(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Jamaica’s Prime Minister the Most Hon. P. J. Patterson delivered a moving farewell speech this week, at the conclusion of the 18th meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on External Negotiations, which he has chaired for the past thirteen years. Prime Minister Patterson retires from active politics after over thirty years of service to the Caribbean Community. “It has been for me a great honour and privilege to chair this committee since it was first conceived in the Bahamas in 1993. I believe I depart the political scene much richer for the experience I have been able to garner in the discharge of these duties,” Mr. Patterson said. The Jamaica Prime Minister explained that the committee was established prior to a number of initiatives which had drastically, dramatically and constantly changed the global international scenario over the period of his chairmanship. These included the “decision in 1994 to work towards a Free Trade Area of the Americas; before we had suffered the disastrous consequences of decisions taken by the WTO which have had such far reaching and disastrous consequences; before the creation of the CSME and a common approach to foreign policy; and before the establishment of the Regional negotiating Machinery,” Patterson pointed out. Noting that the situation was “rather different” today as he exited the stage, Mr. Patterson wished the Committee every success and “looked forward to applauding from the sidelines the continued success that this body would achieve as it contributed to the growth and welfare of the Community.” Committee members gave glowing tributes to Mr. Patterson for his wit, wisdom, dedication and service to the Caribbean Region and when it was all over, was accorded him a standing ovation. Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, Hon. Clement Rohee in paying tribute said he had learned quite a lot from Mr. Patterson since he assumed the chair of the committee. He said that the best tribute that could be paid to the Jamaican leader was for the Committee to “fulfill its responsibility of negotiating successfully to the best of our ability in the interest of the peoples of the Region.” Dame Billie Miller of Barbados said it was a tribute to Mr. Patterson that he had seen an upward trajectory in the fortunes of the Region in his long and distinguished career as he has been a part of the process and has made a difference. She paid tribute to him for the tremendous sacrifice he had made in the interest of the Caribbean and wished him well in his retirement. Ambassador Richard Bernal of the Regional Negotiating Machinery thanked Mr. Patterson for his leadership and for the example he has set and for the guidance he has given to Caribbean Negotiations. He said Prime Minister Patterson over the years “has displayed a level of political acumen and diplomacy that we can only aspire to” and has been an inspiration to all who work in that position on behalf of the Caribbean. Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign Minister Hon. Ken Valley said the Caribbean owed Prime Minister Patterson a debt of gratitude for a wide array of service to the Region including the establishment of LIAT as a regional airline. Jamaica’s Foreign Minister Hon. K. D. Knight in his tribute said Mr. Patterson was responsible for his entry into the political arena, and lauded him for the quality of leadership he has given both at the local and regional levels. CARICOM Secretary-General HE Edwin Carrington in his tribute, endorsed the sentiments expressed, saying that the staff of the Secretariat have had the good fortune of working with PM Patterson throughout the tremendous journey from CARIFTA to CARICOM and the Single Market. “It has been a most enlightening and edifying experience,” the Secretary General stated. “I have seen you at CARIFTA, I’ve seen you at Lome, I’ve seen you at CARICOM and I’ve seen you at Single Market and throughout it all, it has been a remarkable journey of a virtual Caribbean Titan,” he declared.
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