Gya: Wrestling with globalization

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Addressing members of the American Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago in April 1997, West Indian scholar Wendell Motley described globalisation as having the potential of becoming the most seriously destabilising force in the Caribbean as well as the world. He predicted the emergence of a new global elite, who, through knowledge, skills and the access to information, “will stand as toll-keepers at several access points to the fantastic new wealth machine that is the global economy”. The Yale economics graduate then painted the obverse picture. “In contrast, there is the other aspect, the masses of humanity numbering in the billions and including millions in the so-called developed world, who, because of their lack of education, training and socialisation, have been rendered not just unemployed, but irrelevant by those technological processes that are super-productive, increasingly knowledge-driven and capital-intensive.”

Wendell Mottley's views on globalization should have provided the impetus for change in the attitudes towards graduates of foreign universities in T&T. Regrettably, that has not been the case. Globalization can be other than a destabilizing force to Caribbean economies, but only if the countries refuse to remain static and defensive, and adapt, prepare, and educate. The countries have to be forward looking and elect rulers with the vision thing and who can look beyond narrow political interests to scan the changes occurring around the globe and help his country ride their waves. The trend to globalization means that the wasteful actions of Labour in St. Kitts are a luxury the country can ill afford. Caribbean countries have to position themselves to take advantage of globalization rather than, like King Canute, try vainly to stem the tide. The Chronicle's editorialist is partly right when he states:

In order to enjoy the benefits of this doctrine, countries like Guyana will have to develop quality goods and services at the highest levels of competencies and then employ aggressive strategies in offering these goods and services at the international marketplace.

What he needs to realize is that the country's greatest resource, its educated populace, must be flexible enough to adjust to rapid changes in technologies so that they can meet the demands of the global market.