CARICOM ‘not standing’ for direct rule in VI- Dr Ralph E. Gonsalves
PM Gonsalves was at the time speaking during a May 4, 2022, radio interview on NBC radio “Your Morning Cup’ radio show in his home country on the topic of the VI and the way forward.
“We [CARICOM] are not standing for that, we are very firm… if anybody is corrupt, deal with them in accordance with the law,” he said.
Gonsalves added that the courts can deal with corruption as a straightforward matter if persons are found to be guilty.
“You can’t come and want to close down democracy, close down representative Government on that account, the experience is bad in principle [and] bad in practice” he added.
PM Gonsalves said previous suspension of constitutions across the region had brought about none of the proposed benefits as suggested by the British, “Not in this day and age, and both OECS and Caricom have taken a strong position on it [direct rule],” he added.
Caricom slams reccomendation
The regional organisation, CARICOM, has so far slammed what it called a ‘retrograde step’ of restoring direct rule by the Governor in Council as existed in Her Majesty’s colonies during the colonial period and says it supports the VI government and people in their objection to this recommendation.
It said the imposition of direct rule, and the history of such imposition in the Caribbean, was never intended to deliver democratic governance or to be an instrument of economic and social development in Caribbean countries and peoples.
PM Gonsalves added that the UK proposal is to indict an entire nation over alleged corruption to “punish them.” He said instead, the UK should present its evidence and let the law takes its course.
The OECS in a statement said it has noted the position taken by the duly elected Government of the VI which, while welcoming the recommendations arising from the Inquiry, rejects the intention of the British Government to impose direct rule on the VI.
“It is clear to us that, in principle, it is a bad idea to impose direct colonial rule and the history of such imposition in the Caribbean has never delivered the desired results,” it made known in a statement on May 2, 2022.
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31 Responses to “CARICOM ‘not standing’ for direct rule in VI- Dr Ralph E. Gonsalves”
Please mind your own affairs.
Please explain!