Caricom leaders hail Rowley as 'Caribbean man'

Caricom leaders paid tribute to the Prime Minister at the close of the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom in Barbados, on February 21.

Dr Rowley will resign as Prime minister before the general election which is constitutionally due this year.

The leaders of Barbados, Guyana and Bahamas praised him effusively for his role in pushing Caricom’s agenda and representing the region, as Jamaica’s prime minister Andrew Holness described him as the “epitome of a Caribbean man.”

Noting Rowley now has “more time to spend in the pavilion” watching West Indies cricket, Holness said he felt privileged to have served with Rowley as a colleague.

He praised Rowley’s ability to nurture relationships with other leaders in the region.

He said when he first met Rowley, relations between TT and Jamaica were “at an all time low,” but Rowley was willing to do what was necessary to repair it.

“There were threats of boycott and threats of blocking citizens movements. Then we met and struck up a friendship, and I said, ‘Listen, Prime Minister, come to Jamaica. Come and visit me man. Let us turn this thing over.’

“Prime Minister Rowley graciously accepted the visit to Jamaica. You were my first international guest and we had a good, very good talk about the issues.”

He said they went on to develop a strong relationship and were able to resolve the issues.

“I think today trade is better, movement of citizens between the two countries is better, I think the region (is better).”

Guyana president Irfaan Ali made light of the “curry chicken versus chicken curry” debate between both countries saying, “You know, we have a curry situation here.”

He, however, also praised Rowley for his diplomacy and described his contribution to Guyana as enormous.

He recalled Rowley’s role as Caricom chairman during the period after the 2020 general elections in Guyana.

“There was great tension. Democracy was on the thread, (along with) rule of law and respect for the results from the elections. Prime Minister Rowley arrived from an international engagement at 2 am and, called by Prime Minister Motley, made his way to Guyana. And the rest is history.

He also thanked him for his role in resolving Guyana’s border dispute with Venezuela.

“The second historic moment in the relationship of Guyana and Trinidad…was when we achieved the Argyle agreement in St Vincent.

He thanked him for travelling with other regional leaders to St Vincent to help “in a very delicate time to resolve an issue where the temperature was high.”

Ali joked Rowley had a “stone face” but urged people to never let that fool them.

“Don't be carried away with the stone face and the hard views. We need that. We have had since my time here very strong conversation, but at the end of it, they were all geared towards the best interests of the region and to give us the best possible result.”

Bahamas prime minister Philip Davis joined in on the joke adding, “When I eventually became Prime Minister in 2021 someone said, ‘No, he's a good guy. Just get to know him.’

“I got to know him and he truly became a good guy. Then I realised that he was a geologist and that's why. He became what he worked with, stone.”

He said Rowley was also the “rock of Caricom.”

“As part of the Caricom leadership, we've always been able to depend on him. He's been dependable as a rock, he's been as steady as a rock and he has been the anchor.”

Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley rebutted the stone-faced comments as she joked with Rowley, “Stony-faced… that is not the person who moved with me on Wednesday evening when I tried to get the crowd to dance to the Christchurch Steel Foundation Steel Orchestra. He was up front and centre.”

Noting his four decades of service and commitment to Caricom, Mottley said his love for the region has driven him to excel in his role.

“When we had to confront the issue of Venezuela and (acting) president Guaido, and there was a determination to recognise a change of head of government, nobody gave us any chance of being able to make any difference.

She said after days of meetings what appeared to be an impossible task was “all of a sudden achieved.

“If ever there was a person that you would want at your side to fight any battle, Keith Rowley is one such person.”

Rowley, in response, thanked his colleagues and said he was humbled by their comments.

“It's not very often in the political arena that you manage to elicit such positive comments. Usually it is the opposite and probably only gets modified after you're dead. But it's good to be alive and to be among friends who can speak like that of you.”

He applauded his colleagues for working with him to change the world’s views on Caricom.

“I think it means a lot to us that we are, in fact, a valuable gathering.

“I simply want to leave by asking my colleagues to continue to subscribe to what I've encouraged you to do. Because together we are always stronger. In every single circumstance, once we are together, we will be stronger.

We might not grow in size physically, but certainly we will not be inconsequential, especially at this time where the world is changing from news hour to news hour.”

He called on Caricom leaders to “rise to the occasion” and “never accept that we can be left behind.”

He left the door open though to serving the region adding, “If there's anything I can do to continue to be of service to the people of the Caribbean… I will never shy away from defending or serving as I've tried to do.

Rowley was given the honour of bringing the meeting to an end before warmly embracing his colleagues.