18
CONFIDENTIAL
Political and Constitutional Factors
27 Unless specific steps are taken to make independence seem
more attractive than the status quo, attachment to dependent status could persist indefinitely. The economic measures
outlined in the previous section would help to place the islands on a more independent footing. But in isolation they might simply serve to emphasise HMG's role as financial prop. In addition a programme of education accustoming and fitting the population at large and future leaders in particular would be important. The main point of such a programme would be to give the UK greater flexibility to opt for disengagement at some point
in the future by starting now to establish a more independent
frame of mind in the dependencies.
28
i)
ii)
Such a programme of action might include the following: More vigorous efforts at identifying and cultivating
potential future leaders (political, commercial, civil
service etc).
The establishment of a programme of political and
administrative training for a selection of current, and
potential, leaders. This might be done partly in the UK and
partly in situ.
iii) A programme of public education designed to highlight the
degree of economic interdependence between the Caribbean
dependencies, the US and other states in the area.
iv)
A more concerted drive (through better policing etc) to
stamp out corrupt practices before they take root.
29 In addition some constitutional change would become
necessary in the years before independence so as gradually to
transfer powers from the Governor's office to the locally elected
government. This would be particularly necessary in those
territories with relatively backward constitutions such as the
Caymans - a comparative analysis of the constitutions in question
is given in Annex C. It is too early to say exactly what constitutional change will be necessary and when, but legal expertise will need to be introduced early into the decision
making process. The aim will be to ensure that powers are
adjusted in response to the ability of the local governments to
CONFIDENTIAL