Removing The Mote

For the very first time, the Caribbean is fielding a candidate for the post of Secretary-General (SG) of the Organization of American States (OAS), in the person of Hon. Albert Ramdin, Foreign Minister of Suriname.

For me, this is a big deal. It does not matter if Mr. Ramdin’s bid is successful. With this decision, Caribbean governments have finally put to bed the notion that the region was satisfied with occupying only the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) post of the OAS. This was a source of much anguish during my long professional relationship with the OAS, especially during my 14 years of employment at OAS headquarters in Washington D.C. I could not understand why, despite having nominated candidates who have successfully managed several regional and global organizations, such as the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO – TWICE) and the Commonwealth of Nations (TWICE), the region would not compete for the OAS’s top post. 

Nowhere in the OAS Charter is it written that Caribbean nationals cannot compete for the SG post at the OAS. Consequently, I found the Caribbean’s fixation with the ASG post to be mind-boggling, and an affront to every Caribbean citizen who knows that our region is endowed with people with the requisite skills-set, competence and experience to lead the OAS.

My distress dropped to dangerous levels, when about a decade ago, the Caribbean clothed itself in ignominy and farce, by fielding two candidates for the ASG post. In so doing, it sent a clear message to the world that our ambitions as Caribbean people did not extend to the OAS. Moreover, by not supporting one candidate for the ASG position, the region proved yet again that it was locked in a ferocious war with itself.

Beneath the surface of a dignified 2-year campaign between Ambassadors Bayney Karran of Guyana and Nestor Mendez of Belize were strong currents of discord among Foreign Ministers and Heads of Government of CARICOM. They could not agree to support one candidate for the ASG post, just as they were unable to support one candidate for the post of SG of the Commonwealth. And so, they left it to the other 19 OAS member states to do the job for them. In the end, Mendez defeated Karran by a whopping 24 votes to 10. At that time, many people, including me, believed that while Mendez was the clear winner, CARICOM was the clear loser. 

I accept that from time to time Caribbean governments will disagree on aspects of regional policy. However, the selection of a single candidate to contest the leadership of any international organization ought not to be a point of disagreement. While Belize and Guyana may have considered their candidate as the better choice, there ought to have been a point when one country knew it could not win and withdrew from the race.

In the case of the OAS, the arithmetic is simple and clear. If the region remains steadfast in its support for Minister Ramdin, it stands an excellent chance of defeating Paraguay’s candidate for the SG post. As things now stand, CARICOM has not nominated a candidate for the ASG post. Thus, it’s possible the region may not occupy either post. But for me, this is a risk worth taking.

My hope is that Minister Ramdin’s bid will cause CARICOM governments to take the OAS far more seriously than they have, especially over the past 2 decades. For starters, they MUST ensure that Minister Ramdin has a clear and compelling plan to restructure the OAS to make it fitter to discharge the significant mandates and functions that are enshrined in its Charter. Some commentators have argued that the Charter is deficient. I agree it’s not perfect, but I do not believe it’s so imperfect enough to warrant spending precious time, energy and money trying to perfect it. Already, there’s too much useless palabra (dialogue) within the OAS Permanent Council. I would much prefer to see the resources of the OAS being spent on strengthening its relevance, internal management, and impact. Here, there is no shortage of recommendations that could be implemented, if the will is there.

During my time at the OAS, I watched with a mixture of sadness and anger as its development pillar was de-funded and resources were re-directed to human rights and security. Proponents of this shift argue that: (1) other inter-governmental organizations (IGOS) are better resourced and thus are better positioned than the OAS to support sustainable development in member states; and (2) the proliferation of human rights abuses and security threats within the hemisphere warrant attention.

The first argument is illogical for the following reasons. Firstly, implementing the global sustainable development agenda demands more actors and resources, not less. The hemisphere’s sustainable development challenges cannot be effectively addressed by one government or IGO acting alone. Indeed, all OAS Member States (now, except the USA) wish to eliminate the existential threats to human and national development, human rights and security, posed by climate change. Secondly, the OAS’s withdrawal from development does not mean other IGOs will fill the breach created by its departure. Thirdly, for decades now, the OAS has been executing many ground-breaking projects that other IGOs were unconcerned about, until they began to show clear impact. Some of these projects, in areas such as circular economy, renewable energy and sustainable cities caused IGOs to see much value in partnering with the OAS to advance sustainable development within the hemisphere.

The second argument is not without merit. However, those countries for whom development is critical could argue that the UN is better placed to address human rights and security issues within the hemisphere. I have to say that this is not an argument I would make for the simple reason, that in these areas—as with sustainable development—more actors and resources are needed. It’s impossible for security and human rights concerns to be addressed if a solid foundation for inclusive, resilient and sustainable development is not established.

It’s also my hope that CARICOM governments will push for geographic equity in the staffing of the General Secretariat (GS) of OAS. By any measure, the Caribbean is patently underrepresented within the GS/OAS, mainly because of the selective way language competency (specifically Spanish) is being applied. I worked for many years with many OAS staff whose command of English was no better, if not worse than my command of Spanish.  

The Caribbean will have failed if Minister Ramdin’s tenure as SG does not bring about meaningful change at OAS. I cannot say this will be easily accomplished. Ensuring that the General Secretariat is adequately funded looms as a massive challenge. Relieving the place of staff who for years have had little or nothing to do would be a good start. 

But for me, what’s important is that Minister Ramdin’s candidacy has helped to remove the mote of shame from my eyes.  

Cletus I. Springer

Jako Columnist Cletus Springer is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Oxford Brooks University, and Aberdeen University. He served as an OAS director in the Department of Sustainability and as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism as well as the Ministry of Planning. He is presently serving as the chair of the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) and the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC), and as the Honorary Consul of Japan in Saint Lucia. He has authored three books, namely Partnerships for Sustainable Development in Small States (with John L. Roberts), Grass Street and Later Memories: a Biographical Sketch, and the novel Sugar Blues.