The search for UWI’s voice

As global politics and international law are being redefined by current developments in the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East, the issue of expanding geopolitical hegemony was among the matters raised at The University of the West Indies’ (UWI’s) Mona campus during presentations to a packed room of social scientists, academics, students, and current and past lecturers last Wednesday.

During the question-and-answer segment of the seminar, held under the theme ‘The Political Moment in the Caribbean’, a graduate student questioned whether the university had lost its voice for advocacy and sovereignty.

“The University of the West Indies campus here in Mona is known for being home to some of the bravest lecturers and students who have stood up for regionalism and matters concerning Jamaica’s own sovereignty. I want to know how serious The University of the West Indies is in today’s day and age,” she began.

The student also wanted to know what the university could do to assist its students and lecturers in reclaiming that voice, while deepening knowledge of regional issues and strengthening their role in promoting regionalism, preserving identity, and demonstrating the impact of current global activities on their lives.

Dr Louis Moyston, a lecturer in the Department of Government at The UWI, whose presentation focused on the topic ‘The Resurgence of United States (US) Imperialism in the Region: Target Cuba’, said he, too, had been asking that same question of the student body. He questioned whether the university had lost its voice as a result of fear.

“Each time I attend class, I ask students what’s happening in the world, what’s happening in the region, and why there are no demonstrations. UWI, especially in the 1960s, played a significant role in trying to redefine the post-colonial state,” he argued.

Citing the demonstrations by students and lecturers in 1968 against the government’s decision to ban Guyanese scholar Walter Rodney from re-entering Jamaica, Moyston said that, under the leadership of Professor Trevor Munroe, the university displayed militancy through its association with the Workers Liberation League, the University and Allied Workers Union, and the Jamaica Union of Democratic Youth.

Lack of intellectual leadership

Other than the youth organisations of the People’s National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party, he questioned whether there was any other group capable of leading protests against government failures. He added that he had begun to question whether there was a lack of intellectual leadership on the island.

“Or is there a general fear that people have that, if they protest, they are going to find themselves in problems? I know the youth in Africa are being called keyboard warriors. They are using their keyboards to protest against their governments,” he said.

He added: “My final point is this: Jamaican youth seem to want to be part of the flesh part of politics. They are not interested in protesting; they are interested in getting on the bandwagon.”

Moyston also argued that greater focus should be placed by young people on matters concerning geopolitics and globalisation. He also pointed to what he described as the United States’ intent to colonise Cuba and Venezuela, as well as a return to the Ronald Reagan-era Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI).

The CBI is a 1983 policy introduced under the administration of then US President Ronald Reagan. It was designed to promote economic development and political stability in Central America and the Caribbean by providing duty-free access to the US market for many goods. The initiative aimed to boost foreign investment and diversify local economies, rather than having nations such as Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic rely solely on foreign aid.

Dr Lisa Vasciannie, head of the Department of Government, offered a perspective that differed from Moyston’s.

Noting that she and her students may belong to different generations, she said the university was not defined by its walls but by its people.

Naming several lecturers, she reminded students that The UWI was not just its academic staff.

“The university is also you, and our role here is to help you find your voices. We do this through all the courses we teach and the material we give you, which we hope you will read and analyse for yourselves,” she said.

According to Vasciannie, students should interrogate what they are taught.

“It is not about accepting what we say to you, but thinking about the issues we expose our students to, so that you can develop your own voice and advocate for the ideas and the kind of Jamaica and Caribbean that you want. So it is not about us leading you, but about you learning to find your own voice and advocating for yourself through knowledge,” she argued.

Her presentation was titled ‘Caribbean Ballots in a Geopolitical Age: Beyond Free and Fair Elections’.

Commenting on the widely held view that the current generation may possess less intellectual depth than previous ones, she urged students to make full use of the tools currently available to them, including newspaper articles and artificial intelligence (AI), while doing so ethically.

“I encourage you to do more than you’re doing now and to find your own agency, because you are The University of the West Indies as well,” she said.

Instilling the values

of regionalism

Another presenter, Damion Gordon, also a lecturer in the department, offered a further perspective. He argued that the responsibility for instilling the values of regionalism in the population rests with leadership at the highest levels.

“Since the inception of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), there has been wavering commitment to the ethos and mission of CARICOM. This has been reflected in the official pronouncements of leaders who have repeatedly said to us that “CARICOM does not work” and “CARICOM does not serve our interests”. Leadership ought to inspire, and therefore we should embed the values of CARICOM in our system,” Gordon argued.

He pointed out that, in the European Union (EU), citizens often see themselves as part of a broader regional identity.

“When you travel to any EU country, citizens hold the concept as part of their value system and mindset. It is deeply embedded, and they see themselves as EU citizens. They don’t identify purely on the basis of their nationality; they see themselves as having a common EU identity,” he said.

“In the Caribbean, we do not embody regionalism in everything we do. From the inception, we have viewed regionalism with scepticism, suspicion, and distrust. In each country, at least one of the two major political parties is always against it. So there is no national solidarity, consensus, or unity around regionalism, and I think that reflects a leadership deficit,” he charged.

Gordon, a public commentator whose voice has contributed to public discourse, said he believes that “the failure of regionalism to a great extent reflects a lack of political commitment from successive administrations”.

In his presentation, Gordon also examined the role of CARICOM in responding to recent geopolitical developments affecting the region, and whether those responses represented consistency with or a departure from traditional foreign policy positions.

The forum was also addressed by Munroe, who supported the theme and urged students to add their voices to public discourse.

The seminar was described as timely and thought-provoking, given the rapid changes taking place globally — including developments in the Caribbean and the Middle East, the continuing war between Russia and Ukraine, its impact on Europe, and the ripple effects on small island states with dependent economies, including Jamaica.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com