St Vincent's consul general in New York urges nationals to register as consulate widens its role
Roland "Patel" Matthews says the consulate wants to act like a constituency office for Vincentians in the US, from scholarships to emergencies.
NEW YORK, United States. St Vincent and the Grenadines' new consul general to the United States, Roland "Patel" Matthews, says the New York-based consulate has been broadening its mission since he took office on March 1.
Mr Matthews, a former member of parliament for North Leeward, was speaking at a town hall meeting on Sunday, September 20, at the Friends of Crown Heights Educational Center in Brooklyn. The meeting was led by Prime Minister Dr Godwin Friday and included Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Affairs Minister Fitzgerald Bramble and UN Ambassador Vynnette Fredericks.
"Many people understandably think of the Consulate as the place you contact when you need a passport," Mr Matthews said. "But we believe the Consulate must be more than that."
Opportunities for young people
He said education and opportunities for young people were priorities. Through a relationship with Leadership Initiatives, Vincentian students had accessed scholarships and practical programmes in fields such as medicine, law, public health and business.
The consulate has also begun conversations with Columbia University, and with Taiwan about opportunities for young Vincentians in the US, including second-generation nationals, to study there. "These discussions are still developing," he said.
A call to register
Mr Matthews appealed to all Vincentians in the US, whether born, by descent, naturalised or by marriage, to register with the consulate through SVG Diaspora Connect.
"In some respects, your Consulate is like your constituency office here in the United States," he said. "How can we properly serve our constituency abroad if we do not know who our constituents are?"
He said registration mattered in emergencies, so the consulate could determine whether nationals were affected by a disaster. "We should not have to begin searching for our community after something has happened," he said.
The consulate is developing a registry and skills database, and has carried out a diaspora needs assessment to guide recommendations to the government.
Business and passports
Mr Matthews said the consulate had been working with the New York governor's office, city agencies and others to connect Vincentians with grants, training and business support, and had been promoting Vincentian products. "When we see something Vincentian that we believe has potential, we want to help put it in the room," he said.
The consulate has launched a pilot to modernise passport services, looking at online tracking and better appointment management, while keeping legal and security requirements in place.
It has also strengthened ties with the New York Police Department and district attorneys' offices so that it is not "introducing itself to the relevant authorities for the first time when there is a crisis."
"Your government services should not disappear because you live abroad," he said.
