PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar Vs CARICOM

The Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Dr. Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, has issued a statement following the Twenty-Fifth Special Emergency Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government held on Friday. The statement addresses concerns raised by Trinidad and Tobago, including the recent reappointment of Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett of Belize.

According to the statement, Heads of Government met to discuss issues related to the governance of the Community that had been raised by Trinidad and Tobago. However, neither Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar nor any representative of Trinidad and Tobago attended the emergency meeting.

The statement outlines the sequence of events leading up to the reappointment of Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett during the Fiftieth Regular Meeting of the Conference, held in St. Kitts and Nevis from February 24–27, 2026.

CARICOM said all Member States were formally notified in advance of the official events, draft agenda, and programme of work for the February meeting, including which matters would be addressed in plenary, caucus, and in a Heads-only retreat. The Offices of all Heads of Government were also informed of the date and venue of the retreat through official correspondence, and receipt of those communications was acknowledged.

According to the statement, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago departed St. Kitts on the evening of February 25, prior to the Heads-only retreat scheduled for February 26. Later that night, Foreign Minister Sean Sobers contacted the Secretary-General via WhatsApp to inquire whether he should attend the retreat in the Prime Minister’s absence. He was reportedly advised that Foreign Ministers could represent their Heads if necessary. However, he indicated he suffered from seasickness and might not be able to attend the boat ride to the retreat venue.

In a subsequent message, the Secretary-General indicated that if the trip would cause discomfort, the Chairman would understand if he chose not to attend. The statement says Minister Sobers did not later confirm his attendance.

During the retreat, under the agenda item addressing Financing and Governance of the Community, Heads of Government agreed to the reappointment of the Secretary-General in accordance with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. The Secretary-General was not present during the discussion, the statement noted.

Heads also agreed to delay the public announcement of the reappointment in order to inform absent leaders as a courtesy. Efforts were reportedly made to contact Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar by phone and email, but those attempts were unsuccessful. The Chairman was later asked to communicate with Minister Sobers.

Additionally, Heads agreed to establish a sub-committee comprising Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, and Jamaica to review governance and financing arrangements of Community institutions. They also agreed to issue a statement on CARICOM’s meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio under the agenda item on geopolitical developments.

The Chairman expressed hope that the Community would continue to rely on its internal mechanisms to address challenges, cautioning that “unfortunate and erroneous statements” could undermine progress toward deeper regional integration.

Meanwhile, Persad-Bissessar, in a statement posted to Facebook, disputed aspects of CARICOM’s account and questioned the transparency of the Secretary-General’s reappointment process.

She claimed that while multiple messages were sent to Trinidad and Tobago regarding ceremonial matters, including attire for the meeting, none referenced the agenda item concerning the reappointment of Secretary-General Barnett.

Persad-Bissessar further alleged that a WhatsApp message sent on the morning of February 26 indicated that the retreat was strictly for Heads of Government only, contradicting claims that Minister Sobers could have attended in the Prime Minister’s absence. She cited a message from the Chairman’s office stating that the retreat would remain “Heads only,” and that Foreign Ministers should remain at the Community Council meeting.

The Prime Minister also questioned the absence of publicly available documentation related to the reappointment, including minutes of the retreat, a performance appraisal of the Secretary-General, and records from the 2021 appointment process.

She described the process as lacking transparency and called on the CARICOM Secretariat to provide documentation requested in an April 9 letter from Minister Sobers.