Over the past weeks we have looked on with surprise at what can rightly be described as a violent assault on the principle of Caribbean Integration.

The idea of the unity of the English speaking Caribbean has been a cherished concept for many generations, insomuch that from time to time efforts have been made to unite the islands, making the Caribbean Sea a bridge rather than a gulf.

Although the dream is good and commendable there has always been reaction against it, usually from powerful minorities which command the resources to torpedo the idea before it achieves fruition.

Yet the dream persists and although its most concrete manifestation was compromised by the foolish destruction of the West Indies Federation, the leaders of the Caribbean have, for the past 45 years undertaken various integrative experiments such as Carifta, Caricom and the OECS.

It is sad to note however that, as gallant and noble as the efforts at integration are, there is always the suspicion at the grassroots level that the movement lacks the sincerity required to make it work for ordinary people. There is the pressing conviction by those of us who look on, that Caribbean Integration is about the leaders getting together sometimes, sharing experiences, comparing notes and providing for another, the entertainment updates in the respective islands, where they hold their regular meetings.

It is quite obvious that the political leaders of the Caribbean are really enjoying themselves within the present framework of the Caricom and OECS movements. They and their staff are well provided for and they and their staff can move freely between the islands whenever they so desire.

When it comes to the smaller man, the integration movement seems to be something else. The Caribbean looked on from the sidelines some months ago as the fishermen from one Caricom country were harassed by the authorities of another Caricom country for catching fish for their livelihood.

These humble fishermen were under the impression that in an integrated Caribbean, the waters were a common domain and the fish was available for our common sustenance. Of course the fishermen were ordinary people who were perhaps led to expecting more from Caribbean Integration than the platitudes of their leaders were intended to convey.

Then there is the vexed question of free movement of Caribbean people to and from the islands which, together with Guyana, make up the region.

When the British ruled the Caribbean, the people moved freely, without even a passport from Jamaica to Guyana. The free flow of people from the various British Caribbean territories provided a multicultural mix in each of the islands.

St. Kitts and Nevis had its share of Bajans, Garrots, Lucians, Trinis along with people from Dominica and the other Windward Islands. Some of us can trace our ancestry to Guyana or Jamaica, to Montserrat and even the British Virgin Islands.

Many of these inter-island travellers settled, found work, set up businesses and raised families.

They were fully integrated into our communities where they met their obligations as well as made their contributions.

This was under the British, the Mother Country who though so far away kept her children

together in one brood, spending the same money, speaking the same language, living the same history.

Again referring to St. Kitts and Nevis, there are exciting stories of how our islands have benefitted from the inter-island culture.

Many decades ago R.J Gordon, a Barbadian, came to Nevis to assist cotton growers. He stayed, got himself fully integrated into Nevisian society and culture, and was for many years one of the Nevis representatives in the territorial legislature.

The father of Nevis cricket as an Antiguan and the great J. Matthew Sebastian, an Antiguan, helped to lay the proud foundation of the early Nevis Education System. Nevis will always be indebted to the memory of Mr. Bellott, the Agricultural officer who also sometimes acted as warden and found the time to organize a Boy's Scout Troupe.

J. Matthew Sebastian, having moved to St. Kitts offered his leadership to Kittitians, immersed himself into their struggle and became one of the founding fathers of the Workers' Movement in St. Kitts and Nevis.

When the St. Kitts Sugar Factory was established, many nationals from other Caribbean countries were invited to perform the various functions at this industrial complex. They came from Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica. They came, did their work and left their mark both on the economy and society of our islands. The Barker Brothers from Guyana introduced Athletics and Cycling to St. Kitts. Khan, a Trinidadian, brought the sweet biscuit technology while Gaudier, a Dominican, introduced us to the manufacture of confectionery. More recently Montserratians taught us how to replace our week end stew to goat water. A Trinidadian introduced us to roti.

They also left children to carry on their work. The recently retired C.E.O of TDC, Michael King was raised in St. Kitts and Nevis by Barbadian parents. Alfonso Barker, successful businessman and philanthropist is the son of one of the Barker Brothers.

That was under the British. After they left, we were supposed to become an independent and integrated region. It is important to understand that the terms and conditions which supported the concept of Independence included Integration.

Somewhere in the process however, the Independence syndrome was allowed to develop without Integration and we now have the strange spectacle of a region which was integrated when they were colonies but woefully disintegrated and disjointed us small nations.

Nationals of the Caribbean islands, members of Caricom cannot live and work in the various Caribbean islands unless they hold work permits which, apart from being very expensive are nothing more than a badge of slavery and under classification.

That's one of things that ordinary people of the Caribbean Community do not, cannot understand about the Region. If the Community is about Integration why does a Guyanese have to pay to live in St. Kitts-Nevis?

But the worst manifestation of this farce of Integration is the right which the host country presumes to exercise over the lives, the thoughts, the personal freedom of the "guests".

The other day we witnessed the crackdown and round up of a number of Caribbean nationals who were alleged to support one political party in preference to the other. Although the official reason was that they had overstayed their time, everyone knows that the reason for that exercise was that these nationals from Caricom dared to exercise their political preferences

This was a deplorable development which deserves to be condemned by all straight thinking persons .And all right thinking persons hope that there wont be reprisals from the other quarters of the Caribbean