CARROLL ASSUMES CHAIRMANSHIP OF CARICOM CONSULAR CORPS NEW YORK -- His Excellency Forrester J. Carroll, Bahamas Consul General to New York, assumed the chairmanship of CARICOM Consular Corps on Saturday, February 1, 2014. As the new chairman of the CARICOM Consular Corps, Consul General Carroll brought greetings at the Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving on Sunday, February 2, at Beulah Church of The Nazarene in Brooklyn, New York, kicking off a week of activities commemorating Grenada’s 40th Anniversary of Independence, which will be celebrated on Friday, February 7. Consul General Carroll noted that he was “honoured that the lot has fallen to me to bring greetings on behalf of the CARICOM Consular Corps on this most auspicious occasion when Grenada, one of our distinguished States within the Corps membership, is celebrating its 40th year of Independence.” “I am delighted especially that my own country, the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, has just celebrated 40 years as well on the 10th July of last year,” Consul General Carroll said. “We do have more than a few things in common. For the ensuing three months my country will chair the monthly meetings of this wonderful union and I trust our association, during my tenure here in New York, will be one that will assist greatly in producing beneficial results which would move our collective Diasporas to another level.” Consul General Carroll added: “At this time I would like to extend warm greetings on behalf of my Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Perry G. Christie, as well as our Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Frederick Mitchell, who both have sent their personal, heart-felt congratulations to our fellow CARICOM member state (Grenada) which will be celebrating its 40 years of Independence on February 7, 2014. To Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Dr. Keith Mitchell, fellow Consul General Derrick James and all Grenadians, near and far, on behalf of all members of the CARICOM Consular Corps, I wish to congratulate you on this milestone and hope you have a very happy and joyous Independence Day!” Declaring that the Bible speaks of 40 years as representative of a generation, Consul General Carroll said the number 40 “signifies, as well, a period of testing, trial, probation and chastisement which ends, incidentally, with a period of restoration, revival and renewal.” “The significance of Grenada, The Bahamas, and CARICOM (all three) celebrating their 40th birthdays around this time is almost biblical and shouldn’t be ignored, for it is a remarkable occurrence,” Consul General Carroll said. He added: “As we move persistently forward, as a region, we should endeavor to build upon Grenada’s 40th anniversary theme: ‘Uniting our People; Restoring Hope for a Brighter Tomorrow’. Indeed, the road has been long and arduous, but marked with milestones of achievements. Collectively, our countries have made strides through functional cooperation in the areas of education, health, culture, sports, security and in forging (as much as possible) a coordinated and cohesive foreign policy in shaping our trade, economic and other futures. There is still much land to be possessed, however, which is reason enough for us to remember the old adage: together we stand, divided we fall!” As members of the CARICOM Consular Corps, Consul General Carroll said it is “our duty and obligation, to our respective countries to commit to the unification of CARICOM and to overcome our economic problems, as well as to improve the socio-economic wellbeing of the region.” “In this my first period as Chairman of the CARICOM Consular Corps here in New York, I pledge my resolute support, and that of my government’s, in working diligently toward the unification of the region, even further, so that we can overcome the grave economic, environmental and social challenges which affect all of us,” Consul General Carroll said. “I wish to encourage all you members to join me in this fight as we work together toward a common goal.” He added: “I quote the Honourable Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago when she, on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of CARICOM, said: ‘Now is the time for us to reflect and renew CARICOM’s vision of unity, selfless leadership, shared economic prosperity, of advanced political and social standing, based on the tenets of democracy and a Community for All. Let us recommit ourselves to fashioning a Community of which we can all continue to be proud. Let us consider practical ways of ensuring that our people enjoy the benefits and impact of their Caribbean Community.’ “In closing, my fellow Caribbean brothers and sisters, as we gather tonight in commemoration of Grenada’s collective and noteworthy achievements, let us reflect on the abundance for which we all ought to feel grateful and thankful. I am certain that many of you, like myself, remember the struggles that our brave forefathers encountered, fought and persevered to ensure that successive generations, throughout the Caribbean, would be able to live in a world where we would be respected, treated fairly, and where individuals like Kirani James, (Grenada’s first Olympic Gold medalist) Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake of Jamaica, who are dubbed “the fastest men in the world” and of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention The Bahamas’ very own Chris Brown, Demetrius Pinder, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller who won the men’s 4x400m relay final at the 2012 Olympic games in London, would become positive influences and make a mark on society. “Fellow Members, while we congratulate Grenada on its achievements tonight, let us all be mindful of the Standard of the Caribbean Community which features a blue background; the light blue representing our blue skies, the lower part of a dark blue representing the Caribbean Sea, the yellow circle in the centre, of the Standard, represents the sun on which is printed in black, the logo of the Caribbean Community - two interlocking Cs; the two Cs are in the form of broken links in a chain, symbolizing both unity and the break with our colonial past. “Today, The Bahamas reaffirms its commitment to the CARICOM Consular Corps and by extension to CARICOM; we stand ready, as we move forward, upward, onward, together to the next 40 years and beyond. My Caribbean brothers and sisters, I invite you to stand firm with me!” --30--
Posted on: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 21:32:07 +0000
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