President Ali was disappointing

Feb 27, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – In public diplomacy and statesmanship, the power of rhetoric is undeniable. It is rhetoric, not theatrics that serves to convey a leader’s vision and strategy. However, in a recent address to the CARICOM Heads of Government meeting, President Ali of Guyana fell short of this ideal, delivering a lackluster and uninspiring speech that failed to provide clear direction or inspire confidence in the region’s ability to effectively address its threats and challenges.

In the history of addresses by heads of government to summits of CARICOM, President’s Ali speech is perhaps the poorest ever delivered from a sitting Chair of the regional grouping. It was unsuited for such an occasion; it sounded more like a gaffe. From the outset, President Ali’s address lacked the necessary gravitas expected of a leader addressing his peers. Instead of seizing the opportunity to articulate a bold vision for the future of the Caribbean, he was hardly through the salutations when he hastily transitioned towards the issue of Haiti. This abrupt shift in focus set the tone for a disjointed speech that offered little in the way of substantive solutions or concrete proposals for addressing the region’s pressing issues.

One of the most glaring deficiencies in President Ali’s address was his failure to acknowledge the role of external actors, particularly the United States, in exacerbating Haiti’s longstanding problems. Haiti’s problems have their roots in foreign intervention, particularly by the United States. When Ali’s speak about tough decision having to be made, it was not clear whether CARICOM was distancing itself from the US-engineered plan for a UN authorized mission to stabilize Haiti or whether he was endorsing this plan. During his presentation, President Ali fixated himself with highlighting the contributions of foreign countries such as Canada and Saudi Arabia to the Caribbean. He went on and on about what was being done and what will be done by these countries for the Caribbean.

He fails to realise that for years now, CARICOM has been engaging with other countries and regions. It has had summits with China, Mexico, African Union and Cuba among others. Arising out of these engagements are cooperation initiatives. Therefore, when President Ali waxed lyrically about what Canada and Saudi Arabia and the UAE are doing or will do for the Caribbean, he ran the risk of framing the region’s economy as being reliant on handouts from foreign countries. Saudi Arabia’s outreach to the Caribbean came with strings attached. The Saudi’s actively courted and were successful in obtaining CARICOM’s 14 votes support for the hosting of World EXPO 2030. It would most likely have CARICOM’s support for its bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. In turn, several Caribbean countries got financing for projects.

The UAE is making money off the Caribbean. It sold Guyana vaccines. It is now going to benefit from the training of thousands of coders and other ICT initiatives. Nothing comes free. Canada, the United States and the UK are also entering the fray. They want to reduce China’s influence in the Region. But President Ali is too politically-inexperienced to appreciate these nuances. He views these cooperation initiatives as evidence of achievements by CARICOM and he now wants to extend these achievements by having talks with the person who will succeed him as Chairman.

In so doing, President Ali has added another goalpost. Apart from 25 by 2025 targets – which will not be achieved – he is now setting his sights on the impossible goal of eliminating hunger and malnutrition by 2030. While the goal of eliminating hunger and malnutrition is undoubtedly noble, it is unrealistic to expect such ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030. Removing hunger in the Caribbean requires structural changes in the region’s economies, a task that cannot be accomplished overnight or even by 2030. By failing to outline a clear roadmap for achieving these structural changes, President Ali missed an opportunity to galvanise regional leaders and mobilise collective action towards this ambition.

The leaders of the other Caribbean countries and the many dignitaries present were listening to what the Guyanese President had to say. These leaders would have noted the shortcomings and inexperience in Ali’s presentation and leadership respectively. President Ali fell short of the leadership that the Caribbean desperately needs in these challenging times. If the region is to overcome its challenges, it will require leaders who are willing to confront uncomfortable truths, challenge the status quo, and chart a bold course. President Ali has proven last Sunday that he is not the person to lead such a process.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of this newspaper and its affiliates.)

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• CARICOM, Diplomacy, Government, Guyana, President Ali

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