The Caribbean Current Political System

The Political System

Among the many hindrances to sustainable innovation in the Caribbean is the political system (The Westminster model) adopted by Caribbean territories. This model has not demonstrated any hope of sustained innovation, and has not been effective in harnessing cohesiveness in the Caribbean region. Arguably, the disruptive nature of this system is not conducive to long term planning which is essential for innovation. The model has flaws in the dispensation of the administration with respect to continuity of policies which end in one term and continue in the next. Ideas developed under one administration are lost and the new incoming administration does not benefit from that intellectual knowledge due to resistance in acknowledging the work carried out by the previous administration. As a result intellectual knowledge is lost.

The gap created by leaders under this system is not conducive to sustained innovation and is highly detrimental to the development and sustainability of innovation. Having not established a unit pre-independence from Britain, it has become separatism as each country became Independent. In stark contrast to the framers of the United States Constitution, they were able to create a model and a system of governance that worked for them and that made provision for a futuristic type of government that accommodates the rest of the world. The Caribbean failed to adopt a system that would grow with it as we evolve, thus our reason for meandering all over the place today.

The Caribbean has never been truly integrated having failed under the West India Commission. We have always operated as prongs from the British Colonial System. However efforts have been made to integrate through Policing...

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...ncidence but a design because politicians feel more empowered and feel that they can influence the masses with this structure and thus go outside of policy making. Often times when government owns these institutions they are not properly regulated as government cannot regulate itself.

The Private Sector embodies the necessary tools to provide energy, clean water, financial services, housing etc. and can be an invigorating force in generating innovative ideas that can help to improve people’s lives. Government should play a supporting role by providing the enabling environment. Government should build a boundless framework, and the Private Sector provides the necessaryfeedback to improve regulatory frameworks. The Caribbean region is in need of Government and Private Sector that seeks to develop a Symbiotic relationship.