After confirming his recall in an official letter circulated to colleagues, St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the United States, Howie Prince says the administration of Prime Minister Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves did not give him any reason or reasons for his return to Kingstown.
“I was not given any reason for my recall,” Prince, who has served almost six years as Consul General to the US, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) in an interview on Friday. “Cabinet has the authority to appoint and recall.”
He disclosed that he was on an annual contract that was renewed at the end of May and that, this year, the government sent him a notice in late May that he will be on a “month-by-month until further notice.”
“On 24th June, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent notice that the government will recall me, and July 31 will be my last day,” said the New York-based Prince. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve. Retirement is what I proceed to do. I turned 60 on May 21. Time to move on.”
In his official letter, circulated widely to “colleagues” in the diaspora and also dispatched to CMC, Prince said the administration has replaced him with popular soca artiste Rodney “Luta” McIntosh, who has no apparent diplomatic or civil service experience.
“The word is out, so let me confirm that the Government of SVG (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) has recalled my appointment as St. Vincent and the Grenadines Consul General to the USA and has appointed Mr. Rodney ‘Luta’ McIntosh as my replacement as consul general,” said Prince, stating that his last day in the office is July 31.
“This essentially signals my full retirement from the public service after 44 years of unbroken service, except for two and a half years (2010 – 2012 on secondment), working for the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) in Trinidad and Tobago as Disaster Risk Reduction Specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean,” he added.
“I give God thanks and praises for his Grace and Favor on me, thus allowing me to serve my country all these years in so many different capacities …”
He also extended “hearty thanks” to St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ministry of Foreign Affairs for “cordial and professional relationship during my five years and ten months tenure as consul general.
Though he will demit office on July 31, Prince disclosed in the CMC interview that he will be on “some paid leave” until end of August, when he will return home.
On immediate return to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he said he will take “some much-needed R&R (rest and relaxation) for a while” after which he will decide what he wants to do.
In terms of his accomplishments as consul general to the US, Howie Prince said he “mended some broken relations between the consulate and the diaspora.
“We’ve established relationships with all the groups in the diaspora,” he said. “I worked with these groups. I gave them letters of credentials to say they’re authentic in what they do to redound to the benefit of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
CMC/
