Asif Ahmad | Commemorating the Commonwealth – bound by shared values

For three years of my career, I was deeply involved as the United Kingdom’s leading official in Commonwealth matters. The highlight of this time was the meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, of all the Heads of Government in 2003. Her Majesty, the Queen, was at the gathering for the entire five days. This also happened to be the first time I met P.J. Patterson, who represented Jamaica as prime minister. The ease with which the Queen interacted with familiar prime ministers, Nigerian chiefs, youth leaders, and officials from all member countries was a tangible reminder of how important being the Head of the Commonwealth has been to Queen Elizabeth for more than 60 years.

In 1975, Jamaica hosted Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and British Prime Minister Harold Wilson took the opportunity to open the British High Commission building that I work in now. Jamaica played a strong role in shaping the Commonwealth’s approach to South Africa as the country began its painful journey out of apartheid. I witnessed the mediation role of Jamaica when Zimbabwe went through troubled times.

P.J. Patterson summed up the Commonwealth very succinctly when he said: “Everyone recognises there are several respects in which the Commonwealth is truly unique. It includes developed countries, it includes developing countries. It includes Christian countries, Muslim countries, Hindu countries. It’s multiethnic, and although we converse in English, it is also multilingual. It also has an unusual weight of small island states – small countries with small economies – and it also includes land-locked countries. These all relate to problems which have to be dealt with at the international level. To the extent that the Commonwealth provides some bridge of understanding, it has a purpose. It has been of great importance in terms of the technical studies and technical assistance which it has been able to give.”

GREAT STAGE FOR HOLNESS

When London hosted the last Commonwealth heads’ meeting, it proved to be a great stage for Prime Minister Andrew Holness as a statesman representing not just Jamaican interests, but engaging with issues of global importance. Alongside the British PM and Bill Gates, we saw the Jamaican prime minister speak for the wider Commonwealth to the combined fora of civil society, business, and member states.

Although the Commonwealth has strong historic associations, it is emphatically not a space for British hegemony. Rwanda, the next chair in office when they succeed the UK, and Mozambique joined the Commonwealth because of their connections with fellow African members and not any British connections.

Sir Sridhath Ramphal was the first secretary general of the Commonwealth from the Caribbean, and he spent a transformative 15 years in the role. He understood the need for a reformed, modern Commonwealth to build on the vision leaders like the first prime minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was the Indian prime minister who insisted on maintaining the close relationship that India had with fellow Commonwealth members and is credited with the term “Head of the Commonwealth” to describe the role of the monarch.

The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Jamaica. This has quite rightly evolved into the Commonwealth Games. In Manchester, in 2002, I met yet another person who would go on to be a good friend, Mike Fennell. He was the president of the Commonwealth Games Federation. As we prepare for the next Birmingham 2022 Games, I have mused with Mike the idea of Jamaica hosting a modern Commonwealth Games, perhaps as a multi-venue event for the first time around the Caribbean.

IMPACT AND SPECIAL CONNECTION

I spent a number of my formative years living in Commonwealth countries outside of Britain. Looking at the Commonwealth from a different perspective as a child and now as an adult living and working in the Caribbean, I see the impact of this special connection more clearly. Some of these are quirky. Why do we paint the barks of trees white and the kerb stones in alternate colours in the tropical Commonwealth? Other manifestations are powerful- the judiciary, parliamentarians debating across the divide, police and defence forces with similar doctrine.

As Jamaica prepares to host the next Commonwealth Youth Ministers’ Meeting in 2022, I recall the vibrancy of the meeting I attended in Botswana. At King’s House, I have seen the dignified way in which the governor general brings together volunteers of all ages to mark Commonwealth Day. Watching the enthusiasm of young Commonwealth activists gives me great assurance that the Commonwealth has a good future ahead. Young people want the Commonwealth to be at the forefront on climate action. They want access to education for all vulnerable communities and genders. It is not surprising that Commonwealth countries are reaching across to each other as we push back the COVID-19 pandemic.

What also binds the Commonwealth together is our values. Much of these are shared, and where there is a difference of opinion, we have space for discussion and influence. We can talk about gender and race discrimination, capital punishment, human rights, media freedom, anti-corruption, and democracy with appropriate insights and perspectives because of our commonality.

Let me join millions across the world in wishing each other Happy Commonwealth Day!

– Asif Ahmad, CMG, is British high commissioner to Jamaica. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.