T&T questions re-election of Caricom Secretary General Barnett

2026-03-26 - 02:54

Lead Editor-Politics akash.samaroo@cnc3.co.tt Trinidad and Tobago has raised concerns over the re-election of Caricom Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett, saying it was excluded from the decision-making process. Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers told Guardian Media that while the Government has no personal issue with Dr Barnett, it is dissatisfied with the process used at the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government held from February 24 to 27. The Government has formally written to Caricom chairman and Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Terrance Drew, outlining its objections to the manner in which the reappointment of Carla Barnett was handled. In correspondence dated March 25, Sobers said T&T was neither included in discussions nor given the opportunity to participate in deliberations surrounding the Secretary-General’s second term. According to the letter, the issue of Dr Barnett’s reappointment “was not placed on the Provisional Agenda” for the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, nor was it discussed during plenary sessions. Sobers said while discussions reportedly took place during a retreat of Heads of Government on February 26 in Nevis, T&T was among several countries excluded. “It is a matter of record that Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda and the Bahamas were not allowed to participate in this retreat. Consequently, Trinidad and Tobago was not privy to the deliberations on this matter,” the letter stated. It is important to note that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had already left the conference and returned to Trinidad and Tobago during the retreat to Nevis. This would have placed Minister Sobers as the head of T&T’s delegation on February 26. The Government is now placing on record its formal disagreement with the reappointment, arguing that the process did not align with the provisions of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Sobers pointed specifically to Article 24, which outlines that the Secretary-General should be appointed by the Conference on the recommendation of the Community Council, for a term not exceeding five years, with any reappointment also requiring Conference approval. While raising procedural concerns, the Minister emphasised that T&T’s position is not a reflection on Dr Barnett personally, but rather on the integrity of the process. The letter also reaffirmed this country’s commitment to Caricom, stating that T&T supports efforts to strengthen and modernise the regional body to better serve its people. During the opening ceremony of the last Caricom Heads of Government meeting in St Kitts and Nevis, Persad-Bissessar expressed disappointment with the regional bloc’s secretariat for not acknowledging a letter she would have written as Opposition Leader in 2023 asking for clarity on the issue surrounding the abduction of T&T national and firearms dealer, Brent Thomas. The PM said, “This non-response may be the result of poor management or lax accountability or most concerningly, that one ceases to be recognised by the Secretariat as a member citizen of Caricom when not in Government. Caricom is supposed to be a voice for all the people of the Caribbean, not only for the supporters of political parties in Government.”