By Ken Ali
There is a spirit of reconciliation at the Caricom leaders’ conference in St. Lucia.
Journalists covering the annual conference say there is obvious rapprochement following the prior tensions over the reappointment of Secretary General Dr. Carla Barnett and other issues.
“You have a sense that Caricom has come back from the brink,” one reporter at Gros Islet said.
“There appears to be a spirit of goodwill.”
The tone set by current Caricom chair Phillip Pierre and Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s proposal on the Barnett matter are seen as major reasons for the accord.
In addition, social get-togethers have eased personal tensions.
Pierre, hosting his first regional summit, has been encouraging consensus, especially at the heads-only retreat.
That session lasted longer than earlier planned, and there were extensive discussions in a cordial manner, journalists on the ground said.
PM Persad-Bissessar’s 22-page proposal to send the Barnett matter to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) provided a viable option on the divisive issue.
The leaders accepted the detailed recommendation.
T&T would recognise Barnett’s appointment if the CCJ states that it was legally done, Ms. Persad-Bissessar assured.
Her recommendation received tacit and timely support from Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who expressed concern over the manner in which Barnett was reappointed.
PM Holness said the approach “has neither resolved the matter not promoted the spirit and goals of the Treaty of Chaguaramas.”
Ms. Persad-Bissessar received wide-ranging commendations for her proposed diplomatic solution.
Commentators noted her commitment to finding an acceptable way out of the niggling stalemate.
Under Pierre’s leadership, Caricom is expected to rally more purposefully around earthquake-stricken Venezuela.
Previous chair Dr. Terrance Drew was seen as laidback while the neighbouring South American country dealt with thousands of fatalities and mass destruction of properties.
Former Caricom chair Dr. Timothy Harris slammed Drew on the issue.
“The moment called for a chairman who showed up fully,” said Harris, an ex-Prime Minister of St. Kitts-Nevis.
For his part, new chair Pierre stressed: “Caricom must move from conference rooms to communities, from rhetoric to reality, from communiques to results.”
The new atmosphere and character in the regional group come amid the departure of former prime ministers Dr. Keith Rowley and Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, of T&T and St. Vincent respectively.
T&T is due to take up a seat at the crucial United Nations Security Council.
PM Persad-Bissessar has stood strong on accepting the military support of the United States against entrenched maritime drug traffickers.
There is now optimism that, during Pierre’s stewardship, Caricom would achieve meaningful successes on critical economic and social issues.
And it is possible that Barnett, a source of discordance, may soon be out of the picture.
A spirit of renewal is in the air.
