Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Patricia Scotland, wants Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith out of the race for the post.
In an interview with ABSTV Antigua, Scotland said it is not the appropriate time to challenge another Caribbean national for the top job.
“I would be incredibly pleased, as you can imagine it, if Senator Kamina Johnson [Smith] thought again and felt maybe this wasn’t the appropriate time to challenge a fellow Commonwealth/ Caribbean [person] for this post,” she said. “You know that I have done six years of my eight-year term. Africa anticipates that they will have an opportunity to put forward an African secretary-general in 2024 when I complete my second term. And at the moment of course, in accordance with tradition, there is no vacancy.”
Scotland said she is grateful for the support of Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister and other regional leaders, adding that she remains committed to serving the Commonwealth.
Earlier this month, Jamaica announced that it was nominating Johnson Smith for the post.
The move was criticized by Prime Minister of Antigua, Gaston Browne who labeled it a “monumental error” which risks dividing the region.
Scotland’s tenure has been mired in controversy over her governance of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
The 54-member Commonwealth group will elect a new General Secretary when it meets in Kigali, Rwanda in June.
