T&T PM, Keith Rowley to assume CARICOM chairmanship

Dec 29, 2020 News

– Outgoing Chair commends Guyanese for patience, maturity during election

Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, Dr. Keith Rowley.

Prime Minister of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.

Kaieteur News – Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowley, is about to take over the chairmanship of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as the region grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. His term begins at the start of 2021.
Rowley will be taking over from Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves. Gonsalves had taken up the post in the middle of 2020 from Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Mottley.
Mottley and Gonsalves played key roles in keeping the eyes of the region and the rest of the international community on Guyana during a period when the stability of the country’s democracy was threatened.
Mottley had sent a team to help facilitate a national recount of votes when the Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo lorded over a non-transparent initial vote count, which was later found to be fraudulent.
Even before he took over the regional chairmanship, Gonsalves had urged then President, David Granger, to concede his loss.
CARICOM had sent a three-person team which acted as a point of contact for international observers, as COVID-19 emergency measures restricted observer access to the recount venue.
Dr. Rowley had cited ‘serious accusations’ against CARICOM as the reason for his country’s Chief Elections Officer not joining the high-level team which observed the recount. Allies and supporters had viciously criticised international observers, heads of state and leaders of regional organisations who made calls for the Coalition government to concede.
The team that came produced a report which found that the results of the elections were reasonably credible, and urged that a declaration be made on the basis of the results of the national vote recount which showed the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) as the victor.
When the findings of the CARICOM team went public, virtually all international observers threw their support behind the recommendations.
Even when the Granger administration mounted legal challenges to the results of the recount, Gonsalves urged that all stakeholders accept and respect the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) – one of the Courts approached in those proceedings.
In a public address, the outgoing Chair commended the Guyanese people for their patience during the contentious process.
He said “… we stood firmly by the people of Guyana in their quest to uphold the democratic traditions of our Community in the aftermath of the country’s General and Regional Elections last March. The people of Guyana displayed exemplary patience and maturity during the protracted process, and their will prevailed.”
Particular homage was paid to former Barbados PM, Owen Arthur, who died in July due to heart complications. Gonsalves said that Arthur was his friend and a Caribbean patriot.
“Professor Arthur dedicated his working life to integration and was a strong believer in its power to transform the lives of the people of the Region. His championing of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy evidenced his regional conviction and commitment.
Arthur is remembered for his role too in the maintenance of the stability of Guyana’s democracy. He had headed the Commonwealth Observer Mission to Guyana’s 2020 elections, and strongly advised the administration to concede for the good of the country.
Gonsalves urged that the region continue to foster a spirit of unity, even as it battles the pandemic.
“That spirit of unity has been a cornerstone of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in 2020,” Gonsalves said. “As the COVID-19 pandemic raged through the world this past year, our Community harnessed the intellectual and technical capacity available, and successfully managed the health aspects. This resulted in relatively low casualty figures, while containing in large measure the spread of the virus.”
Gonsalves noted the crippling effects of the virus on the Caribbean region.
“The overall economies of our countries have been hard hit, particularly those directly and indirectly dependent on the tourism, travel and entertainment sectors. The global spread of COVID-19 was propelled by travel, and the curtailment of that activity has acutely affected the Caribbean, which is the world’s most tourism and travel dependent Region. Still, at Christmas 2020 we are thankful for all the blessings and mercies bestowed upon us.” Gonsalves said.