Reports have surfaced that Dominica last month called for the 54-member Commonwealth grouping to re-elect its secretary general, Baroness Patricia Scotland, for a second consecutive term, arguing that she had “laid a solid foundation to look at solutions for our countries in the future” despite the challenges of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and climate change.

In a letter, a copy of which the Caribbean Media Corporation has indicated it has seen, Dominica Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit reportedly recalled that the Dominican-born Scotland, who was first appointed to the position in 2015, had a mandate to reform the Secretariat and to advocate and be a voice for countries in the Commonwealth without a voice.

“In her first term she delivered on reform and on change; she delivered on partnerships and innovation for the benefit of our countries; she delivered on good offices and democracy. She successfully braved the challenges of the climate crisis and of the COVID-19 pandemic and has laid a solid foundation to look at solutions for our countries in the future,” Skerrit was quoted as saying in his March 23 letter.

The reports on Skerrit’s stance come after it was revealed yesterday that the Caribbean Community was split over Jamaica’s announcement that its foreign affairs and foreign trade minister, Kamina Johnson Smith, had been nominated to contest the position at the Commonwealth Heads of Government summit to be held in Rwanda from June 20-25.

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has labelled Johnson Smith’s nomination “a monumental error”, arguing it would only serve to divide the Caribbean after Jamaica was party to a recent CARICOM consensus endorsing Scotland’s re-election.

At the end of their March 1-2 Intersessional summit held in Belize, CARICOM leaders issued their communique in which they expressed overwhelming support for the re-election of Scotland for the position”.