At a recent sitting of the regional youth parliament, a young lawmaker has broken ranks with his usual alignment to raise critical questions about a planned regional economic diversification push, ultimately choosing to abstain from the final vote despite endorsing the policy’s core goals.
Jawan Jackson, a youth parliamentarian who typically serves on the government benches, acknowledged that taking a position in opposition was an unfamiliar shift for him. Even so, he made clear that his core mission remained unaltered: advocating for and serving the young people of Antigua.
The resolution in question aims to advance economic diversification across the Eastern Caribbean region, a long-stated priority for governments and regional blocs seeking to reduce overreliance on narrow economic sectors and boost long-term resilience. The opposition to the proposal, led by Jalen Monzac, president of the St. Kitts National Youth Parliament Association (SKNYPA), counted Jackson among its ranks, alongside other youth politicians including Mikalah Erskine, Chantae Thompson, Oraine Ashe, Star George, and opposition leader Maleah Henry. Other participants in the sitting included Chrysean Jarvis, Youth Member of Parliament for St. John’s Rural South, and Ezekiel Francis, who served as acting Prime Minister for the duration of the session.
Jackson drew a clear distinction between his broad support for the principle of regional economic diversification and his deep skepticism of the specific framework put forward in the resolution. He argued that endorsing the policy’s end goals did not equate to blind acceptance of the measures designed to deliver those goals, and called for rigorous scrutiny of whether the resolution’s commitments could actually be translated into tangible, long-lasting results for the region.
The central thrust of Jackson’s critique centered on whether the government’s resolution and its accompanying action plan adequately addressed the structural barriers that derailed earlier regional integration efforts. He questioned if the current proposals accounted for the implementation challenges that plagued past initiatives, and if they included sufficient safeguards to prevent those same issues from recurring.
To back up his concerns, Jackson pointed to a string of incomplete or stalled initiatives under the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Among the examples he cited were the Eastern Caribbean Tourism Association, the Regional Allocation of Industry Scheme, earlier regional fast-ferry infrastructure projects, and long-held ambitions for a joint overseas diplomatic representation program. All of these, he argued, remain incomplete, abandoned, delayed, or in need of urgent revitalisation decades after they were first proposed.
Jackson also called out unmet targets for the free circulation of goods and services across the region, the delayed implementation of free movement of labor provisions, and unfinished commitments related to the OECS Customs Union and Economic Union. Additional examples he raised included ongoing but unfulfilled efforts to revitalise the OECS Business Council and restructure and expand the bloc’s pooled procurement services.
These past failures, Jackson argued, are reason enough to subject the proposed new framework to much closer examination before moving forward with a vote. He questioned whether the current resolution and action plan contained the necessary provisions to overcome the long-standing obstacles that kept earlier commitments from being fully realized.
He further argued that several of the issues addressed in the current resolution would be better handled at the CARICOM level, given their broader regional implications. In Jackson’s assessment, cross-cutting issues like economic diversification require broader participation and coordination that extends beyond the narrower OECS framework.
Throughout his intervention, multiple points of order were raised against Jackson by fellow participants in an attempt to halt his remarks. Undeterred, he continued to press his case with a fiery, impassioned debate, laying out each of his concerns about the resolution and its accompanying action plan before the final vote was called.
When explaining his final decision to abstain, Jackson reiterated that he expressly supports the overarching aims and goals of regional economic diversification laid out in the resolution. However, he remains unconvinced that the resolution and its accompanying action plan, in their current form, provide a solid enough foundation to actually deliver on those promises.