The Tribune

By LETRE SWEETING

lsweeting@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said he is looking forward to speaking with international world leaders today about support and resources to assist with stabilising the situation in Haiti to allow for “free and fair” elections within that country.

He spoke at a press conference at the Office of The Prime Minister yesterday, in his role as chairperson of CARICOM heading this year’s 44th Heads of Government Meeting which will be held at the Baha Mar resort from today to Friday.

Mr Davis said he expects to see agreements made to address several long-standing issues throughout the Caribbean and The Bahamas, including healthcare, crime, food and energy security, irregular migration and assistance for Haiti.

 Concerning the issues in Haiti, Mr Davis said he is hoping to discuss joint assistance with countries outside of the Caribbean for a “Haitian solution” to the crisis in Haiti.

 “The Prime Minister from Canada (Justin Trudeau) is coming here to talk about the role that they may be able to play in assisting us,” Mr Davis said.

 “What we at CARICOM have come to appreciate is that we do not have the resources to be able to deal with the Haiti problem ourselves and we do need outside help. And we’re looking to the north, Canada, and the United States to come to the fold to help. And it has to be a Haitian solution, not an American, Canadian or CARICOM solution. We’re here to help them find a solution,” he said.

 “We do not have the capacity, nor do we have the resources to effectively bring stability, none of our Caribbean countries, either individually or collectively, could achieve that without the assistance. Once we have identified assistance from abroad, we are prepared to do our part to ensure that stability is obtained,” Mr Davis said.

“I think the international community is reluctant to intervene in the sense that we make it an international solution or it’s an occupation by the international powers. Rather, what we seek to have done is to stabilise the country sufficiently enough to allow for free and fair elections,” he said.

 He added: “The path and journey to that is where the challenge for us is what we need to be able to ensure that persons who wish to offer themselves for elected positions in the country to form a parliament, to form government, persons are able to reach and speak to citizenry, to sell their programmes, their initiatives, share the philosophy and vision for their country, free from intimidation, and fear of violence, etcetera.”

 When asked about CARICOM officials feeling safe to travel to Haiti, Mr Davis said: “I don’t know that we are afraid to travel to Haiti. But the question is, the instability that continues to persist does not make anyone feel safe in Haiti.

“Now, things are settling and are now considering whether we’ll send them (Bahamian diplomats for Haiti) back,” Mr Davis said.

 Asked about a timeline for support for Haiti, Mr Davis said: “We had anticipated having a meeting in January. But that seemed to have been sidestepped by the fact that there was an accord that was supposedly signed on the 21st of December. The authenticity of which is being questioned, not so much by if it was created and signed, but by the signatures on that document.”

 Regarding talks at the CARICOM meeting, Mr Davis said: “We’ll also be talking about migration issues that impact all of our countries in respect to irregular and sometimes more likely dangerous migration of persons who are impacted by the challenges within their own jurisdictions.”

 Mr Davis also said that help for Ukraine with the ongoing war will also be discussed with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as The Bahamas will be prepared to help in any way possible.

 Concerning issues with increased crime and weapons trafficking, Mr Davis said he is continuing to seek assistance from America as most of the trafficked weapons have been traced to have come from that country.

 “We continue to remind them that their right to bear arms must not be equated to allowing you the right to trafficking arms. Because we find that most of the guns that’s been used in our criminal activities in The Bahamas and throughout the region, we can trace them right back to where they’re being purchased in the United States,” Mr Davis said.

“They have embedded some assistance here in the country, for us to identify and be able to trace weapons, and to assist in the tracking and interception of weapons coming into The Bahamas and has proven very effective over the last six to eight months,” he said.

Another issue on the agenda for today’s meeting, climate change, is one that Mr Davis said is a “central focus”.

“Climate change and financing will be a central focus. The Bridgetown Initiative and its role in generating funding to assist developing nations as they adapt to climate change will serve as the launch pad for our discussions,” Mr Davis said.

CARICOM Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett, who was also at the press conference, said officials will be speaking about support for local food production as a possible solution to the issue of food security, which all countries face.

“If we are able to increase our production, our local production, and if all of the numbers add up correctly, the food should be cheaper, because we’re not factoring in the transport costs that would add to the cost of food on our shelves,” Dr Barnett said.

“Now, the strategy that the CARICOM agreed to some years ago is this strategy to reduce food imports, even before the impact of COVID,” she said.

Dr Barnett also spoke more on CARICOM’s plans for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging health issues and the strain being placed on regional health systems.

“All of our systems are indeed under stress because of the diversion of resources from other kinds of provision of health services to dealing with the COVID crisis since 2019. So, we’re going to be having that conversation led by CARPHA (The Caribbean Public Health Agency),” she said.

Other officials set to be present for the CARICOM meeting include the president of Africa Export – Import Bank, the president of the Development Bank of Latin America, the director general of the World Trade Organization, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will deliver a video message.