THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES
ST. AUGUSTINE, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO, WEST INDIES
OFFICE OF THE CAMPUS PRINCIPAL
Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Clement Sankat, BSc (UWI), MSc (UWI), PhD (Guelph), FIAgrE, CEng, FAPETT
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Opening Remarks by the Campus Principal
Forum on the Future of the Caribbean
“Disruptive Thinking. Bold Action. Practical Outcomes”
Teaching & Learning Complex, UWI St. Augustine Campus
Tuesday 5th May, 2015 | 8.30am
•All Protocol having been observed, good morning, ladies and gentlemen!
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Entering a New Chapter in Caribbean Development
•Today marks a defining moment in the history of our Region as we initiate a new
dialogue and begin a novel journey that challenges the status quo and
philosophical paradigms of traditional Caribbean development.
Our aim is to
create a fresh dispensation of ideas, thoughts and actions that will help our Region
re-position itself as an important player on the international stage and secure
sustainable development in an ever-evolving and competitive world system.
Using this Forum on the Future of the Caribbean as a platform for discussion,
debate and dialogue, we are therefore breaking new ground and entering an
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exciting new chapter of Caribbean Development in the second decade of the 21st
century!
We are re-charting our course to economic growth and social
empowerment, with a bold spirit of radical thinking and resolve!
The UWI – The Intellectual Centre of our Region
•Before I continue, I must tell you how thrilled I am that this transformative and
mould-breaking forum is taking place right here on the grounds of our University!
It brings to memory the vision of our founding fathers captured in the Irvine
Commission Report of 1944.
This report envisioned the regional UWI, and I
quote, “…… to be something more than the best possible institution for
production of our graduates.
It should be ‘The Intellectual Centre of our
Region’. It is precisely within this context that I say - that there could have hardly
been a better place for such a conversation to emanate, given the long and
enduring involvement and prominent role of The University of the West Indies in
Caribbean development.
The hosting of this important Forum therefore bears
witness that The UWI is indeed re-positioning itself at the centre of thought, being
a catalyst and driver for the development trajectory of our Region! And let me
thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the UNDP in particular, and all the other
supporting agencies for collaborating to host this Forum. And most importantly,
let me thank all of you, our distinguished guests and stakeholders from various
sectors for taking time out of your busy schedules to be present with us today.
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Forum on the Future of the Caribbean – Committed to the Success of the
Region
•I would like to emphasize, that the significance of this Forum is much larger than
any one of our co-hosting individual institutions. This Forum is really about our
commitment to the success of the peoples of the wider Caribbean Region, and by
extension other developing nations and the global South; it is about working
together to stimulate radical ideas, rethink the future of the Caribbean and taking
bold actions with the aim of achieving sustainable development; it is about
unlocking our potential as one Caribbean people; it is also about ensuring that
people and human imagination are at the centre, with a focus on our youth! Our
youths are the ones that will inherit this space we call the Caribbean Region,
and therefore we need to hear the freshness of their thoughts so that they too
can help shape their destiny!
New Thinking-New Paradigms-New Solutions – An Imperative for the Region
•Bearing this in mind, it is imperative that as a Region, we shift gears and look
towards the future. The time in which we live demands new thoughts and new
paradigms which will result in new solutions. We need to create a new vision for
our Region, our countries, our institutions and ourselves. As I reflected upon the
future of the Caribbean myself, I could not help but think of some of the
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possibilities……… this morning, I think aloud and share some of my thoughts
with you ……..
 What if…….. we removed every barrier to trade for manufactured and
agricultural goods within the Caribbean region that have been certified by
their States of origin?
 What if…….. we ensured the free movement of people within the
Caribbean region?... or what if we created a Union of Caribbean States?
 What if…… we brought together the resources of the Caribbean including
capital, technology, labour, energy, manufacturing, production and
distribution knowledge, our land and marine assets etc. to build a robust
production capability within the region – a matter which the late Professor
Norman Girvan passionately advocated for since the 1960s, but a matter
that has never materialized up to today, much to our Region’s loss?
 What if……. Trinidad and Tobago utilized its geographic location and
became a trans-shipment hub for goods going to South America…., would
this not open up the Latin America market of over 350 million people to
Caribbean and global exporters?
What if…. we build a bridge from
Trinidad to Venezuela?
 What if…… the regional UWI becomes the leading University not only for
the English-speaking Caribbean, but also for the Spanish, French and
Dutch speaking Caribbean, thereby serving great numbers of students from
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these countries; What if….. the Regional UWI introduces a liberal fee
regime that opens itself up to the wider world, including the sons and
daughters of the West Indian Diaspora and those from our Ancestral
Origins?
 What if…. all our State funded higher education institutions, universities,
colleges and technical institutes are brought together to form one Regional
Collegiate System anchored in quality, technology, mobility and
efficiency?
 What if…. all the countries of our Region implemented legislation with
structured funding for research at 1% of our GDP? Or what if….. there
was a Regional Research Funding Agency (funded also as a percentage of
each country’s GDP)…..could we imagine how this may propel problem
solving, creativity, innovation and knowledge generation for our societies?
 What if..… University funding was guaranteed and enshrined in the
constitutions of our countries in the Region and as a percentage of GDP, as
it is in some Latin America countries… could we imagine how this will
remove all publicly funded Universities from the financial challenges of
the day?
 What if…. the countries of our Region implemented long/medium-term
visions, strategies, direction and major capital development projects which
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CANNOT be changed through the electoral cycle (apart from exceptional
circumstances)?
•I ask you distinguished ladies and gentlemen, to ponder upon some of these
questions, and I hope that more of these will be generated today……… for
although probing these questions may be seen in some quarters as
‘radicalism’ at work, I say that in the context of an ever evolving world
system, bold solutions to our present challenges and building an exciting
future for our peoples will not reside in past thinking! In moving forward, I
am therefore of the firm belief that we must speak about fresh ideas, concepts
and models; pursue new perspectives and paradigms; while discarding
inappropriate old approaches! This is the spirit and philosophy behind this
Forum on the Future of the Caribbean. Bold thinking must no longer be on
the periphery, it must now be at the center! This is not to say that we must
forget our past, our rich history and the significant strides we have made postindependence…… but the time has come for us to begin to think outside the box,
to be creative, innovative and industrious if our Region is to achieve sustainable
development! Hopefully, this forum will begin to interrogate some of these
issues, remembering that The UWI must always remain a space for critical
thought.
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Concluding Remarks – A Call to Action/Execution
•Let us not allow our new ideas and practical solutions to perish on the shelves of
libraries across our Region. Rather, our ideas must be brought to life! We must
THINK today; STRATEGIZE tomorrow; and on Thursday – COMMIT TO
ACTIONS that must be taken to get us to a desired destination! I have said
on previous occasions that Vision without Execution is just mere words.
Execution is tangible!
We must therefore entrench in our thinking that
‘shared vision’ which does not translate into execution is a recipe for
continued failure.
Let us therefore focus on EXECUTION, as this has
bedeviled us in the past! In so doing, history will record this Forum on the
Future of the Caribbean, as a turning point in the trajectory of Caribbean
development. While the road ahead may be full of trials, I believe that it
holds significant promise.
As we summon the will to execute with
commitment, diligence and not being distracted, we will deliver the change
needed to unleash our Region’s full potential which will redound to the
benefit of our peoples.
•In closing, I thank my staff at The UWI St. Augustine Campus for managing
today’s event on Campus as well as our partner organizations; I thank you the
presenters and audience for participating; and I do look forward to a very
productive, memorable and impacting Forum for positive change!
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