Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has criticised Caricom after revealing that the regional bloc’s Secretary-General, Dr Carla Barnett, authored a statement issued by Caricom chairman Dr Terrance Drew defending her reappointment.
She also yesterday called out the “deliberate and disgraceful silence” of Caricom foreign ministers, noting they were privy to proof in the form of a WhatsApp message which indicated Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers was disinvited from the Nevis retreat where Barnett was reappointed.
Her initial term of office is due to end in August 2026.
‘Dysfunctional leadership’: Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
In a statement posted to her social media accounts yesterday, the Prime Minister maintained that Trinidad and Tobago was not leaving Caricom, but insisted the regional body cannot continue to hide a “corrupt backroom operation that rots the organisation to the detriment of the Caribbean people”.
Persad-Bissessar recalled that a statement from the Caricom chairman and Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis was posted on Caricom’s Facebook page seeking to dismiss the issues raised by Trinidad and Tobago regarding the “surreptitious, corrupted and flawed reappointment” of Barnett.
She shared a photo of the document properties, which listed Barnett as the author of the statement.
The statement was issued by Drew a day after a Caricom emergency virtual meeting on April 10 to discuss issues relating to governance of the Community that had been raised by Trinidad and Tobago, especially the reappointment of the Secretary-General of Caricom.
In the statement, Drew noted that neither Persad-Bissessar nor any representative from Trinidad and Tobago attended the emergency meeting.
The statement also sought to explain that Sobers had been invited to the Nevis retreat where Barnett’s reappointment was discussed, but that he did not attend, citing seasickness.
However, in a letter dated April 9, Sobers refuted this and informed Drew that Trinidad and Tobago would decline to participate in that meeting and all Caricom meetings until Persad-Bissessar was furnished with all requested correspondence related to Barnett’s reappointment.
Persad-Bissessar arrived in St Kitts on February 23 to attend the Caricom meeting. She addressed the opening ceremony on February 24 and held bilateral talks on February 24/25 and departed on the evening of February 25. Sobers then took lead of the delegation.
DETAILS: Properties of a document shared by PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Statement “crafted” by Barnett
In her statement yesterday, Persad-Bissessar noted that nowhere in the Caricom chairman’s April 11 statement “crafted by GS Barnett” did she address the WhatsApp message sent on the COFCOR WhatsApp group.
The Council for Foreign and Community Relations (COFCOR) is a Caricom organ comprising foreign ministers of member states.
The Prime Minister further noted that Barnett is a member of the COFCOR chat group and provided a photo showing this.
Persad-Bissessar also shared a photo of the WhatsApp message sent by Barnett to all Caricom foreign ministers at 8.55 a.m. (seen at 8.56 a.m. by Sobers) on Thursday, February 26, 2026, the morning of the retreat.
That message stated: “Good morning Foreign Ministers. Chairman PM Drew has indicated that today will be a Heads only retreat. Notwithstanding any indication otherwise, he would like it to remain Heads only. He apologises for any inconvenience. Ministers should therefore remain for the Community Council Meeting to complete its work, including those agenda items from the Heads agenda which Community Council is to consider and provide recommendations to Heads for adoption.”
Persad-Bissessar said this message can still be found on the COFCOR WhatsApp group.
“Nowhere did GS Barnett also address that the TT Caricom director confirmed the contents of the said message with the Chef de Cabinet Janice Miller,” said Persad-Bissessar.
SCREEN SHOT: The WhatsApp message shared by Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar.
‘Dishonesty and malignment’
The Prime Minister further criticised Caricom foreign ministers for not defending Sobers in the face of this proof.
She continued: “Yet to date, not a single member of the Caricom Secretariat or Caricom Foreign Minister who is a participant of that WhatsApp group show the decency, honesty or courage to acknowledge that Minister Sobers is being truthful. Instead they have all contributed to the dishonesty and malignment by their deliberate and disgraceful silence to smearing the reputation of Minister Sean Sobers.”
Persad-Bissessar said the leadership at Caricom, particularly at the Secretariat, is “dysfunctional, dishonest and incompetent”.
“This is what happens when instead of appointing competent technocrats to run the organisation, friends, party hacks, relatives of politicians and affiliates of regional sister parties are dumped into managerial positions to maintain the old boys club order,” she added.
The Prime Minister said Caricom’s ideals of integration, integrity and inclusion are merely a “smoke screen” masking a backroom operation to maintain the decades-old business elite status quo and the dominance of “sister” political parties within the region.
“Far from being an inclusive body, Caricom’s operations are frequently hijacked to promote and assist aligned sister political parties to remain in office while excluding those that are unaligned or historically not part of the entrenched political class,” said Persad-Bissessar.
She said she continues to await the documentation that she requested in her letter to the chairman (via Sobers).
“Surely there must be timestamped minutes, performance appraisals, etc. Even village councils and sports clubs document their meetings, far less an organisation over half a century old,” she said.
She reiterated that Trinidad and Tobago was not leaving Caricom, noting that this country has invested heavily over the past 52 years into the regional body.
“We helped build this organisation and will be a part of fixing it to benefit all the people of Caricom,” she said.
Persad-Bissessar said the economic, security, integration and development future of Trinidad and Tobago will not be compromised because of “backroom machinations” within Caricom.
