President Donald Ramotar was yesterday given a warm welcome as he joined his colleague Heads of State in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) for the first time as they gathered in Suriname for the 23rd inter-sessional meeting. The conference, which culminates today at the Royal Torarica, includes a crisp agenda focusing on a strategic review of CARICOM, with specific focus on restructuring of its secretariat headquartered in Guyana, crime and security, cricket, air transportation, climate change and sustainable development.
The Guyanese Head of State was described as a “distinguished President” who is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, whom outgoing CARICOM Chairman and Prime Minister of  St Kitts and Nevis, Denzil Douglas, regards as one of the main contributors to the continuing development and integration of people in the Region.
The presence of Prime Minister of St Lucia, Dr. Kenny Anthony, and Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller, of Jamaica, who were both re-elected to office after their islands constitutional elections, was also acknowledged.
President Ramotar arrived on Wednesday with a delegation that included First Lady Deolatchmee Ramotar; Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee; Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General Anil Nandlall; and Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony.
Former West Indies star batsman and chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), Clive Lloyd, is also part of the Guyana delegation to the CARICOM conference which has on the agenda the issue of governance of cricket at the national, regional, and international levels.
President Ramotar is looking forward to an outcome of practical policies and programmes from the two-day  deliberations.
In a brief comment to sections of the Guyanese press, he expressed hope that the discussions on cricket will be satisfactory, especially with the reputation of the game of influencing unity among  the various peoples of the Community.
The publicity which cricket has gained in the press in recent times has not been dominated by runs, wickets and centuries, but rather by discrepancies among overseers and administrators of the game and players.
The furore has led to potential players and host venues being sanctioned, and in some cases, overlooked in the selection process for important tournaments. In the case of Guyana, the government, following a recommendation by the Chief Justice, set up an Interim Management Committee to oversee the affairs of the game after infighting by members of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).
Surinamese President and incumbent CARICOM Chairman, Desi Bouterse, in his feature address, appealed to Regional leaders to take stock of and, show loyalty to the immense capacity within the Region, making reference to cricket icon Brian Lara, Olympian sprinter Usain Bolt, and all the other Caribbean-born athletes.
The Regional Sports Academy was launched  last night, when the first batch of students will be presented to the Bureau of Heads of Government.
The institution will provide academic and sports training for students across CARICOM countries.