Would Indian Prime Minister Modi extravagance to CARICOM bring meaningful fruits to the people in the area.? His seven-point plan to the four million people in the Caribbean Sea really worth it, as the CARICOM countries, most of them, signal a new awakening to the 15 members of the regional group which has been functional some 51 hears now. Is it another Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) which was initiated by America, and it is now in the scrapyard of history.
Are we to consider the Modi’s Plan would as a replacement of the American approach? Or is It that India, fresh from an almost defeat in the recent General Election that he is flexing his muscles to the Indian populace that he remains the all- powerful Indian leader?
Let’s face it, as far as my memory goes or the historical data provides between India and the Caribbean people, this is the first time since India’s Independence in August 1947, some 77 years ago, that India has stepped out to the Caribbean and offered such a largesse of goodies aimed at development. History would record that during the Covid 19 fiasco, Prime Minister Modi handsomely donated in excess of 400,000 doses of vaccine, and the latest being to Trinidad and Tobago which went on begging knees to him and he was as usual charitable and quickly donated 40,000 to save this country from the dreaded health chaos.
It is worth mentioning that the seven pillars of support which he enumerated as follows, and starting with “C” which would compass capacity building through scholarships, training and technical assistance which includes 1,000 scholarships under its ITEC Programme to be accessed over the next five years from its technical centre it established Belize, and he added assistance in creating a forensic centre. I would just to add that China has promised to establish a new forensic centre in Trinidad and Tobago, several years ago, and that seems to be frozen.
India would work with CARICOM to provide on-line training in technology, administration, law and education, and training for parliamentarians, agriculture, food security, renewable energy and climate change, with great focus solar energy, technology and trade.
Modi caused an uproar in smiles when he pronounced cricket and culture as he acknowledged the serious link with T20 cricket and India, and as well as the enhancement of women’s cricket. The economy and maritime security, passenger and maritime cargo ferries, medicine and health care, generic medication, drug testing laboratories, and that India would provide a, “Made in India Cancer” treatment machine, mobile hospitals, artificial feet, dialysis unit and ambulances to the region. Modi underlined the effectiveness of yoga and as well proposed that yoga formed part of the school curriculum as India would be willing to send yoga teachers and trainers. Modi came to Guyana on the invitation of Guyana’s President Irfaan Ail for a three day stay in this newly-found oil rich country on the invitation of the latter. The late Indira Gandhi was the first and only Indian Prime Minister to visit Guyana and this was in 1968, when she made a whirlwind visit to Trinidad and Tobago as well.
He would also receive Guyana’s highest honour, The Honour of Excellence; the Honorary Freedom Honour of Barbados’ and Dominica’s Award of Honour.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley and CARICOM chairman Grenadian Prime Minister Dickson Mitchell were among the list of Caribbean leaders who attended the parley.
Prime Minister Modi was exceedingly charitable in his gift bag to CARICOM, but the central challenge is would the CARICOM would be able to take up the challenge and get cracking with his offer which by any extent of one’s imagination is super abundant. What India must do, do it with all the urgency at its command is to establish a quality control mechanism to ensure that India’s efforts are not “polytricks” as the Caribbean is a well-established arena for that kind behaviour.
This is the first time that India has come out and taken such stand on development and aid to the Caribbean.
Years gone by, India was noted for its religious and cultural relations, but it has now taken new initiative to bolster the Caribbean development, which it is hoped that CARICOM would willingly set up the mechanisms to accelerate this over kind gesture on the part of Modi. Is it that Modi is now becoming a world leader and combat the American and Chinese frontiers aimed at becoming a truly world power?
Let us see how CARICOM would process this growth plan. Does the CARICOM have that aptitude. wisdom and clarity of thought to process this gesture of an international flavour, or would CARICOM this accept it as a gesture for media photos. Let us wait and see how it would pan out. Is it possible that the CARICOM would view it as another medium to fight among themselves. as it has been the modus operandi over the many years?
