Revise CARICOM Treaty again; CARICOM passport currently useless- Fmr. Jamaica PM

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Former Jamaica Prime Minister Percival Patterson Monday night urged an overhaul of CARICOM’s Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and he expressed grave concern about the real value of the CARICOM Passport. While he said CARICOM has made progress in a number of areas, the former long-serving Caribbean leader identified several areas that needed very urgent attention. Though member states now issue CARICOM passports, Patterson said the initiative currently appeared useless. “What purpose does the CARICOM passport serve if travelling within the region is still like an obstacle race,” he queried to loud applause. He further questioned how foreigners, once they entered the region for Cricket World Cup 2007, could have moved around with “absolute freedom” and CARICOM people with a CARICOM passport had to establish their identity at each port of entry. “It simply doesn’t make sense,” he said.