CARICOM committee to meet with Scotland, Kamina over Commonwealth contest

A meeting of CARICOM leaders today ended without any clear position on who the group will support for secretary general of the Commonwealth organisation.

Today's hours-long emergency talks were called after Jamaica's surprise announcement last Friday that it was nominating Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith for the post currently occupied by a CARICOM nominee.

A sub-committee of select countries has been tasked to meet with incumbent Baroness Patricia Scotland and Johnson Smith, whom Kingston has insisted will not be withdrawn.

Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister criticised Jamaica's move, labelling it a “monumental error” saying it risks dividing the regional group that gave overwhelming support for Scotland to get a second term.

The current rotation of the top post is for the Caribbean.

Scotland, whose extended first term will end in June, has been mired in controversy over her governance of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

An audit revealed that a contract was awarded to an insolvent company belonging to her personal friend.

She has denied the allegations.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness told Parliament on Tuesday that Jamaica's candidate was an “alternative in response to persisting issues”.

He said Jamaica was approached to enter the race.

The 54-member Commonwealth will have the final say when it meets in June in Rwanda, whose president, Paul Kagame, will visit Jamaica next week.

See full text of CARICOM's statement below:

Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) meeting virtually in Caucus on Wednesday 6 April reaffirmed the obligation of Member States to coordinate foreign policy as outlined in the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

They noted the upcoming election at the June 2022 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and reaffirmed the turn of the Caribbean for a second term in accordance with the tradition of the Commonwealth.

They noted that two Member States of the Community had nominated two eminently qualified candidates for the post of Secretary-General of the Commonwealth and agreed that a Sub-Committee of Heads of Government comprising of The Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Jamaica will meet with the two candidates, Baroness Patricia Scotland, QC and Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson-Smith.

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