The Heads of Government of Caricom are gathering today for an urgent emergency meeting to discuss a growing diplomatic conflict triggered by Trinidad and Tobago’s formal objection regarding the process behind the reappointment of Secretary General Carla Barnett.
Initially planned for April 7 but postponed owing to the state funeral for former Suriname president Chan Santokhi, the meeting is scheduled for 2 pm. Caricom chair and Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr. Terrance Drew, expressed optimism about the participation of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
The conflict involves claims from Port-of-Spain that the reappointment was not included as an official agenda item at the 50th Heads of Government meeting held in February in St Kitts and Nevis.
In response, Drew provided a comprehensive defense of the organization’s procedures in a letter to Persad-Bissessar ahead of the meeting, countering allegations of procedural confusion. He asserted that all member states received full information regarding the schedule for plenary sessions, caucuses, and the specific Heads of Government retreat where the reappointment decision was made.
“As demonstrated in the attached Timeline of Communication sent to Member States regarding the Fiftieth Meeting of the Conference, all Member States were properly notified of the Program of Events and the Draft Agenda of the Meeting, along with the Agenda Items slated for Plenary Sessions, Caucus, and the exclusive Heads-of-Government retreat,” Drew stated in the letter, a copy of which Guardian Media has acquired.
He underscored the meticulous preparation involved, mentioning that even the official Caricom shirts for the retreat were custom-made based on the measurements provided by each leader’s office, including that of Persad-Bissessar.
Although Barnett’s reappointment was not explicitly listed as an agenda item, Drew contended it fell within the general governance topics covered during the retreat.
“The Work Program for the Retreat included two Agenda Items of the Conference: 11. Geopolitical Developments and 12. Financing and Governance of the Community. The latter typically encompasses issues concerning the Secretariat’s operations and financial matters, as well as any topics raised by Heads of Government,” he asserted.
Drew also pointed out that Persad-Bissessar left the federation on the evening of the first day of the conference, thus missing the important retreat on February 26. He mentioned that an invitation was then issued to Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers to represent Trinidad and Tobago, which was declined.
“I thought it was essential for Trinidad and Tobago to be part of the Retreat, so I asked if your Foreign Minister could attend. He declined the opportunity to participate in the Retreat, citing personal concerns regarding the water taxi, which is the regular mode of transport in St Kitts and Nevis. He expressed fears of experiencing seasickness,” Drew explained.
The chair maintained that the reappointment process was carried out transparently, in line with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. He acknowledged that while Secretary General Barnett “was not present during the discussion of this matter,” he made several attempts to communicate privately with Persad-Bissessar after the decision was made, but received no response.
“The Meeting also reached a consensus that I should postpone the announcement to inform, out of courtesy, the Heads who could not attend the Retreat before making an official announcement. I tried to contact each Head of Government personally via email and phone to convey the decision but wasn’t able to reach you. I did not get a reply to my email and, after some time, was advised to speak with your Foreign Minister.”
Expressing concern about the disclosure of letters and statements regarding the events during the Caricom session in the public domain, Drew advocated for a return to diplomatic communications conducted internally.
Guardian Media attempted to contact the Prime Minister’s office to verify her attendance at today’s emergency meeting, but received no response by the time of publication.