Prime Minister of St. Kitts, Dr. Timothy Harris, has called on Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member states to settle on one candidate for the post of Commonwealth Secretary General.
The 62nd OECS Authority is presently meeting in Dominica and delivering remarks at the opening ceremony for the event, Harris questioned whether the OECS can be perceived as working together when they have not settled on one candidate.
He suggested that the two-day meeting be used to reach a consensus in the matter.
“We are facing Malta very soon and as the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica has just said, we have not settled on one candidate,” he said. “We believe that this is a matter that we should try to cure and perhaps the gathering this day in Dominica, with two of the countries from the OECS with particular and special interest in the candidature of one or the other, we could perhaps today through conversation achieve the consensus which we will need to move this program forward.”
Commonwealth Heads of government will be meeting in Malta on 27–29 November 2015 and a General Secretary for the organization will be elected.
Presently two candidates from the Caribbean region are being nominated for the post. Antigua and Barbuda has nominated former diplomat, Sir Donald Sanders and Dominica’s nominee is former UK Attorney General, Dominican-born, Baroness Patricia Scotland.
Several CARICOM countries, some from the OECS, have thrown their support behind Sanders and Harris noted that the OECS should avoid a dangerous precedent by settling on one nominee.
“And to avoid, in my view, a dangerous precedence where any island, any member of CARICOM, could go on their own personal agenda which makes it ever so difficult whenever we need to leverage the collective strength of the region,” he said. “That to me is a matter which the OECS can lead and indeed in the efforts at integration at the border level the OECS has always lead CARICOM and we must continue with that leadership.”
In the past, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has expressed confidence in Dominica’s nominee, saying that her qualifications will serve the Commonwealth well in regional and international affairs.
“We hope that the majority of the Commonwealth nations can look at Baroness Scotland’s qualifications and lend their support to her candidacy so we can advance the very important work at the Commonwealth,” he stated recently.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General is elected to a maximum of two four-year terms and the incumbent, Kamalesh Sharma of India, is due to demit office in April 2016 on the expiration of his second term.
Sharma’s successor is due to be elected at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malta.
We need a distinguished and well recognised Caribbean intellectual who is internationally flavoured and exposed to head the Commonwealth and Sir Sanders is well qualified.
Baroness Scotland, albeit her stint with British government has not come across as international in nature and awareness and one doubts her ability to hold, reform and take te Commonwealth to a higher level. Skerrit is not the politically or academically to nominate Baroness Scotland, his reputation is questionable and one always seeks a reference for a job from a very reputable person with high office status and standings. Taking Baroness Scotland to the UN and having her exposed as a disguised as a promising nominee was deceitful and shows all the markings of this back room bobol deals this PM and the DLP government has been practicing for years on te Dominican people and now want to take it to this diplomatic level. This is disgusting and frightening and of poor taste.
Good luck Sir Sanders
I am Dominican and want sanders.
Let’s see if Roosevelt Skerrit will dart humble pie for the sake of Caricom and OECS union, the union he can not even achieve in his own country despite more than ten years at the helm. Let’s wait and see!
Why are Dominicans and the Caribbean surprised about Skeritt’s actions in terms of unifying people and communities. Ian told us so. Remember the talk about the glass of water. Remember who was responsible for Dominica joining China, unknowing to Mr. Charles who was Prime Minister. Remember the Venezuela verses Guyana situation. Don’t expect Skeritt to support Mr. Sanders, the man’s attitude is to win at all cost, regardless.
This is a clear case of conflict of interest . Baroness Scotland sits in the House of Lords in England how then can she represent unbiased both interest . During her tenure as attorney General in the labour government she successfully tabled a bill to increase the university fees of international students Caribbean students were affected.Baroness Scotland should do the right thing and withdraw her interest to avoid the obvious confusion that will ensure.
Two prestigious individuals well worth recognition, but in the meantime we will pow-pow, and in de end de OECS will come together and settle on one. Nothing wrong in having two nominees.
I agree!
And while China and Taiwan have re initiated talks.. will we have consensus within the OECS on the one China policy or is this getting a bit over head!!!!!
let us choose Sir Ronald Sanders not because Baroness have some kind of prestigious and ceremonial Title!!!!
Given that the CHOGM meeting is next week, PM Harris’ concerns are real and valid. Allegedly, there is an emerging consensus within CARICOM for a particular candidate but one flamboyant leader insists on keeping his nominee presumably to increase his own self esteem. In Psychology, there is a concept called “false-consensus effect” whereby a person tends to over estimate the extent to which their opinions and preferences are normal and others feel or will feel the same way. This leads to a perception that does not exist or false consensus. And this false consensus is significant because it increases self esteem. Maybe it would help if PM Harris would read and explain to the group at the Dominica meeting, the meaning of consensus as defined in the Oxford Dictionary.
Seriously, you not trying to help.
I see no reason to attack.
This is not English literature!
Suck up and get a life!
If his is not English literature, how would define yours?
What Unity? There is no Caribbean unity, these guys get together, signs all sorts of agreements, then head out to drink whisky, before the ink is dried, the agreements have become null and void.
Really embarrassing at this point.
Where is the Caribbean unity that we speak of? Come on now!
There are no consensus between the players and the OECS /CARICOM knows that unity is out the door, so why pretend with the name Baroness Scotland what have she done for her homeland or the Caribbean region , and if she is elected she will just be another one added to Skerritt group, taking one from the outside would be much better for the Caribbean region. PM Harris is correct it should be decided before the end of the meeting . One individual should not be holding up the process just to get his or her way that’s not Democracy .
.