ROSEAU, Dominica (CMC) — Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit on Wednesday expressed support for the reappointment of Belizean economist Dr Carla Barnett as the Caribbean Community (Caricom) secretary general.

“As far as I’m concerned, Dr Carla Barrett has been reappointed as secretary-general, and in Dominica’s style, we are team players, we support the decision and we move on,” Skerrit told a news conference.

Last month, Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS), Sir Ronald Sanders, urged Barnett to consider tendering her resignation amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding her reappointment to the post.

“If I were the secretary general of Caricom and I’m being quite serious here and this had occurred, I would have resigned and I would have resigned because I would have said I must not stand in the way of Caribbean integration and the movement forward,” Sir Ronald Sanders said on the state-owned ABS Television.

In March, in a brief statement, the Caricom chairman and St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, Dr Terrance Drew, said that Barnett had attained the “required majority” from among regional leaders regarding her re-appointment at February’s Caricom summit held in Basseterre.

But Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who was not present when the vote was taken to reappoint Barnett, has publicly challenged the reappointment process of the Belizean economist.

She has dismissed a statement issued by Prime Minister Drew in which he reiterated that Trinidad and Tobago was not “uninvited” to the retreat where the decision was taken.

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has called for the minutes of the retreat meeting, questioning, “Where’s GS (general secretary) Barnett’s performance appraisal? Where’s the documentation of the 2021 appointment process which is claimed to be the same as the 2026 process?”

Trinidad and Tobago, despite calling for a meeting of regional leaders to discuss the issue, was not present when the leaders met virtually in April to discuss the matter.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has since called for a meeting of regional leaders to address concerns surrounding Barnett’s reappointment saying that discussions are already taking place behind the scenes.

Holness told the Trinidad Guardian newspaper, while in the United States in April, that the matter requires direct engagement among regional leaders, as public commentary continues to generate unease across the region.

“I think the solution really lies in assembling another heads meeting to have the matter addressed. That’s something that I have been pushing for quietly behind the scenes. I think it is distressing for a lot of persons within the region regarding what is being said in the public domain, but I know that all the heads are working behind the scenes to have this matter resolved,” said Holness after being honoured by the American Foundation for the University of the West Indies (AFUWI) in New York.

Holness indicated that further diplomatic engagement is imminent, adding that he intends to contact Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar as part of ongoing consultations.

But Prime Minister Skerrit told reporters on Wednesday that Barnett continues to get Dominica’s support on this matter.

“And if there’s a decision by the Bureau or the Conference of Heads to reopen the discussion, then that’s fine with me. But as far as we’re concerned, the process was ventilated, was recognised, and discussions ensued and emerged that by a majority she should be reappointed,” Skerrit said. “And so this is what it is.”