Trinidad and Tobago is calling for a meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to address the reappointment of Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, insisting that Port of Spain was “deliberately uninvited” to the meeting where the agreement was reached in St. Kitts and Nevis in February.
CARICOM and Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers, speaking on the CNC3 Television Newscast on Tuesday evening, said Port of Spain would seek a meeting of CARICOM to challenge the reappointment, adding that fresh elections could also be placed on the table.
Trinidad and Tobago has said that three letters sent to relevant personnel on the issue have gone unanswered, with Sobers saying “no acknowledgement and no response is very, very troubling.”
Sobers said the situation is especially concerning given Trinidad and Tobago’s annual contribution of more than TT$120 million (One TT dollar = US$0.16 cents) to the regional bloc.
He told viewers that Trinidad and Tobago’s absence from the leaders’ retreat where the voting took place was “no accidental oversight,” noting that the prime ministers of The Bahamas and Antigua and Barbuda had also left the CARICOM summit ahead of its closure.
He said the leaders of the two countries would have, like Trinidad and Tobago, appointed someone to lead their delegations.
“However…none of us were invited to attend. It doesn’t matter. We were told that we were not able to attend, which is a breach of the treaty,” Sobers said, referencing Article 11.2 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which states that any head of government may designate a minister or other person to represent him or her at any meeting of the conference.
Article 27 states that the representative effectively exercises the member state’s vote, and Sobers said criticisms that Prime Minister Kamla Persad‑Bissessar should have remained until the end of the four-day conference are moot, since he was head of the delegation and therefore should have been invited.
Persad-Bissessar has already condemned the “surreptitious and odious process” used in the reappointment of Barnett, warning it could have long-term effects for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Persad-Bissessar said she was again calling on the 15-member regional integration grouping “for transparency on the surreptitious and odious process used to reappoint” the Belizean-born economist for another five-year term.
“Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to CARICOM, but until this matter is transparently resolved, the organization and its secretariat should absolutely expect no quarter from my Government,” she said.
Sobers told viewers that this week Trinidad and Tobago will call for a meeting — potentially a virtual one — of the Community Council, which comprises ministers responsible for CARICOM affairs and is the second highest organ of the Community, to elevate the matter to the level of heads of government and re-examine the election of the Secretary-General.
He noted that an emergency meeting of heads of government can be called at any time.
Late last month, CARICOM chairman and St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew said Barnett had attained the “required majority” from regional leaders for her reappointment at last month’s CARICOM summit held in Basseterre.
Persad-Bissessar, who left the Basseterre summit prior to the retreat of regional leaders on Nevis, said that on March 25 Sobers wrote to Drew formally placing on record Trinidad and Tobago’s objection to the reappointment.
“Our concern is straightforward: the proposed re-appointment was not included on the provisional agenda for the Fiftieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in St. Kitts and Nevis, was not considered during plenary, and was reportedly addressed only during the Heads of Government Retreat…from which Trinidad and Tobago and other Member States were excluded through their authorised representatives.
“This raises serious concerns to the use of improper procedures to circumvent the process and facilitate Barnett’s reappointment,” Persad-Bissessar said, adding that Trinidad and Tobago maintains the reappointment was not undertaken in accordance with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which requires formal consideration and appointment by the Conference.
She said further letters dated March 31, 2026, were sent to Drew and directly to the Secretary-General seeking clarification on the process followed, including details on agendas, communications, and any draft decisions circulated after the retreat.
Persad-Bissessar said that on March 31, 2026, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs also wrote to Janice Miller, Chef-de-Cabinet in the Office of the Secretary-General, formally requesting clarification and documentation regarding the reappointment.
“The letter noted that previous re-appointments, such as in 2016, adhered to proper procedures, with decisions recorded and reflecting the views of all Heads of Government. The Permanent Secretary emphasized that the current process appears not to have conformed to CARICOM’s Rules of Procedure.
“To date, no response has been received. The people of Trinidad and Tobago who finance 22 per cent of CARICOM’s budget deserve transparency, accountability, and faithful adherence to agreed rules,” Persad-Bissessar added.
Barnett became the eighth CARICOM Secretary-General on August 15, 2021, following what was described as a unanimous appointment by regional leaders.
