‘Integrate or perish’

Retired former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has warned the 15-member Caribbean bloc, CARICOM, that it must “integrate or perish” in the face of mounting threats to international law, shifting political dynamics, and economic pressures affecting the region.

Speaking at the Norman Manley Law School during the Council of Legal Education’s Distinguished Lecture Series 2026 yesterday evening, Patterson said the regional body risks failure without stronger systems to enforce its decisions.

“CARICOM will flounder unless there is an effective machine and binding mechanisms to implement and enforce the solemn decisions of heads and ministerial organs,” he said.

Delivering a lecture titled ‘Constitutional Renewal, Caribbean Integration and the Rule of Law: Charting the Region’s Next Chapter’, Patterson argued that the bloc must reposition itself as a force for transformation.

“A reignited CARICOM must become a catalyst for change. We need a seismic shift to be more cohesive – not more divided and supine. We have to formulate our own road map for resilience, prosperity and self-determination in a world that too often marginalises our interests,” he charged.

Referencing the legacy of National Hero Norman Manley, after whom the law school is named, Patterson recalled his vision of building “a community that provides a wider field for individual ambition”.

For decades, the region has faced criticism for failing to fully realise its goals of integration, including trade, free movement, and coordinated policy action. While there have been successes – particularly in sports such as track and field at the Carifta level – long-standing concerns remain. Cricket, once a unifying force, has also faced criticism, with allegations of insularity, especially from smaller territories. Free trade agreements and free movement arrangements have likewise been inconsistently applied.

Patterson insisted that the next phase of CARICOM must be centred on tangible benefits for Caribbean people.

“The next chapter of our community must achieve that wider ambition, centred on the Caribbean people. CARICOM must make a difference in the daily quality of life – to our workers; to our professionals in health and education, who should be able to operate regionally through a final protocol on contingent rights; to our entrepreneurs, who should function in a fully operational single market; and to litigants, who should access their final court of justice without having to obtain a visa,” he said.

A long-standing advocate for replacing the United Kingdom-based Privy Council, Patterson again called for full regional adoption of the Caribbean Court of Justice as the final appellate court, more than 20 years after its establishment.

He also stressed the need for a stronger public information framework to help citizens better understand and engage with CARICOM’s work, particularly in an era dominated by social media.

“CARICOM will not matter to the average citizen who has little or no information as to what is available through the community without an information arm, adequately staffed and equipped to disseminate its work and achievements,” he said.

According to Patterson, the region’s progress will depend on both institutional strength and public commitment.

“How the new chapter unfolds will depend on the pillars already in the ground, and will require both steel and zeal for a sturdy Caribbean architecture on sound foundations,” he said.

He called for a sustained regional campaign, invoking Caribbean intellectual George Lamming, to place Caribbean identity at the centre of education.

“The time is overdue for the Caribbean to be at the centre of the curriculum at all levels of the region’s education system – not simply as a matter of geography, but as an organic path in understanding who we are as one people,” Patterson said.

Turning to Jamaica’s constitutional reform process, Patterson questioned how the current legislative stalemate would be resolved, noting that deliberations appear to have stalled.

He argued that the process must be transparent, with the public kept informed, and raised questions about whether previous bills would be re-tabled or whether a bipartisan consensus would be pursued. He warned that constitutional timelines must be respected.

Patterson also pointed to declining voter turnout as a troubling trend, particularly among younger citizens, warning that it undermines democratic legitimacy.

He said it was regrettable that Jamaica’s 65th anniversary would pass with the British monarch still as head of state, the Privy Council still serving as the final court of appeal, and a Constitution that remains rooted in an Order in Council, with what he described as a cumbersome amendment process under Section 49.

“It is time to repatriate our Constitution and turn the final page,” he said.

Addressing the state of international law, Patterson revisited concerns he first raised in a 2011 lecture, noting that the gap between domestic and international law has widened.

“We are engulfed by turbulent waves within our Caribbean Sea by the exercise of military might and proclamations which violate the tenets of international law,” he said.

He criticised what he described as global double standards, pointing to the position of the United States on the International Court of Justice.

“Yet it has the effrontery to impose visa sanctions on prosecutors for daring to prepare a writ of arrest on the Israeli prime minister for criminal charges against Palestinians in Gaza,” he said.

He also raised concerns about reports of extrajudicial actions within the region, questioning how such actions could be reconciled with constitutional protections guaranteeing the right to life and due process.

The lecture also included reflections on the life and legacy of Norman Manley.

Dr Christopher Malcolm, principal of the law school, said the initiative was student-led and emphasised the importance of supporting attorneys in training.

Among those in attendance were former Governor General Sir Kenneth Hall and Lady Hall, as well as Marva McDonald-Bishop, president of the Court of Appeal.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com