Almost one year before a vote is to be taken, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Straker, on Monday, expressed confidence that St. Vincent and the Grenadines will be elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.
“We are on the verge — we are not there yet — of sitting in the council, one of the premier councils of the United Nations, which is the Security Council,” he told the opening ceremony of Kingstown’s one-week biennial consultation for heads of missions and consulates.
Straker said that when the idea of a Security Council bid was first broached a decade ago, “we thought it was an ideal, a dream to work towards, but there was some doubt in our mind as to whether we would really realise that…
“We are on the verge of sitting with the mightiest -economically and militarily – countries in the world,” he, however, said, adding that SVG will become the smallest nation to sit on the Security Council.
“… if you are seized with the gravity of the situation that we are going to sit on the Security Council, the smallest country that would ever be sitting on the Security Council, then you realise that St. Vincent has come a long way.”
Straker said SVG is able to do this because of its leadership.
“Our prime minister is highly regarded and highly respected in CARICOM, in the OAS, in Africa, in Asia, wherever the name of St. Vincent and the Grenadines is mentioned. And I am very, very happy and proud to work with him and to see our country reach this far being a member of the Security Council.”
He said he does not think that anyone at the event would be alive to ever see such a feat attained again.
“Because some countries have been waiting for 20 years — countries with millions of people and cannot get a second chance or another chance to sit on the Security Council.
“But because our prime minister is so highly regarded n the GRULAC group that would select a member from its midst, they are able to take a backseat and allow St. Vincent and the Grenadines to go forward in being the candidate — CARICOM and GRULAC — and I trust that we would go right through and by this time next year, we would have been voted as a member of the security council…”
Speaking at the same event, Prime Minster Ralph Gonsalves said SVG’s ambassador to the United Nations, Rhonda King has advised him that “there is almost complete unanimity that St. Vincent and the Grenadines, in June next year, will be the candidate to represent the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries on the Security Council for the year 2020-2021”.
Gonsalves expressed thanks to GRULAC for the support and said Kingstown would still have to face the General Assembly where it will have to get a two-third majority of the world’s capitals.
“But we are confident, given the support which we have been receiving from countries all over the world, assurances of support – written — that it is likely, as it stands presently, that St. Vincent and the Grenadines would triumph in those elections.”
Gonsalves, however, said that as is said in baseball, “’It’s not over until the fat lady sings.’
“It is not over until it’s over but we are there and I want to thank the countries,” Gonsalves said, adding that the Brazilian ambassador to SVG has stated publicly that Brasilia is supporting and campaigning for SVG.
The prime minister said there are others who have not stated it publicly in that manner.
“Many have said it privately to me,” he said.
Gonsalves said SVG has been at this campaign now for 10 years.
“We have no money to take people on cruises. We do not have the resources to splurge on this or that campaign. But we have ideas and we have principled positions and people have observed us and particularly since we have put our name forward a decade ago and began this campaign that they are satisfied that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has what it takes to sit as a non-permanent member on the Security Council,” he said.
Last month, Japan, which wants to become a permanent member of the Security Council, hinted that it would support SVG’s bid.
Meanwhile, Straker told the diplomats “we have come for consultation to recharge our battery, to get a new focus. We have come this far by faith…
“The good Lord, who has prospered our way to be here brought us this far, will continue to bless your effort, our effort, united effort. It is not the effort of the prime minister alone or the minister alone. It’s every minister in government, … those who have served in the past, everyone of us represents St. Vincent and the Grenadines when we go abroad. We are the eyes and the ears and the mouth of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” he said.
Highly regarded? When most persons in Caricom hear that name they first thing comes to mind is rape. In Latin America and Africa, SVG is associated with corruption. I guess Straker was talking to members of his cult.
Should this happen, it would be interpreted by the majority of our Christian people, regardless their political party allegiance, as the will of Almighty God, a stamp of holy approval that would be bound to ensure Five-in-a-Row.
