Government officials yesterday scoffed at a question that the nomination of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith to become the next secretary general of the Commonwealth could be withdrawn and urged Jamaicans to back the bid despite their personal position.

Last Friday, the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) stunned many in Jamaica, and the rest of the region, when it announced that Johnson Smith had been nominated to replace Baroness Patricia Scotland as head of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

As the shock waves reverberated around the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday doubled down and told the House of Representatives that towards the latter part of the initial term of the current secretary general, several countries, including Jamaica, were approached regarding the possibility of nominating a candidate for the post.

“On the strength of that feedback, and more importantly, my personal knowledge of the minister’s unwavering commitment to public service in the interest of global development, we took a sovereign decision to put forward a candidate that has demonstrated the skill, energy and competence to bring unity, accountability and focus to the leadership of the secretariat and the wider Commonwealth family,” declared Holness.

At a post-Cabinet media briefing Wednesday, it was the turn of Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte and Robert Morgan, minister without portfolio in the OPM, to defend the decision.

But the two went further as they called on Jamaicans to embrace the fact that one of their own was sufficiently qualified to head the secretariat, which is responsible for 54 nations with a combined population of 2.4 billion.

“The State of Jamaica is different from the Government of Jamaica, and it is an important distinction in international law, and I know that news stories thrive on controversies and contrarian perspectives. I would like to invite my fellow Jamaicans…to carry positive stories about this candidature,” said Malahoo Forte as she responded to questions about the rift in Caricom over Jamaica’s decision to nominate Johnson Smith.

“I think we should be justly proud that at this time Jamaica is able to field a candidate of which there is no divergent prospective about her competence to lead the organisation. So let us not feed into the other issues.

“There are genuine concerns, but I invite you, for Jamaica’s sake, especially in this our 60th year, let us be proud that we have someone who we can field as a candidate, and it is not about your personal feelings on the matter, but as Jamaicans, let’s celebrate Jamaica’s contribution.

“Regardless of what the outcome will be, the fact that we can field a candidate at this level, on whom there is no disagreement on her eminence, qualification and suitability for the position is something that we should all be ecstatic about,” added Malahoo Forte.

For his part, Morgan argued that Jamaica is a strong brand which brings people together and has garnered respect around the world.

“And we should be very careful as Jamaicans [not] to allow external forces to caricature us. We have to be very strong in protecting our brand, protecting and maintaining the integrity of our society and how people see us outside,” said Morgan.

On Tuesday, Opposition Leader Mark Golding told the Lower House that he is confident that Johnson Smith is qualified and has the requisite experience, to take on secretary general post but questioned the manner, and context, of the announcement of her nomination which he said, “has created a very messy and undesirable situation”.

In the meantime, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne, who described Jamaica’s decision to nominate Johnson Smith for the top job in the Commonwealth Secretariat as a monumental error, added that, “I know Kamina very well, I have no doubt she would have made a very good Commonwealth secretary general”.

Up to press time there was no word out of a meeting of Caricom heads of government called to discuss the imbroglio surrounding the nomination of Johnson Smith.