Skerrit plays down row over Barnett’s reappointment as Caricom secretary-general
Dominica’s prime minister says the post does not require a unanimous decision, after Trinidad and Tobago said it would not recognise Carla Barnett once her current term ends.
ROSEAU, Dominica. Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says he does not expect any major problems over the controversy surrounding the reappointment of Carla Barnett as secretary-general of the 15-member Caribbean Community.
“The issue of the Secretary General, I don’t expect any real issues. I mean, the reality is every country has a right to express their view on who should be the Secretary-General,” Skerrit told a news conference.
“The Secretary-General post, under the current arrangements with Caricom, does not require a unanimous decision,” he said.
Trinidad’s objection
Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said her country will not recognise Barnett after her current term ends, arguing that the reappointment did not follow the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Skerrit said the reappointment had been decided by a simple majority vote and that he hoped the issue would not distract from pressing regional matters.
“I don’t want to go back on details today, but we all know the issues affecting our citizens, every single citizen in the Caribbean, and I’m hoping that we can spend time discussing those issues and coming up with collective action,” he said, pointing to the cost of living and regional security.
Summit agenda
Skerrit said he would travel to St Lucia for the four-day Caricom Heads of Government Meeting, where leaders “will consider several important regional priorities, including security, food production, climate resilience, renewable energy, regional transportation, economic integration, developments in Haiti and youth development.”
He said the highest priority would be the cost of living, “which is affecting every Caricom country.”
Dominica, he said, would “continue advocating practical regional solutions that strengthen resilience, deepen Caribbean integration, and improve the lives of our people.”
