KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, April 18, IWN — Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves will join leaders from across the Commonwealth’s small states at a high-level conference on governance in London from April 23 to 25.
The Vincentian delegation at the meeting also comprises Gonsalves’ wife, Eloise, Minister of National Reconciliation, Maxwell Charles, and Cabinet Secretary, Susan Dougan.
Th Prime Minister will meet Vincentians in the High Wycombe area on April 25 during a town hall meeting.
The Commonwealth meeting will focus on finding workable solutions to the challenges of governance, policy and public administration in very small states, which account for 19 of the Commonwealth’s members.
Small states share specific concerns and common interests, relating to their small size and geographic isolation and have a limited ability to reap the benefits of economies of scale, the Commonwealth said.
Most of these small nations are also islands, often largely dependent on international trade and particularly susceptible to external shocks.
Added to these economic challenges are environmental vulnerabilities and limited institutional capacity of the public sector.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma spoke of the Commonwealth’s commitment to supporting its smaller member countries. “This conference is, I believe, the first ever to focus on finding answers to the specific challenges these nations are facing in developing a public administration to meet the expectations of their citizens, and the joint responsibility of the political and administrative leadership towards that end. The conference will seek practical ways to promote the interests of our smaller member states, including in their capacity to access climate financing and to benefit from e-governance,” Sharma said.
Gonsalves is a specific challenge to a small state. He has ruined and wrecked our blessed country and dragged it into a financial mess.
I will send a letter to the Commonwealth leaders, each and everyone of them, they need to know all the crap we have had to put with from this man.
I just hope they do nothing to support this man and prolong our agony. Better we suffer a little more and rid ourselves of this man that tells lies.
Ralph has finally come around to recognize the talent and capability of Maxwell. He should be the minister of Foreign Affairs.
I am advising him to cross over Jordon and leave Ralph on the other side. He can win the seat on his own. Rumours have it that my friend keep saying he’s still in charge, but I see no signs in the community that he has any influence. Hence, I don’t believe the rumours.
I think Maxwell should stand up to Ralph and demand a more meaningful position, instead of this dead-end bridge to no where.
Ralph is actually hiding Maxwell’s talent, so that he feels he owes it to Ralph to be reelected. Not so, Maxwell can win that seat with or without Ralph’s help, even if he runs as an independent candidate. The central government has no influence on who wins that seat.
I follow your arguments PVPALMER , but look at it this way.Maxwell won that seat by under two hundred votes.Being minister of Foreign Affairs he would be away from his constituents very often.Its the people who put him there.He needs to be with them.he visits his constituents at least twice a week.I personally would have like to see him in Foreign Affairs,but i think its a blessing in disguise he is not there so he can spend more time in Central Leeward.I know he is enjoying being among the people..After all i know thats why he went into politics.This was his ambition for many many years.