Caribbean leaders need to cooperate more - UWI valedictorian

The Caribbean could be a force to be reckoned with if its leaders would cooperate more, according to Kai Bridgewater, 2018 class valedictorian at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill.

Bridgewater, a Jamaican student who received a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours, told the graduation ceremony on October 20, 2018, that "if we increased regional cooperation, we would be better able to meet the needs of our people".

He noted that, "the Caribbean Community consists of several fractured nations, many of which are smaller than the size of a major city in North America".

Bridgewater referenced sprinter Usain Bolt, singer Rihanna, Hugh Wooding and Sir Arthur Lewis, through whom "the Caribbean has made its mark on the world".

"Just as we did in cricket, we can dominate the world, but we didn't do it individually. We didn't do it as Grenada,

St Vincent & the Grenadines, Barbados or Trinidad & Tobago, we did it as the West Indies," Bridgewater said.

Like a distant family

"To truly give life to the concept of regionalism, we need to pass this place where CARICOM operates like a distant family - you don't see them unless there's drama or a funeral."

He added, "We rally around one another in the aftermath of natural disasters as we should, but imagine a region where there are high levels of cooperation all the time, where we treat all our Caribbean brothers and sisters equally, including those who may speak French. We are the generation to make this happen."

To achieve this, Bridgewater told colleague graduates, "We must believe in our regional institutions. The UWI has produced high-quality tertiary education for 70 years now and was just placed in the top five per cent of universities worldwide. We are testament to the fact that you don't have to look outside the region for a quality education."

He said, "We are the generation that will make regional unity into a reality. Believe in yourselves, believe in your institutions and, most of all, believe in this region, because together we can make it happen."