“This is not a game, the future of my citizens’ lives and livelihoods are directly connected to Caricom. Therefore this matter will continue to be ruthlessly and relentlessly publicly escalated and prosecuted until persons are held accountable for their odious actions, and proper reforms are made to the organisation to ensure fairness, accountability, effective management and non-interference in the domestic politics of Caricom members,” she said.
‘Sad moment for Caribbean people’
Minister Sobers told the Express yesterday that the situation was “intolerable” and expressed support for the Prime Minister.
“The Honourable Prime Minister is clear in demanding credible answers from Caricom. Many people in the region are concerned by the lack of transparency, as well as the extent of the apparent political collusion and interference in what ought to have been a straightforward process conducted in accordance with the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas,” he said.
Sobers said no amount of public relations distortions can distract from the central issue: “Trinidad and Tobago was disinvited from the retreat in Nevis, the matter of the reappointment appeared nowhere on the agenda, and the undeniable fact is that this was carried out in a manner that was both surreptitious and corrupt.”
Said Sobers: “it is an intolerable situation and a profoundly sad moment for the Caribbean people when our Prime Minister is forced to fight for accountability—not only for Trinidad and Tobago, but for the integrity of the entire Caricom region.”
Timeline of the controversy of the reappointment of Caricom’s Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett:
February 24–26, 2026
The controversy began during the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government in St Kitts and Nevis. At the centre of Trinidad and Tobago’s concerns is the February 26 Heads of Government Retreat in Nevis, where discussions reportedly took place on the reappointment of Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett. Trinidad and Tobago has maintained that Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers along with representatives of Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas, were not allowed to participate in the retreat, leaving them excluded from any deliberations on the issue.
March 1–2, 2026
Following the conference, Caricom issued its Joint Communiqué on March 1, followed by the Secretariat’s official summary of confirmed decisions on March 2. Trinidad and Tobago has repeatedly pointed out that neither document made any reference to a decision to reappoint Barnett, a fact that later became central to its objections regarding process and transparency.
March 25, 2026
Caricom Chairman Dr Terrance Drew announced by news release that the “required majority” of Heads of Government had agreed to reappoint Barnett for a second five-year term beginning in August 2026.
March 25, 2026
Sobers wrote formally to Drew, placing on record Trinidad and Tobago’s disagreement with the reappointment. Sobers stated that Trinidad and Tobago had been excluded from the Nevis retreat, noted that the issue did not appear on the official agenda, and argued that the process did not comply with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which requires formal appointment by the Conference.
March 27, 2026
The Government’s position was further reinforced in Parliament when Sobers formally recorded Trinidad and Tobago’s objection and stated that the action appeared ultra vires Article 24. This marked the formal parliamentary expression of the country’s legal and procedural concerns.
March 31, 2026
Trinidad and Tobago intensified its demand for answers through a fresh round of letters. Sobers wrote to both Drew and Barnett seeking documentary clarification on when and how the reappointment was added to draft agendas, what communications were sent to Member States, whether governments were informed after the Joint Communiqué and closing press conference, and whether any draft decision had been circulated confidentially after the retreat.
March 31, 2026
On the same day, Permanent Secretary Randall Karim also wrote to Janice Miller, Chef-de-Cabinet in the Office of the Secretary-General, requesting similar records. The correspondence referenced the 2016 reappointment precedent, noting that the earlier process had been properly documented and reflected the views of all Heads of Government.
April 6, 2026
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar issued a statement demanding transparency on what she described as the “surreptitious and odious” process used to reappoint Barnett. She stressed that the appointment has major implications for Trinidad and Tobago’s economy, security, foreign affairs and regional integration over the next five years, and vowed to continue pressing the matter publicly until full accountability is achieved.
April 8, 2026
Drew wrote to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, stating that Minister Sean Sobers had in fact been invited to the Nevis retreat where Barnett’s reappointment was discussed, but did not attend because of seasickness. He said the decision Toto reappoint Barnett was decided and considered at the retreat by Heads on that study itself.
April 9, 2026
Sobers responded in writing to Drew, on instructions from the Prime Minister, declining to attend the scheduled Caricom emergency virtual meeting and stating that Trinidad and Tobago would not recognise Barnett as Caricom Secretary-General beyond the expiry of her current term in August 2026 unless the requested documentation and clarification were provided.
April 10, 2026
Caricom convened an emergency virtual meeting to address governance concerns raised by Trinidad and Tobago, particularly those surrounding Barnett’s reappointment. Trinidad and Tobago did not attend the meeting, maintaining its position that transparency and documentary proof must first be provided.
April 11, 2026
Drew issued a public statement defending the process used for Barnett’s reappointment and provided supporting documentation. However, Trinidad and Tobago maintained that nowhere in the circulated agenda was it clearly stated that Barnett’s reappointment would take place at the retreat, reinforcing its argument that the process lacked transparency and procedural legitimacy.
April 11, 2026
Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar fired back at Drew in a public statement, arguing that there appeared to be more attention paid to the Caricom shirt than to the appointment of the Secretary-General. Her remarks underscored Trinidad and Tobago’s view that the process surrounding the reappointment had been treated with less seriousness than ceremonial matters.
April 15, 2026
Persad-Bissessar renewed her call for transparency and further revealed that the April 11 statement issued by Drew had been authored by Barnett herself, according to the document’s metadata. The Prime Minister also called out the “deliberate and disgraceful silence” of Caricom foreign ministers, noting that they are privy to proof in the form of a WhatsApp message which clearly shows that Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers was disinvited from the Nevis retreat where Barnett was reappointed.
