Dear Editor,
‘Unity In Diversity’ or ‘One Region, Many Voices’ is perhaps the best way at this point in time to describe the present state of affairs within CARICOM. But the discordant state of affairs is not unusual. There are tons of past experiences when member states of the regional body chose to go their separate ways on matters of a major hemispheric and international nature including candidatures. I’ve witnessed with my own eyes and heard with my own ears, why, how and on what economic, trade and foreign policy issues CARICOM member states parted ways. In this regard, Guyana has been no exception. In pursuit of its own national interest, Guyana has, from time to time, stirred controversy, if not disagreement within the corridors of what may be perceived to be a relatively calm, peaceable and cohesive regional body. Truth be told, ‘There’s more to this than meets the eye.’ The bottom line, in Stabroek News Editorial of April 8, 2022; ‘Fasting and Prayer’ established an excellent caricature, for the story in the same edition headlined ‘CARICOM split down the middle on UN vote to suspend Russia from rights council’…albeit in a different context. Writing four years ago in article titled, ‘Wider implications of the Golding Report on Jamaica’s Relations with Caricom,’ David Jessop, Consultant to the Caribbean Council, shared his thoughts about CARICOM’s reality of the ground: ‘In recent years, the impression on the Caribbean street is that avarice, political tribalism, and ego, masquerading as national self-interest and sovereignty, has replaced any genuine desire to lift the citizens of the region up. It is a view common among those young people, and particularly women who would be tomorrow’s leaders, but see little changing unless they conform to ‘rules’ that have altered little since independence.’
Divergences by member states from the ‘rules’ better known as Treaty obligations in the ‘Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas’ were exposed once again, when member states exposed their naked self-interests in exercising their sovereignty to part ways and to vote as they pleased on the resolution to
suspend Russia from the UN’s Human Rights body. In stark contrast to the unanimous vote by all fourteen member states in favour of the resolution condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the regional body was split down the line on the vote to suspend Russia from the human rights body. On that occasion, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Haiti and St. Lucia voted in favour of the resolution; while Barbados, Belize, Guyana, St. Kitts, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname abstained. It was not until President Ali spoke, that speculation ended as to why member states were divided on the vote, “This matter was discussed among [CARICOM] Heads. There is an ongoing process. There are two things that are happening – the UN has launched a process of doing the investigation to come up with the factual basis on what is happening in terms of human rights violations and what we have said once the report comes out, then the findings of that report must be respected and supported.” President Ali went on to say, “We were coordinating information flow also to understand what is happening in the rest of the region. This is something that came up very quickly. You would appreciate that. It is weighty decisions. Once that report comes [we will decide],” the President said. To persons on the outside, it appears that based on the absence of a report on the investigation into Russia’s human rights violations and the consequential abstention vote, Russia is ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ Prior to the vote, some of Guyana’s allies must have requested support for a ‘yes vote’ but later, must have questioned Guyana’s abstention which reminds us of Lord Palmerston’s; “Nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests.” Venezuela’s absence from the session when the vote was taken, its rapprochement with the US notwithstanding, its close ties with Russia is noteworthy.
While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is in breach of the UN Charter, its action cannot in, and of itself, be considered a de facto human rights violation. However, having succeeded with the passage of the resolution, its principal movers and shakers will ensure that the report supports suspension. In anticipation of what is to come, the Russian Federation, rather than living with a West-inspired suspension, subsequently resigned permanently from the UN human rights body. Coordination of, nor consultation among CARICOM member states on foreign policy issues does not mean arriving at a common position, on the contrary, in this particular case, it is clear that Heads agreed to disagree. Member states’ picking and choosing of ‘shared values’ compounded by the lack of strategic alignment of each country’s global and hemispheric priorities, as well as the differentiated nature of each government’s ideological orientation has gained prominence at the UN and is now the raison d’etre for governments to act in consort with extra-regional interests as was demonstrated in hitching their wagons to the foreign policy and economic interests of the industrialized nations. In the circumstances, there is no denying that economic interests whereby votes are given in exchange for aid is a major consideration when deciding whether to vote for or against or even to abstain on one resolution or another or for the choice of a candidate sponsored by members of the donor community. Division among CARICOM member states once established in the course of bilateral discussions will always be exploited to the advantage of those who might be seeking support for their own self-interests sometimes clothed in ‘common interests and shared values’. Once that divisive approach becomes entrenched and it’s gullibility and efficacy proven, there is no turning back. The back-sliding from Articles 6 and 16:3 of the RTOC will continue, as it is bound to arise once again, in the case of the Jamaican versus the outgoing candidate originally from Dominica, for the post of Secretary General of the Commonwealth. There should be no second-guessing that votes cast by Jamaica and Dominica on the Russia/Ukraine war at the UN had a lot to do with garnering support for one candidate or the other.
Sincerely,
Clement J. Rohee
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
