Go Lean…Caribbean

Go Lean Commentary

There are some special non-Holidays on the calendar; consider:

• March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day
• May 5th – Cinco De Mayo

These dates are special in that they celebrate culture; the culture of the Irish and Mexicans. Now, there is a movement to add August 1st to that non-Holiday Culture Celebration tradition; this effort is to establish Caribbean Day. (This date was originally codified as Emancipation Day in 1834 for all slaves in the British Empire).

The Caribbean Day colors are blue yellow and black, as demonstrated in the logo here,
to depict the Caribbean sun against the blue sky touching the deep blue Caribbean Sea.

The petition is being made to the Caribbean Community (CariCom) Secretariat for the Caribbean member-states to resolve to recognize August 1, every year, as the International Caribbean Day. The petitioners want the Caribbean governments to do their part, then they will take the lead to advocate this as an International Cultural Day, in the mold of St. Patrick’s Day and Cinco De Mayo.

Petitioners? Advocates?

There is a whole movement. Consider the actual petition here from Change.org, and the Letter to the CariCom Secretariat in the Appendix below:

In Caribbean history the extraordinary importance of the 1st August 1834 is inescapable as the date which restored human dignity to the mass of Caribbean inhabitants. Today we are many people living together in harmony, respect and one love. Our descendent Caribbean children across the world are a rainbow of races, colours, and nationalities, however there is the ever growing risk that identities become diluted and confused. Therefore our movement say: on this one day people of Caribbean heritage should join in thanks giving and celebration to recognize our joint history, future and the warm fact that we all belong!

Sign this petition

This petition – along with below letter – will be delivered to:

• Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat
  CARICOM (15 heads of Caribbean nations)

Adviser, Public Information Unit CariCom
Mr. Leonard Robertson

Source: Change.org Petition; retrieved September 10, 2016 from: https://www.change.org/p/caricom-15-heads-of-caribbean-nations-proclaim-international-caribbean-day

A champion of this movement is Attorney Hamilton Daley. As a lawyer, he is a “member of the Bar” in Jamaica and in the UK. He is a member of the Caribbean Diaspora; and a role model for enacting change and empowerment for the Caribbean image.

See an interview in the Appendix-VIDEO below where he explains the fundamentals of the movement. Also see an assortment of his commentaries here: http://jamaicans.com/author/hamiltondaley/.

The Caribbean Diaspora, broadly interpreted, contains all those born in the Caribbean region but now live abroad. The term legacy – a subset of the Diaspora – refers more to those born abroad but known to have Caribbean ancestry.

This subject of Caribbean Diaspora is also an important consideration in the book Go Lean … Caribbean . It relates a societal elevation plan for the Caribbean region that accepts the premise that the member-states have experienced too high an abandonment rate. Far too many Caribbean citizens have fled their tropical homes and created a new life on foreign shores. Yet, the love and affinity they hold for their homeland is undeniable. They must be factored in as stakeholders of any effort to pursue change in the region. The quest is simple, to make the Caribbean a better place to live, work and play, so that future generations of Caribbean citizens do not have to flee as well. Then to incentivize the people who have left – the Diaspora – to consider a return … someday.

As Diasporas go, our experience is not the first, nor the worst. We have the Irish history and example to glean lessons from. Their Diaspora is considered over 100 million people, while the island population is below 10 million. Despite any desire to do better, our current disposition so parallels Ireland’s history. Just like the Irish, our Diaspora love their country and culture, but have to live abroad; they want conditions to be different (better) at home to consider any repatriation.

Over the centuries, the Irish Diaspora endured a lot of misery, resistance and discrimination in their foreign homes. As related in a previous commentary, the usual path for new immigrants is one of eventual celebration, but only after a “long train of abuses”: rejection, anger, protest, bargaining, toleration and eventual acceptance. But now today, people the world over wear green on March 17^th as a statement of acceptance and celebration of Irish people and culture. This is now viewed as a proud heritage for what they have endured and accomplished. The Caribbean Day movement wants to model this success for persons of Caribbean heritage.

Ditto for the Go Lean movement. Just like the Caribbean Day movement, both efforts are inclusive of all language groups, not just the English-speaking Caribbean. This is demonstrated by first petitioning CariCom, which now includes Dutch-speaking Suriname and French/Creole-speaking Haiti. The Go Lean movement takes their effort further by targeting the Dutch Antilles, French Antilles, US Virgin Islands and the neighboring Spanish Caribbean territories (Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico), in addition to CariCom. The Go Lean book relates that these 30 member-states – with 42 million people – all share the same societal abandonment disposition. The book considers Puerto Rico, for example, that had an on-island population of 3,725,789 in 2010, but Puerto Ricans living abroad in the US mainland was 4,623,716; (Page 303).

The Go Lean book serves as a roadmap for the introduction and implementation of the Caribbean Union Trade Federation (CU), a technocratic federal government to administer and optimize the economic/security/ governing engines of all 30 member-states. The quest is to provide a better direct stewardship, applying lessons-learned from global best practices.

