CARICOM DIVIDED

There was a big surprise in the race for Secretary General of the Commonwealth last week when  the Prime Minster of Belize Johnny Briceno announced that the would be supporting the insurgent Jamaican candidate for Secretary General Kamina Johnson Smith.  To many this came off as a betrayal of the help and trust which Secretary General Patricia Scotland has invested in Belize.

The  Caricom region is split between support for the British backed candidate Kamina Johnson Smith and the incumbent Patricia Scotland.

This should never have happened.

There was a meeting in Belize in March where the Caricom region  pledged support which the Heads of Government said was overwhelming to Baroness Scotland.  Yet a few weeks later, there is an insurgent candidate. 

Last week British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came out in support of Mrs. Johnson Smith. It showed all along what the real deal was. Boris Johnson and the British have dreams of recreating empire and are using Kamina Johnson Smith and the Jamaicans to do their dirty work.

This is really sad.

Let us hope that notwithstanding the perfidy of some Caricom states that Africa will hold and give the incumbent Baroness Patricia Scotland the second term she deserves.

The campaign has gotten really nasty. In particular, one does not understand the nasty visceral contempt which the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago has for Baroness Scotland. He calls her the British Baroness and during her tenure has refused to speak to her or have an audience with her.  It is a crying shame.

The Bahamas supports Baroness Scotland.

We wish her well.