‘Look to each other for help’, says Humphrey

Barbados and other Caribbean economies should expect dwindling help from international agencies and more developed countries in the future, Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy Kirk Humphrey has suggested.

He made the prediction on Wednesday while pointing out an apparent reduction in assistance during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic saying he did not believe things would change in any hurry.

It was for this reason, Humphrey said, that regional countries and agencies should collaborate more to bring about the developmental changes they seek.

He made the comments as the Bridgetown Port became a logistics hub for the rest of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the launch of the Integrated Regional Logistics Hub.

Humphrey said: “Every year when we face a disaster we look oftentimes to other people to save us, and it has become very apparent to me that no one is coming to save us. Ultimately, we now have a responsibility to save ourselves.

“I think we must begin by strengthening our partnership by strengthening our institutions and working in greater collaboration to achieve our shared outcomes but recognizing that none of us can do this alone.”

He said while some in the region believed more assistance would be forthcoming “in all forms” during the COVID-19 pandemic from international agencies and governments that was not the case.

“We saw when the chips were down that those we thought would help us, implemented policies that could potentially hurt us. No one is coming to save us. Ultimately, we must save ourselves,” Humphrey said. “I have determined that we must deepen our relationship as a people.”

He said over the past few months, Barbados and other Caribbean countries have shown themselves to be “extremely strong and rooted in values and principles that should not only define ourselves but that should really define the world and how we should come to relate with each other”.

Humphrey said the collaboration between the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Bridgetown Port Inc., the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and other stakeholders to establish the Integrated Regional Logistics Hub was a testament.

He said it was also evident in how countries handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, he warned that “we must not become reckless, we must not become careless, we must not develop an over-inflated sense of importance in what we have achieved, and we must work slowly and steadfastly to continue (to) achieve”.

Humphrey used the occasion to reassure Barbadians that a “whole set” of legislation would be reviewed under his ministry that would modernize the island’s maritime laws and lead to greater efficiency and doing business.

He said: “In June 2018 we received an audit by the International Maritime Organization that said Barbados fell down in 23 areas. We are working steadfastly to reverse that trend and to make sure that the next time we are audited Barbados does not fall down in a single area.

“That is why very soon we will be taking to Cabinet, and hopefully to Parliament, a new merchant shipping legislation that speaks to the international responsibilities that we have and the way we intend to satisfy them and take advantage of opportunities.”

He pointed out that the implementation of the ASYCUDA World Customs regulation system has already borne fruit, adding that “the way we have implemented the ASYCUDA, Barbados is the country where most of the other government agencies are actually plugged in and using ASYCUDA”.

He said the Bridgetown Port had become a lot more efficient with the time it takes to unpack containers moving from 3.5 days to two days, and the dwelling time for containers in port has gone from an average of ten days to six days.

He said the port was also working on a project with the CDB to help transform the way its business was done.