There are a lot of lessons for the Caribbean to learn from these other cultures: Ireland … and Mexico. There is a constant need for better societal engines: economic, security, and governance. Fulfilling these needs is the underlying theme behind this Go Lean movement, to “appoint new guards” for all of the region to make the Caribbean homeland a better place to live, work and play. This Declaration of Interdependence is pronounced at the outset of the Go Lean book (Page 11):

xi. Whereas all men are entitled to the benefits of good governance in a free society, “new guards” must be enacted to dissuade the emergence of incompetence, corruption, nepotism and cronyism at the peril of the people’s best interest. The Federation must guarantee the executions of a social contract between government and the governed.

The Go Lean movement declares solidarity with the Caribbean Day movement. This alignment is more than just feelings, but words and actions as well. The promoters of the Go Lean movement conducted a structured interview with the identified promoter of the Caribbean Day movement, Hamilton Daley (or HD; Author = Bold). Consider his responses here as related to these parallel tracks to elevate Caribbean image and reality:

Tell me your story:

HD: I am the founder of Caribbean Day Movement International, which started as a social media based movement to establish recognition of 1st August as a date of cultural significance for the international Caribbean community – CARIBBEAN DAY.  I am a dual qualified lawyer simultaneously practicing in both London, UK and the Caribbean, Jamaica.  I maintain offices and homes in both jurisdictions.

Though your aspiration is to unite Caribbean people through out the world, how would you feel if your children return to a Caribbean destination for permanent residency?

HD: I would be very pleased.

Considering all your travels, where in the world would you consider the best place to live?

HD: I am obviously biased in my opinion. But this has always been a motivation for the Caribbean Day movement, to convey to the world that our Caribbean homelands are the best addresses in the world. This “fact” is not always recognized, accepted or valued in the world.

But our Caribbean people have obviously abandoned their homeland, for good reasons, what we call “push and pull”: defects in the region’s economic, security and governing engines. How do you feel about the Caribbean economy?

HD: There is much room for beneficial improvement with some coordination, which sadly is lacking at the moment.

How do you feel about Caribbean security?

HD: Personal security is an issue of concern in some places, more so than in others. This is definitely a societal defect that needs to be remediated and mitigated.

Accepting that the Caribbean in general and Jamaica in particular is your homeland, what would you want to see there in … 5 years?

HD: I would hope to see all generations of Jamaicans from kindergarten to grandparents celebrating their Caribbean heritage on August 1st. I would also want to see Jamaica become a successful trading partner and better realize it’s full potential within the Caribbean family of nations and in doing so, develop its global brand.

What would you want to see in Jamaica in … 10 years?

HD: I would want to see the issues which perpetuate crime, violence and corruption to become tamed or made historical in keeping of a greater developed nation. I would want to see strong ties and bonds with the broad global Caribbean community.

What would you want to see in Jamaica in … … 20 years?

HD: I would want to see Jamaica established and reaffirmed as a safe, progressive “diamond” destination – stable, beautiful and valuable – and a strong player in the region and inclusive Caribbean Diaspora.

Thank you for your responses and your commitment to the Caribbean. We see you; we hear you and we feel your passion. We entreat you to look here, going forward, for more on solutions.

The Go Lean movement has collected the complaints of the Caribbean Diaspora like Hamilton Daley. This book was the response. The book declared that the Caribbean is in crisis, but posits that a “crisis is a terrible thing to waste” (Page 8). The book asserts that the solution for the Caribbean crisis is within reach:

The Go Lean movement is not affiliated with the CariCom or any of its agencies or institutions. This movement is not an attempt to re-boot the CariCom, but rather a plan to re-boot the Caribbean. This movement was bred from the frustrations of the Diaspora, longing to go home, to lands of opportunities. But this is not a call for a revolt against the governments, agencies or institutions of the Caribbean region, but rather a petition for a peaceful transition and optimization of the economic, security and governing engines in the region.

The Go Lean book details a 5-year roadmap, with turn-by-turn directions, for transforming our homeland. The following is a sample of the assessments, community ethos, strategies, tactics, implementations and advocacies to impact the Caribbean region for this turnaround:

The efforts of the Caribbean Day movement is needed and very much welcomed by the promoters of the Go Lean movement. Even for the Diaspora living abroad, this Caribbean Day movement will have positive effect on Caribbean image. This subject has been a source of concern for the Go Lean movement. Consider the details from these previous blog-commentaries:

In addition, the subject of “push and pull” resulting in an increased Diaspora has been examined further in many related Go Lean blog-commentaries; see sample list here:

The Go Lean book posits (Page 3) that the Caribbean islands are among the greatest addresses in the world. But instead of the world “beating a path” to these doors, the people of the Caribbean have “beat down their doors” to get out; despite the absence of any famine, or war for that matter. This is classic societal abandonment – plain an simple.

