US Congressman Not Convinced WHTI Delay Needed:
By Candia Dames -

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee of the US Congress Charles Rangel, who was the special guest at the annual Conference of Heads of the Caribbean Community, said he so far has not heard any reasons why the United States should further delay the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI).

But he said, "I never thought that the Caribbean was ever an open gate or a threat to the United States. If I thought for one minute that my country will be jeopardized as a result of relaxed implementations, the economy of the Caribbean really would not be an issue."

Congressman Rangel said he had played a small part in helping to secure an extension to the implementation of the law that requires US citizens to present passports upon re-entry into the United States when traveling from countries in the region.

"I have to have reasons and my committee has to have reasons as to why we should extend it," he said.

"If the Mexicans and the Canadians are not able to persuade this [US] administration, the Caribbean people have got a problem, but it has been delayed and suspended so there’s hope…Why would the country give a break if we really thought the passport was important to our national security?"

When he spoke with the Bahama Journal at the opening of the heads meeting on Sunday evening, Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace said that in the first four months of this year, WHTI cost the region US$400 million.

He said that if there isn’t a further extension granted for air travelers beyond September, the losses are estimated to increase to beyond $1 billion in 2007.

Mr. Vanderpool-Wallace indicated that he was hopeful that the presence of Congressman Rangel at the heads meeting would be important in helping to make the case to US authorities why a further extension is important to the success of tourism authorities.

Congressman Rangel told The Bahama Journal the relationship between the Caribbean and the United States remains strong. However, he suggested there could be much closer ties.

Congressman Rangel went as far as saying the United States needs the Caribbean for its survival.

He also spoke of the wisdom behind the creation of a Single Market and Single Economy, a topic that was at the top of the agenda at the meeting.

Asked whether it’s commendable that CARICOM nations are forging ahead with the CSME, Congressman Rangel responded, "It’s not commendable. The European Union is not commendable. It’s necessary for survival. Each one standing on their own cannot survive according to the standard of the World Trade Organization [WTO]."

He said the United States must recognize that the Caribbean needs help and it must not just be a big brother, but a partner.

"The Caribbean is necessary to the survival of our region, of our hemisphere and of course we’re not the most popular country in the world," Congressman Rangel said.

"Can you imagine the strength of a hemisphere economically if we invested this much money in the Caribbean area that we have in the Middle East? It’s not just economics; it’s a sense of democracy."

In June, Congressman Rangel hosted a meeting of the Caribbean Community in Washington, DC.

At that meeting, CARICOM requested an extension of the Caribbean Basin Initiative and capacity-building assistance to enable the region to increase its competitiveness in the global economy.

In his interview with the Bahama Journal Tuesday night, Congressman Rangel confirmed that an extension of the CBI will be granted.

Congressman Rangel suggested that CARICOM on the global stage is a powerful body and the United States ought to recognize that.

"It may be hard for a lot of people in this particular [US] administration to understand that a head of state is a head of state, a country is a country, a sovereign is a sovereign, so don’t start treating people like they’re just an annoyance," he said.

"These people have votes in the United Nations, the same vote we have."

He admitted that there have been higher priorities for the United States than CARICOM.

Asked what CARICOM nations have to offer the powerful US, Congressman Rangel said when countries have a common goal to raise the standard of living for people and foster a sense of unity, no one should ask what each "family member" has to offer.

Congressman Rangel told the Journal he has invited CARICOM heads to pay an official visit to New York City and the heads have accepted.

The Ways and Means Committee, which is considered the most powerful of House committees, is charged with writing tax legislation and bills affecting Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlement programmes.

5 July 2007