In reference to the EU-Samoa agreement, the successor to the Cotonou agreement, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent emphasised that his government has not committed to any provisions that require legislative modifications pertaining to matters such as same-sex marriage or transgender rights. “There is no commitment for us to change our laws in relation to any of these matters”, Gonsalves said.
Gonsalves acknowledged that critics have made exaggerated assertions on the contents of the agreement signed by St. Vincent and other nations from Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, and the European Union in Samoa, which has been brought to his attention.
According to the CMC, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Port of Spain, Jason Gordon, has criticised the accord, saying that while it is “written as a trade agreement, anyone who signs the agreement will have abortion legislation in their countries.
“They will have to impose abortion legislation, transgender, LBGTQ, comprehensive sex education, and a whole range of values because of the signing of that document,” Gordon said.
Gonsalves said on Monday that while the European Union has its own agenda with several things, as is well known, he would like someone to point out to him the specific provisions in the agreement.
“In relation to the overall agreement of some 400 pages, where some of the outlandish commentaries that I have seen, where are they represented in those terms in the agreement. I assure everybody that St. Vincent and the Grenadines, that we have our own determinations on particular matters, and any alteration in our existing law has to be done by our Parliament, and there is no intention for the Parliament to alter any of our positions as they are laid out in our laws in relation to the controversial questions touching on and concerning same-sex marriages and the like”.
”There is a question that is before the court, and the court will make its determination as to whether a provision in the criminal code that criminalises homosexual conduct is unconstitutional or not, and we, the government, are insisting in the courts that it is not unconstitutional, and that in any event, the court is not to be the body that is to adjudicate on that, but the Parliament should be dealing with that particular matter, and those arguments are being canvassed in the law courts”, Gonsalves stated.
Gonsalves asserted that with regard to the aforementioned issue, there is uncertainty over the potential outcome. However, the government is aware that in other jurisdictions within the area, there have been legal decisions deeming measures akin to those found in the statutes of St. Vincent and the Grenadines as unconstitutional. Nevertheless, the government expresses a desire to examine these issues through more rigorous trials.
Gonsalves called on citizens to calm down.
“I just want everybody to calm down and not take some position out of Trinidad, out of the United States, or somewhere else in a general condemnation of an agreement. Unless somebody can point to me these specific provisions, they’re making the claim that they were somehow subversive of what we know traditionally as Christian morality”.
According to Gonsalves, the agreement is quite comprehensive and aims to promote inclusivity, namely within the realms of human rights, gender equality, and the specific needs of various groups such as women, girls, young individuals, the elderly, and others.
The cooperation agreement between the European Union and the groups representing the African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries is the subsequent iteration of the Cotonou accord.
