Politics
Jamaica will not leave CARICOM: – Secretary General Irwin LaRocque
Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller (r) Welcomes CARICOM Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque. PHOTO/File
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque says Jamaica cannot survive on its own and, as such, he does not foresee the country pulling out of the regional integration movement.
This, in spite of calls from several sectors of society for the country to bow out of the regional body on the basis that Jamaica is at a disadvantage, especially with regard to trade.
“Jamaica is going to have difficulty going it alone,” he said.
“I do not think that it is an option that it is even on the table for them to consider realistically. I think what is the option is to fix the problems that exist as is perceived by Jamaica, between Jamaica and its partners, and I don’t think that it’s insurmountable.
“I am aware that Jamaica has serious economic challenges, and they have historic groundings… but the answer is not to pull out, but to fix it from inside,” LaRocque stressed.
