A Jamaican delegate to a recent CSA annual general meeting asked, as
we waited for our boarding call in Miami International airport: "What
is the real purpose of the CSA?"
After just under three days of deliberations, technical papers, group
meetings and plenary, the question was one to ponder. It wasn’t a
charge by innuendo. Not by any means. The tone of voice was not
contentious. The patient wait for a response to a carefully phrased
question, steered me away from the simplistic.
"What is the real purpose of the CSA?"
My colleague was certainly no simpleton. Indeed, the more I gave
thought to this simple question, the more complex the answer seemed.
Indeed, it was as meaningful a question as I’ve ever heard. I searched
for an answer.
I knew he knew that the Caribbean Shipping Association was the largest
forum in the Region and in the entire Western hemisphere for that matter,
where the business of shipping was discussed. I am sure he knew that the
diversity of nationalities representing all four language groups in the
Caribbean area gave each member an opportunity to learn from and observe
different approaches and systems. And of course, because he had been to
several CSA meetings, he was well aware that the networking and
out-of-conference private meetings between principals and Agents; between
buyers and suppliers; have resulted in millions of dollars in deals and
contracts over the years being settled in the corridors (so to speak) of
CSA meetings.
But whereas
these facts may be considered some of the strengths of the
Association, they could hardly be described, even collectively, as
the ‘real purpose of the CSA’.
Clearly, I thought, the real purpose of the CSA was to be always there
for whatever, whenever regional shipping needs it.
‘The real purpose of the CSA is to be’.
The fact that the CSA was founded on a specific need, to share
information and experience in modernizing Caribbean port operations, is an
important and worthy point of reference. An association of Caribbean
shipping interests was deemed important at a time when development
presented thorny problems for those who were called upon to lead or manage
that process (of development). The world maritime industry was in a state
of rapid change. The old ways of organizing ports and port labour were
becoming increasingly irrelevant’. So, the need for a forum of senior
persons in the industry – the decision makers and policy formulators -
became quite urgent. There was a need. Development of regional shipping
was being hampered by strident if sometimes unenlightened trade unionism.
The CSA was conceived as a solution. And the solution worked.
In 2001, more than 30 years later the CSA continues to play a key role
with respect to development of shipping in the Caribbean. But whereas in
its earlier years it was merely a forum in which Agents and later port
operators could sit and exchange ideas or discuss strategies for dealing
with organization of labour and mechanization in a hostile industrial
relations climate, today the CSA is playing a much more important role.
The role of the CSA has changed. From its
early beginnings as an informal discussion forum, evolving into a formal
organization with small private meetings in various territories, the CSA
is today, de facto, the voice of regional shipping, recognized by
regional governments across the four language groups of the Caribbean.
Today, the CSA maintains formal relationships with the leading
policy-making and multilateral institutions in the Caribbean including
CARICOM and the Association of Caribbean States.
By establishing formal working relationships with these organizations,
the CSA has given regional shipping a voice and an ear in the halls of
power. This means that the Association is able to monitor developments at
the policy formulation stage. The CSA is therefore able to respond and be
proactive rather than simply react, after the fact. At the same time, governments
and multilateral institutions have an entity that represents regional
shipping to which they are able to address issues or from which to get
guidance prior to addressing policy and implementing regulations or
legislation. This is so important as, without a representative
organization, regional shipping would not have a say.
The CSA will be engaged in different projects and programmes from time
to time. Yesteryear the agenda included industrial relations problems and
strategies for port mechanization. Today discussions range from security
issues, statistical data banks, establishment of our website and
management training. Tomorrow, the agenda may well be totally different,
as the CSA moves with the issues and priorities of the particular time.
One thing is sure, if ever regional shipping should need an
organization for support, for defense, for leverage; if ever regional
shipping should need a voice, representation, a battering-ram; if ever,
God forbid, we should need to apply pressure in a struggle against forces
or powers which could undermine regional shipping, we cannot at that time
simply, over night, establish a far-reaching, cohesive, functioning
representative organization.
