohesion between CARICOM Member States.

Stuart added: "Times were in the region when the voice of regional labour was equally loudly raised and heard, thanks to the vibrancy of the Caribbean Congress of Congress. Time was, also, when the voice of the church was equally loudly raised and heard, thanks to vibrancy of the Caribbean Conference of Churches."

He further stated: "Indeed, it is still true that perhaps the most educational newspaper on regional issues to be circulated in the Caribbean was Caribbean Contact, published by the Caribbean Conference of Churches.

"It seems to me that the resonance of all three of these institutions has now diminished and their flame is burning low. In the days of their glory, this region did not have as much money as it now has and was certainly not as technologically sophisticated."

Stuart proffered the view that the now dormant CARIFESTA, a regional festival which represented a symbol of social cohesion, must be reignited. He suggested that "the time had come for us to raise the profile of CARIFESTA to the exciting and special place that it once occupied in the hearts and minds of the people of this region.

The prime minister contended that the region would benefit from the revitalisation of regional private sector, regional labour and ecclesiastical organisations.

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Ian Francis:

A very dumb and inappropriate address. Is this man from the TRUE DLP which Barrow, Tudor, Talma,Welch,Walcott,, Smith, Simmonds,Morgan and others left.

FS, time to smarten up.

STEVE_HUGGINS:

Interestingly ASTUTE and TIMELY observation and comment by Prime Minister FREUNDEL STUART. I was beginning to think that the EASTERN CARIBBEAN REGION had totally lost the wisdom and perceptiveness of at least near-great men and LEADERS like G.M.G. "TOM" ADAMS, ERROL BARROW, EDWARD 'Eddie' SEAGA, MARY EUGENIA CHARLES, ROBERT MILTON CATO, LYNDEN PINDLING, JOHN COMPTON, VERE C. BIRD, the present Official OPPOSITION LEADER IN BARBADOS, and, the greatest of them all, the veritable BRITISH WEST INDIAN philosopher-king, DR. ERIC EUSTACE WILLIAMS.

It is high time that men of moral substance, men of integrity, men of courage among us to SPEAK OUT FIRMLY, UNAMBIGUOUSLY, AND UNAFRAIDLY, with tons of INTEGRITY AND IMPARTIALITY, on the vexing, awesome, transcendental issues of the day that POSE DIRE, TERMINAL, DANGERS TO OUR VERY EXISTENCE as a free, independent, sovereign PEOPLE IN THE ANGLO-PHONE CARIBBEAN.

God give us REAL MEN AND TRUE LEADERS in this increasingly dangerous, cosmocidal, age.