Will crime be the top priority for Caribbean countries in 2009?

The new chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Prime Minister Dean Barrow of Belize, has said that "there were particular imperatives for the Community to enhance its competitiveness and strengthen its internal arrangements".

And former St Lucian Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony has appealed for "decisive leadership to push the Caricom Single Market and Economy forward".

Here are a few more issues to get you thinking:
Crime
Cost of living
Jobs
The diaspora

But what would you like to see the region's leaders tackle as priorities in 2009 - and why?

On reflection of the Caribbean's achievements and pitfalls over the past year, it is clear that the Caribbean has started this year 2009 with a serious leadership deficit.

Irrespective of the issue, the challenge, the solution, the common thread in all decisions made on behalf of the Caribbean over the past year, is an apparent lack of coherent leadership.

There is a serious vacuum of competent and dynamic leadership in the Caribbean at this moment, which is certainly not helpful in the current world economic downturn. Caribbean leaders need to step up - rise up to the challenge - and lead the region.
Gerald La Touche
Dominica and England

Haiti must be properly integrated as a full participating member, and this means that the other members of Caricom must do more to engage with Haiti and do more to contribute to the country's stability and development.

After all, the population of Haiti is larger than the total of all the rest of the Caricom members states' populations put together!
Charles Arthur
London

Caricom should focus on improving the market access in the region for goods and services.

With the global financial crisis in the US and Europe it is imperative that decisive action be made towards the single market and economy.

This action would translate into the provision of employment, foreign exchange earnings which would assist in addressing the cost of living, jobs and to some extent crime. Persons would be engaged in productive activities.
Rhoda
Dominica

Education and employment are key to better standards of living in our region, and last but not least especially in my home country of Belize, our legal system must be improved to get more convictions.

Ruling political parties in the region must learn to govern for the people and not use the systems as their personal toy boxes and ego trips.

Caricom nation countries must resist any plans for a single currency such as the Euro. Our region is not Europe or the US, perhaps if the US and Mexico adopt a single currency based on being in North America then we could reconsider.

Also free trade deals are not as rosy as they sound, therefore our learned leaders should proofread all such suggestions from any big brother nations.

God bless Caricom and all its leaders and countries.
Peter Gutierrez
Belizean living in the U.S.

In the context of the Caricom Single Market and Economy, the region should work more towards the goals, objectives and the main focus that were outlined in the integration process at the initial beginning of the venture.

Too often we have seen the integration process falling away from the real motive that it is there for.

I would also like to see more effort and emphasis being placed on the crime situation in the various islands and Guyana.
Jaianand Lall
Guyana

Caricom needs to serve its true purpose.

We as a Caribbean people are no better now than we were 60 years ago.

As a Caricom national and armed with passport of that grouping, should I not be allowed free access to any of its member nations.

Does a US national need to go through immigration when flying to the mainland from let's say, Puerto Rico?
Lester
Dominica

Caricom is a TOTAL joke and should be disbanded. It has not and will not unify the Caribbean.
Davis
USA

I would like the region's leaders to do their best to revive the tourism sector or put more energy into marketing the region as one brand. Many of the Caribbean islands have thrown all their eggs into one basket industry and if tourism fails, we will soon be living in an oasis of poverty.
Jrucilla Samuel
Antigua

I think Caricom governments should tackle seriously the Caribbean single Market and Economy this year. There is too much talk and little or no action on the part of our leaders. Each one wants to protect his own little kingdom where he wants to reign supremely, that's why nothing is happening. Our Caribbean leaders love power, that’s why nothing is happening. The Trinidad and OECS union makes no sense.
Clayton Florent
Guadeloupe

The Caribbean politicians must address crime and develop basic amenities
No type of crime is excusable including a school person stealing a single fruit off a tree, to a grocer overcharging for groceries.
Basic amenities like suitable housing with pipe-borne water no more than 10m away, flush toilets electricity, well lit traces/roads, especially for families with school age children, organised policing, accessible public transport & health care and the constitutional changes for the electorate to call an election before an election is due. Also, a Caribbean referendum on political/economic union.
This is not asking for much.
J A Mayro
Mayaro, Trinidad

There's no doubt that 2009 has more than its share of challenges. However, I think regional leaders should prioritize on crime fighting strategies and forge greater alliances with regional and international governments for more effective cooperation. These islands rely greatly on tourism, and anything that negatively impacts the island and this product would undoubtedly affect the tourism trade. Also, residents and citizens need to have a sense of security in their homes and communities and must be able to conduct their businesses without fear. Crime and violence are the greatest threat to a nation's growth and stability, it may be easier to correct damages caused by natural disasters than a tarnished country.
Randa
Saddlers, St, Kitts

The priorities for Caricom is to get a life. What the h… do they do anyway besides congregate for the everyone else but the people's living in the Caribbean
Smith
Bahamas

The first priority for Caribbean leaders is jobs. People who perceive they have a share in society behave in ways that reflect that; some forms of crime is a typical symptom of youth and irresponsibility ie violence and street crime.
The next priorities are health and education. If we want to raise a knowledge-based society - and in the absence of a manufacturing sector and with a failing tourism industry we must - then a higher percentage of GDP must ago on education that what is spent at present.
Health is crucial and I would like to see a semi-hypothecated funding system for emergency health care, leaving some forms of health care ie long-term health, to the private sector.
Housing is also important and in the English-speaking islands the problems is on the supply side, which calls for proactive government intervention - good planning, progressive land use policies, and reasonably priced properties.
More radically, I will like to see a change in the ownership of all land, giving the state absolute freehold ownership and leasing to private homeowners and businesses.
Most of all, however, is to make Caricom/CSME work. After 35 years it is a huge failure. Not because it is not a good idea, but lack of sound leadership.
Hal Austin
London

I think Caricom's top priorities should be: one - their economies; two –crime; and three - closer relations with Washington DC.
Monique Gregory Boyea
Brooklyn, NY

Regional leaders need seriously to look at the matter of free movement. What is the use of having a CARICOM Passport, but still having to deal with a level of discrimination at ports of entry. Coupled with that, an assesment must be made on how far the region has come in truly harmonising labour policy and standards and uniform retirement benefits and taxes so that life is not to dis-similar in any of the 15 member states.
Healthcare should also be seriously looked at in the com,ing year to ensure that the people of this region enjoy a proper level of care.
Harmonising education systems even further and strengthening capacity amongst the region's educator's and allowing for more diversity in way they teach and guide students should also have the attention of the region's leadership in this coming year.
Donellis Browne
Philipsburg, St. Maarten

Join the rest of the world in the fight against climate change. We in the Caribbean will not be immume to the effects and we should do our part to help in the fight. What good will it do if we solve all the other problems we have, but we don't have a world to live in!?
Walker
Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago