ST. JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – Antigua and Barbuda is the second Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country that has publicly signaled its intention not to proclaim a national holiday to commemorate the 50thanniversary of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) on July 4.
Dominica, whose Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is taking over the chairmanship of the 15-member grouping from July 1, has already said it is |unlikely” to give the holiday.
Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne, speaking on the state-owned ABS Television on Tuesday, following a CARICOM flag-raising ceremony, said the matter would be discussed at the Cabinet on Wednesday and that the decision should not be viewed as a “contempt or a lack of commitment to CARICOM if we decide not to.
“It is just a matter of not exacerbating an already difficult situation of where we have too many public holidays,” he said, reiterating his island’s “total commitment “ to the activities marking the 50th celebrations.
The decision regarding the national holiday was among matters discussed at the CARICOM summit in the Bahamas in February of this year, as the grouping will celebrate its golden jubilee under the theme `50 Years Strong: A Solid Foundation to Build on”.
Prime Minister Browne said that while his Cabinet has not yet decided as to whether or not July 4 would be a holiday, “I would say at this point it is unlikely, but no one should construe it as a form of contempt or disrespect for this momentous occasion which we are celebrating…
CARICOM came into existence with the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas on July 4, 1973, when Prime Ministers Errol Barrow of Barbados, Forbes Burnham of Guyana, Michael Manley of Jamaica, and Eric Williams of Trinidad and Tobago signed the accord in Trinidad and Tobago.
Trinidad and Tobago will host the CARICOM summit next week.
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