Senior Reporter
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s address to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has drawn sharply contrasting reactions from government and opposition figures.
Moments after Persad-Bissessar concluded her presentation in New York, United National Congress (UNC) deputy political leader and Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal praised the speech, describing it as a strong representation of Trinidad and Tobago’s interests on the international stage.
Moonilal said he listened to the address with “great pride” and congratulated the Prime Minister for what he described as an “insightful, powerful and compassionate” presentation.
“As a deputy political leader of the great United National Congress (UNC), Member of Parliament and Minister of Government, it is with great pride that I listened moments ago to the insightful, powerful and compassionate delivery to the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by our internationally respected Prime Minister,” Moonilal said.
He said Persad-Bissessar highlighted issues of significance to both Trinidad and Tobago and the wider international community.
“The people of Oropouche East join the rest of our grateful nation in congratulating our Prime Minister on this bold statement of deep and enduring concern on a host of urgent national and global challenges,” he said.
Moonilal also contended that the Prime Minister’s appearance at the UN enhanced the country’s standing abroad.
“Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar SC has once again brought pride and respect to Trinidad and Tobago at the seat of the community of nations,” he stated.
He highlighted Persad-Bissessar’s emphasis on democracy, security and prosperity, describing these as hallmarks of her public service and advocacy.
“Her passionate commitment to democracy, security and prosperity is a hallmark of her personal and public advocacy,” Moonilal said.
He also welcomed the Prime Minister’s discussion of emerging artificial intelligence technologies.
“We support the Hon Prime Minister on adopting the new description of ‘super intelligence’ as a more accurate representation of path-breaking technologies,” Moonilal said.
However, Opposition Senator and former foreign and Caricom affairs minister Dr Amery Browne offered a sharply different assessment.
In a Facebook post following the address, Browne described the speech as “intermittently incoherent” and suggested Persad-Bissessar appeared “clearly unfamiliar with some of the material.”
“A brief and jumbled mix of issues with no discernible theme,” Browne wrote.
Browne also criticised what he described as the Prime Minister’s failure to address several international issues directly.
He said Persad-Bissessar had “studiously avoided addressing anything requiring principle such as Gaza, Cuba, and the attacks against the International Criminal Court.”
He further took issue with references to US President Donald Trump during the address.
“The expected multiple references to Donald Trump as a source of global wisdom,” Browne wrote.
Browne also criticised what he described as the absence of references to Trinidad and Tobago’s social fabric.
“As usual no reference at all to any of the positive qualities of our diverse society,” he stated.
He concluded his assessment by referring to remarks he said Persad-Bissessar has made in local political discourse.
“On the bright side, at least the Prime Minister did not use any of the disgusting racial slurs that she has been trying her utmost to normalise in her local political discourse,” Browne wrote.
