From Caribbean News Now

NASSAU, Bahamas — Prime Minister Perry Christie has indicated that The Bahamas will support Antigua and Barbuda’s nominee, Sir Ronald Sanders, for the post of Commonwealth secretary general at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta at the end of this month.

Christie also said that he would push for a consensus among Commonwealth Caribbean heads of government to rally behind Sanders as the sole regional candidate.

In recent days, the prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada have also confirmed their support for Sanders and at the same time called for a regional consensus on the issue.

However, although by unofficial convention it is the Caribbean’s “turn” to provide the Commonwealth secretary general, continuing regional disunity resulting from the insistence of Dominica in maintaining its nomination of British Baroness Patricia Scotland as its candidate, supported only by Barbados, has allowed two African candidates and potentially another from Australia to take advantage of the lack of Caribbean solidarity.

Furthermore, although running a costly and extensive campaign, Scotland, as a former UK attorney general and a sitting member of the British House of Lords, is unlikely to be chosen for the post because, under international law, her dominant nationality is British not Dominican, which is unlikely to find favour with many African, Asian or Pacific member countries, if any at all.

If no consensus is reached to support a single Caribbean candidate before the vote in Malta, the region may very well miss out on an opportunity to lead the Commonwealth for the next eight years.

Meanwhile, Sanders was in Nassau this week to address the 2015 Global Leadership Forum and his presence generated some apparent disinformation by Bahamas foreign minister Fred Mitchell, who told local media that his government had reserved its position on endorsing a candidate for Commonwealth secretary general.

It is understood that Mitchell supports Scotland’s candidacy for personal reasons.

However, Christie acted quickly to correct this report by coming out unequivocally in favour of Sanders.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Perry Christie (L) and Sir Ronald Sanders
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