(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) The 1 January 2006 launch of the CARICOM Single Market has been heralded by many Caribbean commentators as “a boost to regional integration,” which bodes well for the future of the Region.

Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition of Guyana and member of the Committee of CARICOM Heads of Government and Leaders of Parliamentary Opposition, Mr. Robert Corbin said the launch of the Single Market attested to the Region’s resilience and steadfast approach to realising economic progress. “I believe that CARICOM has reached a stage where we can really embark on a road to economic development, “Mr. Corbin stated.

He noted that the Single Market represented the fulfillment of the dreams of the founding fathers of CARICOM, and was indicative of the steady progress made by CARICOM over time. Mr. Corbin added that the Single Market represented “an important step for the survival of CARICOM in a globalised world,” but he called for steps to be taken at the national level to educate citizens about its various features.

The Opposition Leader alluded to the apprehensions expressed by some Caribbean entrepreneurs with regard to the emergence of new competitive businesses on the regional market as inevitable. However, he highlighted the importance of the provisions within the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas with respect to Disadvantaged Countries, Regions and Sectors as well as the regional Development Fund another measure contained in the Treaty, as sources of comfort for the business sector.

Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago became the first six CARICOM countries to have signed on to the Single Market, which will be formally launched on Monday 30 January in Kingston, Jamaica. The programme will be broadcast live and transmitted via the Caribbean Media Corporation Member Stations throughout the Region.