This must stop … now! We must fix the defects that “push” our people away, and dissuade the “pull” factors that lure unsuspecting Caribbean citizens to believe that life is better “there”, wherever.

We wish Hamilton Daley and the Caribbean Day success, while we work in our quest to make our homeland a better place to live, work and play.; thusly keeping more of our citizens at home and away from the Diaspora. 🙂

Download the free e-Book of Go Lean … Caribbean – now!

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Appendix- VIDEO: Hamilton Daley (Caribbean Day) || Exclusive Interview || The Sylbourne Show – https://youtu.be/5SQlsDpIRN8

Published on Aug 22, 2016 – Joining us on the red chair we have Hamilton Daley. Mr Daley has held an illustrious career as a lawyer in both the UK and Jamaica and is the founder of the Caribbean Day Movement International. He wants to see August 1st to be declared CARIBBEAN DAY!

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Appendix – Actual Open Letter to CariCom:

We look forward to being still together to see this Day, here is our case:

We, the undersigned are representative of the views of persons and organisations based in or associated with countries of CARICOM membership, and expatriate Caribbean communities in the UK, USA and Canada, and other world destinations where people of Caribbean heritage may reside. Our sole purpose and cause of this our gathering is to request that CARICOM place on its agenda for regional consideration and approval, the issue of proclaiming international Caribbean Day to be on the 1st August each year.

The reason we make this request is that the Caribbean and its people have to date no single date to recognise their identity as one connected community. We make this request in recognition that CARICOM reflects the interest not only of the people resident in its member states, but also the hopes of millions of expatriates, their offsprings, relatives and associates, residing outside CARICOM’s geographical region. In common, we all, regardless of our Caribbean ancestry, age, race, creed or nationality, harbour only positive ambitions for the success and development of the Caribbean region.

During any Cricket World Cup tournament, people of Caribbean allegiance across the globe rally behind our united international sporting icons the West Indies Cricket team.

Further, we observe that for the English-speaking Caribbean, we share a degree of common representational politics in the form of the region’s international institution CARICOM. We have a Caribbean Court of Justice, and a regional University with its campuses situated across three CARICOM countries. The framework for a Caribbean Single Market Economy is in place and the region has introduced a CARICOM passport. We note also at the CARICOM heads of government summit held in Antigua in July 2014, those discussions announced the formulation of a five year strategic plan for “repositioning the Community and identifying priorities and activities that would meet the challenges of the international environment”. Amongst other things, the said plan included building economic resilience, social resilience and strengthening the CARICOM spirit of community.

We remind you that on the 25 March 2007, the 15 independent member nations comprising CARICOM agreed by resolution to synchronize a minute’s silence in commemoration of the 1807 Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. The significance of this synchronized one minute, we say, is now historical in defining a moment in time when the Caribbean first sought to synchronise a sentiment across all peoples of its nations. It is maintaining and building upon this foundation that we invite CARICOM to proclaim an international Caribbean Day.

The vision of an international ‘Caribbean Day‘ is linked to the concept of celebrating the ‘rebirth’ of our Region on the 1st August. Many countries of the English-speaking Caribbean, including Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago already celebrate Emancipation Day on the 1st August. However, with respect whilst it is important that we should each never forget our history, we implore that as a developing region, the emphasis on going forward for the next 200 years should now be to create annual dynamism, rather than a day of reflection to reminisce the date colonial slavery ended.

In truth, whilst not forgetting our history, it is also right to free our minds if devotion to remembrance might keep us on the ground – instead of just keeping us grounded. For, it is our destiny that we as a people will forever rise and be greater than our past.

Therefore, we say; the past does not define our future, and we look to the words of a great man who did a good thing, after 25 years of personal sacrifice for the cause of his fellow men: “The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come. The time to build is upon us.” – Nelson Mandela

A vision of a ‘Caribbean Day’ would be an international day of celebration by Caribbean people of all races, colours and faiths, as part of one Caribbean family. It would be a day which forever promises to present the opportunity for those who reside overseas to pamper their nostalgia, as well as provide a boost to regional tourism whereby our visitors could annually island hop through the celebrations.

A ‘Caribbean Day’ would be a day in the yearly calendar when the Caribbean diasporas would gather in their communities, wherever they may congregate across the globe. It would be an immense family day, where inter-Island relationships and our children’s children would at last enjoy a day to celebrate their common Caribbean heritage.

We consider the concerns of the Caribbean diasporas, whom with each generation born overseas loses sense of ties to the Caribbean. We consider also the quantitative effect of brain drain on the region’s developing economies because the flow of talent may forever be lost to the region. We are of the view that a Caribbean Day would create job opportunities, commercial incentives and re-invigorate community ties regardless of geography and generational distance.

If the World can readily recognise dates like 14th February, 1st April and 25th December, surely it can come to recognise our 1st August Caribbean Day.

We implore upon the heads of CARICOM to endorse the proclamation of an international ‘Caribbean Day’.

Thank You.

CARIBBEAN DAY MOVEMENT FOR ITS ESTABLISHMENT