Former CARICOM secretary general, Irwin LaRocque, says he prefers the Caribbean having a single candidate for the position of Commonwealth Secretary General.
Last month, Jamaica launched its campaign for the position even as the CARICOM grouping is yet to announce when a regional sub-committee will meet with the two Caribbean candidates for the post.
CARICOM leaders remain divided in their support for the two candidates, agreeing instead to appoint a sub-committee to delve further into the matter.
A three-paragraph statement issued following their deliberations on April 6 indicated that the CARICOM leaders are still divided on whether to support the incumbent, Baroness Patricia Scotland, who has been nominated by Dominica or Kamina Johnson Smith, Jamaica’s nominee.
Speaking with the state-owned DBS Radio, LaRocque, who stepped down as the region’s top public servant last year after a ten-year stint, said “all I want to say is that I wish the Caribbean had only one candidate and I will leave it at that.
“The region should have one candidate going forward. That’s what I think should happen,” he said, adding that “as far as I am aware” Baroness Scotland has performed well in her post.
“As far as I am aware, yes. I was in contact with her during my tenure as secretary general and as far as I am aware, yes. But I think I will leave it at that. There are others who will want to comment on that more extensively. I am speaking as a private citizen, but I think from the perspective of the region, I will leave it at that,” Irwin LaRocque added.
Last month, Dominica, insisting that it is not at odds with Jamaica, said it remains confident that Scotland, will be re-elected as the Commonwealth Secretary General of the 54-member group of nations.
Scotland was elected to the post at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta in 2015 and her re-election is scheduled to take place during the June 20-25 Commonwealth summit in Kigali, Rwanda.
The Dominica-born Scotland is the second Commonwealth Secretary General from the Caribbean and the first woman to hold the post.
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