The simple fact is that the Comrade is respected not only in the Caribbean, but around the world, as a great leader, and the only man capable of leading our Vincetian people to the promised land of milk and honey.
Hallelujah and pass the tequila!
While this might be a positive thing for this small nation. I think the government need to use its energy and focus on things that matter more to people in this country. Such as the embarrassingly high youth unemployment rate. Almost half of all youths are unemployed. Don’t do that if you don’t have time and energy left to stimulate the economy and create jobs. Time is limited and we need to eat.
Continue to Guide us Father God.
What is the big deal to be elected to the U.N rotating non-permanent seat on the security Council for the two years? What indeed does it tell us when we have rich “Countries who have never been Elected to be Members of that non-permanent Security Council:
Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Brunei Darussalam Israel, Monaco are but a few of them? http://www.un.org/en/sc/members/notelected.asp So what is all this boasting by us about? I really don’t get it when there is so much poverty and neglect in this small country of ours that need our full attention to solve?
Just look as to who in the past that had been elected for that 2 yearly rotating non-permanent UN council; Cuba 1949 – 1950, 1956 – 1957, 1990 – 1991; Ukraine 1948 – 1949, 1984 – 1985, 2000 – 2001, 2016 – 2017; Zimbabwe 1983 – 1984 , 1991 – 1992; Congo 1986 – 1987 , 2006 – 2007; Cameroon 1974 – 1975 , 2002 – 2003; Somalia 1971 – 1972; To name but a few!
http://www.un.org/en/sc/members/elected.asp
What we have here is the sickening ambition of one man and his family. The grandstanding of one status hungry man, who yearns for status over and above the wellbeing of the Vincentian people.
We have to ask ourselves, should not the leadership on these poverty-stricken islands, be using all of their allotted time to improve our sorry state in life, rather than this foolish grandstanding? What would SVG be gaining during those two years that would increase our wellbeing other than sweet nothing.
Richer and better countries than SVG, could very well afford the wasted two years, but can we? And by the way, this is one Christian who would view the prospect of the seat very much differently from the one proposed by David and in so doing, I would draw his attention to the case of the man Judas and his role in the fulfilment of scripture and that of Joseph Caiaphas, known simply as Caiaphas in the New Testament, who was the Jewish high priest who organized the plot to kill Jesus. .
“God Moves in a Mysterious Way” a Christian hymn, written in 1773 by William Cowper.
Gonsalves said, “’It’s not over until the fat lady sings.’ But we all know “’It’s not over until the fat man yodels.”
Is this about creating a prime job for his daughter?
James I agree with your statement
“What we have here is the sickening ambition of one man and his family. The grandstanding of one status hungry man, who yearns for status over and above the well-being of the Vincentian people.”
The Vincentian Sep 16, 2016
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http://thevincentian.com/svg-still-eying-un-security-council-seat-p11549-133.htm
Ricky Singh wrote about it in 2010
http://svgblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/svg-bid-for-un-security-council-seat.html
read about what Gonsalves said in 6th May 2010 Hansard
http://www.hansardsvg.com/styled-2/blog-3/files/7fe0a4e52ed6ed52d70f0b04b00cc852-8.html
If as much effort was put into bringing industry to SVG, to creating jobs for the thousands of young unemployed, for repairing our infrastructure and our potholed roads. I am sure much greater respect would be forthcoming from Vincentians.
Everything that is done by the dynasty is in one way or another for the dynasty. It doesn’t benefit the people, it doesn’t put food in the bellies of the hungry, or roofs over the homeless.
It only make belief
Please tell us what tangible benefits that the people of SVG is going to from this two years none veto powers .
Only the five main members have. Is this a show or feeling good attitude.
The other members which has no have any strong economy or military power.
What can SVG bring to the table to make any difference to America, Russia, England, France,.
Please my SVG people , Google Non permanent security members and read for yourself and see
for yourself who are the members
Do let any one tell us that the seat on that boby is more important than fixing pot holes in SVG.
At home your Vehicles will get damage whilel these men drink on ours head in those Institution
.