Dear Editor,
The worth of a leader cannot be measured solely by the office she ultimately occupies. It must also be measured by the courage with which she pursues service, the principles she carries into difficult encounters, and the possibilities she opens for those who follow.
By that measure, Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett has already given Guyana and the Caribbean ample reason for pride.
Her pursuit of the office of United Nations Secretary-General represents an extraordinary undertaking: an Indigenous woman from a small developing country offering her experience, judgment and leadership to the world. Whatever the eventual outcome, that effort deserves recognition across political loyalties, ethnic identities and national boundaries.
The reported prospect of an American veto makes this moment especially sobering. However, we must distinguish reported opposition from a formally exercised veto, and neither should be treated as proof that she lacks the qualifications to serve. The selection of a Secretary-General takes place within a political structure in which the preferences of powerful states can outweigh the aspirations of many others.
That reality reveals a central tension within the United Nations. Its Charter affirms the sovereign equality of its members, yet its institutional arrangements grant exceptional authority to five permanent members of the Security Council. Small states participate in a universal organisation while confronting a system in which their influence remains profoundly unequal.
Rodrigues-Birkett’s candidacy gives human expression to that tension. She comes from a country whose international influence must be earned through diplomacy, credibility and persuasion. Her journey through ministerial responsibility and international representation reflects years of public service and engagement with the practical challenges of development.
Her Indigenous identity adds a profound dimension to that experience. Communities historically excluded from centres of authority deserve to see their knowledge, leadership and ambitions recognised at the highest levels. Her presence in this contest challenges the inherited assumption that global leadership must emerge from countries with the greatest wealth or military strength.
For Guyana, that is an achievement worth celebrating. For the Caribbean, it is an affirmation that our region can offer leaders capable of contributing far beyond our shores. For small states everywhere, it demonstrates that limited territorial size need not impose limits on intellectual ambition or public service.
There is also a question of principle. If opposition to her candidacy is indeed connected to her position on Gaza, as reports suggest, that deserves serious scrutiny. Governments may disagree with a diplomat’s assessment. Yet the United Nations must preserve space for independent judgment, especially when civilian suffering and the application of international law are at issue.
A credible Secretary-General must listen carefully, build relationships and seek agreement. The office also requires the moral courage to raise uncomfortable questions. Diplomacy loses its purpose when access to leadership depends upon silence in the presence of suffering.
Our admiration for Rodrigues-Birkett should therefore rest on more than national affection. It should recognise the seriousness of her effort to serve within an institution whose responsibilities extend to the powerful and the vulnerable alike.
The image of David confronting Goliath captures something of the unequal terrain she faces. But we should not prematurely declare the contest over. Whatever happens, the metaphor reminds us that courage consists in stepping forward despite the disparity in power. Our David has entered the arena, carried the hopes of a small nation, and demonstrated that those hopes deserve a hearing.
An appointment would be historic. Its absence would not erase the significance of her endeavour.
To a young Indigenous girl in Guyana’s hinterland, her example says that leadership is within reach. To a young Caribbean woman, it says that our islands and mainland communities can produce voices of international consequence. To citizens of small developing states, it says that they have every right to help shape the institutions governing their future.
All Guyanese, and the peoples of CARICOM, can honour that example without surrendering their political differences. National maturity includes the ability to recognise distinguished service wherever it appears.
Ambassador Rodrigues-Birkett, we salute your courage, commend your perseverance and honour your willingness to offer yourself in service to the world. Whatever this process delivers, you have enlarged the horizon of possibility for those who will come after you.
For many small states, that is already a victory.
Yours respectfully,
Jermaine Figueira
Former Member of Parliament