KIGALI, June 24 (Reuters) – Commonwealth members voted to keep Patricia Scotland as secretary-general of the 54-nation club after some members including Britain tried to oust her, two sources told Reuters after a behind-closed-doors vote.
Born in Dominica and raised in Britain, Scotland had a career as a lawyer and politician in Britain before taking up the post of secretary-general of the Commonwealth in 2016. She embraced supporters after the vote, the sources said.
Her time in office has been dogged by allegations of poor leadership, including over a lavish refurbishment of her official lodgings in London, the award of a lucrative contract to a friend and other scandals that have been widely reported in the British media. Scotland denies any wrongdoing.
Her term was supposed to finish in 2020, but was extended because the Commonwealth summit scheduled for that year could not take place due to the COVID pandemic. After a two-year delay, it is now taking place in the Rwandan capital.
Having served six years instead of four, she will now serve a second term of just two years.
In her speech to the opening ceremony of the summit, which she delivered ahead of the vote, she had sounded confident about continuing in the role.
“I am determined that, when the role of secretary-general rotates to Africa two years from now, I will hand on the baton with a stronger, more effective, more powerful Commonwealth than ever before,” she said.
She was facing a challenge from Kamina Johnson Smith, the foreign minister of Jamaica, who conceded defeat in a Tweet.
“If I didn’t pull through, God wasn’t ready for me to leave Jamaica yet!” she wrote. “I continue to serve, and of course, sincere congratulations to Baroness Scotland.”
Scotland is a member of Britain’s House of Lords, hence the title.
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That’s good news. The PM held to his belief and here we are…Congrats to Baroness Patricia Scotland.
The same PM who initially supported the crook Ron Saunders for the post? You ALP supporters are such hypocrites.
That’s a moot point.
Fool User, mind you don’t slip in your own spit. Your gallbladder needs to be checked out. Bitterness, Dunce-ness and badmind will tek you b4 diabetes.
Ah true Cool Ruler …👍
Gaston Browne did not support her in the first instance. He was highly against her candidacy for the position of Commonwealth Secretary. He was a very huge supporter of that Guyanese person,Ron Sanders. Since she defeated Ron Sanders,Gaston Browne has lap his tail and come back crawling on all fours.Now he is kissing up to her with no shame.All of you Red Drinking Jim Jones’ followers are kissing up to that woman.What would her re-election do for the poor people of Antigua and Barbuda. Not one damn thing.Those who were poor yesterday,still poor today,would be poor tomorrow and the days after that. Some of you like Fort “Break” Knox. Like to kiss the rear ends of persons with titles in front and behind their names.Those persons could do no wrongs in your eyes.What a damn shame.
@ Dave Ray: What is going on with that man from WIEZ (Western Imperial Economic Zone)? Is it true he garne a yard? He has no $$$$$$$$$$$.He is poor as dirt. How the hell does your moustache friend find those losers of investors. A way dee Sheikh garne with are we 30 Acres of land Title Deed from Morris Bay,Old Road? What a damn shame. They outsmarted the smartest man in Antigua and Barbuda.
Dave Ray will never criticize Gaston Browne.
All they are left to do now is chat
Congratulations!
Well Deserved
Patriot of the Caribbean soil….
How Jamaica expected to win when their prime minister stated that it was their intention to leave the commonwealth and become a republic?
Congratulations!!
A lesson to Jamaica. A lesson to Caricom
Look how the elites look after one another.
Baroness ‘Brazen’ Scotland has been mired in financial problems in the past. She employed an illegal immigrant as a cleaner and ended up being fined for doing so.
Baroness ‘Brazen’ was also exposed for her extravagant spending on her ‘grace and favour’ mansion (rent free home) when she bought a *$12,060 cupboard; *$15,000 for a vanity unit; *$31,500 for wallpaper; ,*$15,000 for refurbishing a safe (a safe!!); and *$12,000 for a door – ALL THIS INFORMATION IS ON PUBLIC RECORD.
Instead of these elites being held to account (whereas the rest of us would end up in prison), they end up with even higher profile jobs.
The Baroness should never have retained her position.
*All calculated roughly into EC Dollars
@Brixtonian. Greetings, Sir! The way I look at it is that most of these people who seek or obtain these questionable sinecures are grifters one way or another. So if we are going to get a spiv, it’s better to be our spiv than someone else’s.
Brix I usually find you fair and on point however this time you need to hold your side and support the first woman, Caribbean, Antiguan Dominican, when white men point their finger and there is no conviction. You and I know those white racists expected her to be grateful and ask their permission for everything, especially spending their money, failing which they searched her garbage and totted up her petty cash and ‘outed’ her. Be sure if she had done anything serious she would long have been hauled down. Tap follow what white people say bout us!
However, @ I don’t know, using your own logic at not critiquing our political leaders for their financial impropriety, does this explain why our current government Ministers are given a free pass by Antiguans?
Our global reputation for allowing dishonourable double-dealing by our politicians is at stake for the next General Election boss!
I hope I’m proved wrong …
I have no idea what this lady have done. I have not seen or heard of any good deeds or any contribution except for presentation and I am wondering who pay her and for what. I mean no ill, I just curious as to her function and why is the position needed
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