March 17, 2021
Former Barbados High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Reverend Guy Hewitt is questioning Government’s rationale for a number of recent diplomatic postings, given the global COVID-19 pandemic and the country’s present dire economic situation.
Though complimenting the administration for establishing a long-overdue foreign mission on the African continent, he charged in an interview with
Barbados TODAY that it was repeating the mistake of past administrations by not first presenting a foreign policy statement to Barbadians that explained the rationale for the missions and the specific persons being posted. Hewitt noted that in the absence of any coherent framework, Government’s recent appointments seemed “ad hoc at best and cronyistic at worst”. The former diplomat suggested that rather than just open new overseas missions, the Mia Mottley administration should be reviewing the operations of some that already exist.
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Barbados is spreading its diplomatic reach to Africa and the Middle East and deeper into Asia and Europe.
Yesterday Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Jerome Walcott listed five envoys and the posts of commercial and cultural officer and diaspora relations officer to be stationed in the missions.
Alex McDonald will be the High Commissioner to Kenya and permanent representative to the United Nations Office at Nairobi; Hallam Henry will be posted in China; Gabriel Abed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Francois Jackman will now be ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations Office, New York.