Assistant Secretary GeneraL of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Ambassador Albert Ramdin considers Barbados “the stronghold in democracy in the Caribbean basin” and believes it is an example of Caribbean democracy which can be a model for emulation by OAS states.
He said yesterday the Caribbean had become much more relevant and a stronger player in the Americas in terms of the politics and what it could offer to the hemisphere at a time when some countries in Latin America were going through a transition following political turbulence and while there remained “enormous problems” with authoritarian regimes.
He said his organisation had recognised a very strong connection between development, democracy and security in the region and encouraged countries to continue to build on this.
With the Caribbean accounting for almost half of the OAS membership, the assistant secretary general suggested this was a measure of the kind of influence the region as a whole could possibly exert on the operation of the OAS and on the politics of the Americas.
