Caricom-UK: reparations for sustainable development

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller (right) looks on as Chief of Defence Staff Major General Antony Anderson is introduced to British Prime Minister David Cameron (third right), by British High Commissioner to Jamaica, David Fitton (left).

Speaking to the joint Houses of Parliament in Jamaica yesterday, as he announced a package of over £360 million (US$545.8 million) of bilateral aid, he said slavery was and is abhorrent in all its forms and “has no place whatsoever in any civilized society and Britain is proud to have eventually led the way in its abolition”. The academic has made no secret of his desire for Britain to make slavery reparations.

“That the Caribbean has emerged from the long, dark shadow it cast is testament to the resilience and spirit of its people”. Cameron spoke of their meeting saying, “These wounds run very deep indeed”.

On the eve of his arrival here, Chairman of the CARICOM Reparation Commission, Sir Hilary Beckles in an open letter to Cameron said that reparation justice is an issue that can no “be further ignored, remain under the rug, or placed on back burners”.

“(It is) not tied aid.

He said, however, that more needs to be done and that it was for this reason that Britain would spend a few of the £6 billion budgeted for the next five years to finance climate change programmes, on local related activities. “I’m confident that this support will make a decisive difference to the economic future of this region”.

Also announced was a doubling of UK Chevening Scholarships for the Caribbean and enhanced support in the fight against serious and organised crime in the region.

“I don’t believe that, as an independent Jamaica for over 50 years… we should have thousands of Jamaicans exposed to the conditions under which we keep them (in prison) now: Which Parliament is going to say, this year we are not going to build schools, roads in order to build a prison?” he stated.

“An apology says “sorry for the damage I did”, but it does not stop there”. “To tell us to get over it – how can we get over it while we’re still living it today?”

Instead of directly addressing the issue, Cameron replied that his visit focused on reinvigorating the relationship between Britain and the Caribbean countries, and he wanted to concentrate on future, not historical wrongs.

“I brought to the prime minister’s attention, the issues of reparations, indicating that Jamaica is involved in a process under the auspices of the Caribbean Community to engage the United Kingdom on the matter while we are aware of the obvious sensitivities involved”, she said.

During his trip to Grenada, Cameron went to the small town of Gouyave with Mitchell and visited the sole nutmeg processing plant remaining after Hurricane Ivan hit the island in September 2004.