WASHINGTON, CMC – The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, says he stands by his “statements and actions’ as he sought to defended himself against criticism from the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping that they were being made “outside the bounds of his remit as the head of an international organization.”
Last week, CARICOM chairman and the Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis, Dr. Timothy Harris said that Almargo’s latest “manifestation of his inappropriate behavior” followed his statement made regarding free and fair elections in Dominica.
“…it is disturbing that without first consulting with the government of Dominica, which is a Member State of the Organization, he, as Secretary-General, should be associating himself with such an inference.
“The Community once again calls on the Secretary-General to refrain from actions and statements which are beyond the competence of the Office and affect the impartiality of the Organization which he has the privilege to lead,” Harris said in the statement.
But Almagro, who has also fallen afoul of the regional grouping on his position regarding the unfolding situation in Venezuela, said CARICOM chairman in his statement “wrongly asserts that I acted beyond the competence of the Office of Secretary General of the OAS”.
It was the opinion of Dominica’s ambassador
The OAS Secretary General said in his tweet published on February 7, 2019, he acknowledges having met with the former Dominica ambassador to the OAS, Crispin Gregoire, “who expressed his concern that the upcoming elections in Dominica are not free and fair.
“He also requested OAS official assistance to help ensure a level playing field in the country.”
Almagro said that “as is evident from the transcript, Ambassador Gregoire expressed his concern to me and I formulated the communication.
“I am surprised that I was denounced for being transparent and for not censoring ideas, particularly in an organization that is obliged to act in accordance with democratic principles such as freedom of speech, openness and tolerance for the diversity of political views.”
He said he was reiterating a position adopted when he took up office in 2015 that “I would be “both government and opposition.
Open door policy
“As Secretary General of the OAS, I have an open-door policy, I meet with people with different views and I welcome pluralism of ideas and beliefs,” he said, adding that “it is worth noting that, according to a study published by the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and The University of Sydney, Dominica is the country with the lowest rate of implementation (below 10 per cent) of the recommendations of OAS Electoral Observation Missions.
“Democracy is a way of life and an ongoing process of continuous improvement and the recommendations of the Organization aim to guarantee voters the best possible electoral process. When they are not followed and not implemented, this does not help member states to increase the level of trust from the opposition and the international community in their electoral processes.
“I stand by my statements and actions, which are completely consistent with the competencies of the Office of Secretary General and the democratic principles that this Organization promotes and defends,” Almargo said in his response.
