Edwin W Carrington.

Renowned Caribbean historian CLR James told the story of Haiti’s struggle for Independence from France in 1804 in The Black Jacobins. Liberators Toussaint L’Ouverture, Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe brilliantly fought against any European power who wanted to preserve slavery. Haiti, now synonymous with poverty, and labelled the “sick man of the Caribbean,” continues to occupy the attention of leading Caribbean intellectuals including Edwin W Carrington, secretary general of Caricom. It is also renowned for Haitian art and the practice of voodoo.

Carrington said Haiti was expected to come on board the Caribbean market economy next year. Carrington made this comment on Wednesday at the Commonwealth Business Forum at Safari conference centre, on board the cruise ship Serenade of the Seas, docked at Port-of-Spain harbour. Its theme: Caribbean: A Place to do Business. He said, “The CSME is a flourishing market. There are 12 countries in the CSME. Soon it will be 13. Haiti comes on board in 2010.” Carrington said once the constitutional clearances were sorted out, the Carribean would see Haiti on board.

T&T—a place to invest
Dr Aleem Mohammed, executive chairman of SM Jaleel and Company, reminded the gathering the Caribbean had produced great personalities, including Dr Eric Williams, ANR Robinson and Nobel laureates Derek Walcott and VS Naipaul. The Caribbean also boasted beautiful beaches, including Englishman’s Bay in Tobago. “The Caribbean has attracted US$775.8 million between 1999 to 2008. T&T was the largest exporter of methanol and ammonia. It was fifth in LNG production. It is the top five country in urea production,” said Mohammed. He also said the country had made strides in food processing, chemicals, leisure services and eco-tourism: “T&T offers the special spirit of T&T. It offers Carnival, arts and steelband. It is the ease with which its people make friends. The diversity of the culture. The place for the future is T&T. It is the place to invest.”