Charles: Mottley co-chairing UN global initiative with Trudeau, Rowley fixated on Maduro
Unlike our CARICOM neighbors, who are diligently focussed on raising their countries’ global footprint, Rowley, unable to match their astuteness, acumen and articulateness, brings up expired, parochial and globally insignificant news involving Juan Guaido last Tuesday during his rant in Diego Martin.
Dr Rowley seems incapable of standing in the same shoes as his more illustrious and more globally acknowledged CARICOM colleagues.
Barbados’ Mia Mottley and Canada’s Justin Trudeau just this week were announced by UN Secretary General Antonio Gutierres as co-chairs of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates group,
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness was invited this week to the White House by VP of the United States, Kamala Harris to discuss improving bi-lateral relations between the two countries.
Hot off the press it was announced that Guyana will host the next UN Food and Agriculture Organization Regional Conference in 2024. Guyana is positioning itself to be the food basket of the region. In addition to that, Guyana has negotiated to host the CPL T20 finals for the next three years.
As the global community considers the fall out from the Russia/Ukraine war, St Vincent and the Grenadines’ views are given weight since it was, for two years and up to December 2021, a non-permanent member of the prestigious UN Security Council.
While regional countries are pounding way above their weight globally, our PM finds time to stand on a platform asking “where is Guaido?”
Why is Dr Rowley unable to shine like his colleagues on the international stage?
Let me educate our PM a bit on global diplomacy.
The UNC’s position on the recognition of Juan Guaido was based on the rule of law and the constitutional arrangements required after the controversial elections held in 2018.
The UNC supported Guaido as an interim President only to facilitate free and fair elections to determine the will of the Venezuelan people and bring an end to the humanitarian crisis, which Rowley seems to have forgotten.
This position was supported by the majority of Latin and South American states and also by the EU, Canada, Brasil, Argentina among others.
Guaido was elected as President of the National Assembly and according to:
Articles 233 and 333 of the Venezuelan constitution, in a situation such as occurred in 2018 with questionable election practices, the head of the National Assembly would constitutionally assume office as interim President with the sole mandate of calling elections.
That is the UNCs principled position based on the Venezuelan constitution, the rule of law and the circumstances prevailing at the time.
Three things seem to have slipped Rowley as he went on his usual rant in Diego Martin.
The first is that Juan Guaido is no longer Head of the National Assembly since he boycotted the last election held in December 2020.
The second is that, if we go by US Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s statements on March 10th 2022, the US still does not recognize Maduro as the leader of Venezuela.
The third is that, unlike what the PNM keeps repeating, the UN by its own admission is “neither a State nor a Government, and therefore does not possess any authority to recognize either a State or a Government. The recognition of a new State or Government is an act that only other States and Governments may grant or withhold.”
Dr. Rowley is no diplomat. He lacks the sophistication and finesse of a Sir Winston Churchill or a Mia Mottley or an Andrew Holness. He is not given to reading widely. He is not in the same league as his senior CARICOM colleagues.
In the circumstances, he will be well advised to keep his public utterances to an absolute minimum and save us further embarrassment.
Rodney Charles
MP Naparima