Pursuing full membership in Caricom “should be judged neither as a sentimental homecoming nor as a reckless departure”, the Free Democratic Movement has stated, saying many geopolitical benefits cited for the move could be achieved without fully committing to the organisation.

The party added that the Government had yet to lay out a persuasive case to the island’s voters, backed by analytics and legal research, explaining the strategic benefits to Bermuda for going all the way in the 15-member Caribbean bloc.

The FDM said there was “an issue of trust” hanging over the Caricom debate, stating the Government had failed to convey its reasoning “in a manner equal to the seriousness of the decision”.

The document comes against a backdrop of consultation over the Green Paper, published last month, offering information about the anticipated merits of closer membership.

The Government, which held a town hall meeting on the issue this week, has emphasised that the island would retain authority over its immigration policy and financial regulations.

The FDM response to the Green Paper said scepticism over bringing Bermuda from associate to full membership, presented in the November 2023 Throne Speech, boiled down to “opposition to uncertainty handled poorly, to ambition presented without the necessary instruments, and to a government that has not yet persuaded the public that it can carry a project of this scale with competence, transparency and discipline”.

Omar Dill opinion

David Burt followed the Throne Speech announcement by stating that extensive public consultation would come ahead of any moves to forge closer links.

The Premier described full membership as giving the island “deeper integration into the region” and a greater say in decision-making, adding that, at present, there were “institutions and discussions that we are unable to participate in as an associate member”.

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FDM on Caricom

However, the FDM highlighted the leverage for negotiation already granted to the island under Britain’s letters of entrustment to Bermuda on the matter — maintaining that much of “what is now being presented as a future benefit of Caricom could already be pursued”.

“The public is therefore entitled to ask what has been done, what has not and whether the real deficiency has been one of constitutional power or one of political will and administrative confidence”, a submission from the party added.

Britain gave the island an entrustment letter in December 2023 allowing negotiations for full membership to begin.

The FDM said closer links with Caricom, which was officially created in 1973, needed to be examined as “a strategic question of national power, institutional standing and regional influence rather than as a test of cultural feeling or party loyalty”.

The party questioned whether the Government had come clean with residents on the issue, saying voters needed to recognise that the island, as a British territory, would have less sway with Caricom than that enjoyed by sovereign member states.

It queried the terms showing how the island’s increased Caricom standing could be “made workable within Bermuda’s constitutional limits”.

The FDM also called for the publication of a detailed legal review and qualitative assessment “before the country is taken from consultation into commitment”.

“At minimum, the public should see the framework of legal review now under way, a draft schedule of intended reservations against the revised treaty, a fiscal note addressing any customs-duty or revenue implications and a clear account of the manner in which United Kingdom oversight will define the boundary of what Bermuda can and cannot negotiate,” the statement said.

The FDM was founded ahead of the 2020 General Election, led by Marc Bean, a former head of the Progressive Labour Party, which retained the Government that year at the polls.

In December 2023, while Mr Bean declared that he would “100 per cent” support a move to further economic and cultural ties with Caricom, he claimed the Throne Speech announcement had been “aimed at distracting the public’s mind from the pressing issues of the day”.

Bermuda’s cultural ties with the Caribbean region feature prominently in the Green Paper, issued by Alexa Lightbourne, the Minister of Home Affairs. By contrast, the FDM statement emphasised trade and negotiation benefits.

“It should be judged as a question of whether Bermuda wishes to widen the range of institutions, relationships and platforms through which it can protect and advance its interests while being honest about the constitutional limits under which it must still operate.”

It added: “If the Government wants public support for a step of this scale, it must do more than sell the idea. It must show that it is ready to carry it out properly.

“The public are entitled to ask not only whether full membership might benefit Bermuda, but whether the Government has earned the confidence necessary to negotiate intelligently, disclose candidly and implement competently.”

• To read the Free Democratic Movement statement on Caricom in full, see Related Media