Caricom Chairman Dr Terrance Drew has moved to clarify the process behind the reappointment of the Secretary-General, following concerns raised by Trinidad and Tobago over governance and procedure within the regional body.
In a detailed statement issued after a special emergency meeting of Caricom Heads on April 10, Drew said the reappointment was properly discussed and agreed during a retreat of Heads earlier this year, in line with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
He noted that Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister did not attend the meeting, and said efforts were made to inform absent leaders before the decision was formally announced.
According to the statement, Heads had agreed at the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference in St Kitts and Nevis that the matter of the Secretary-General’s reappointment would be considered during a closed retreat session, where consensus was reached.
Drew’s statement also addressed concerns about representation, saying Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign Minister Sean Sobers had indicated uncertainty about attending the retreat due to seasickness, and the country was ultimately not present during the discussion.
The statement further explained that attempts were made to contact the Prime Minister after the decision was taken, but these were unsuccessful, prompting contact instead with the Foreign Minister.
The Chairman said Heads also used the retreat to agree on wider governance reforms, including the establishment of a sub-committee led by Barbados, Dominica, Guyana and Jamaica to review financing and governance structures within CARICOM institutions.
A separate agreement was also reached to issue a statement on Caricom’s meeting with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Drew expressed hope that the Community would return to internal mechanisms for resolving such disputes, warning that public disagreements risk undermining regional intergration efforts.
The statement by the Caricom chairman also detailed a full timeline of the communication sent to all members states and a full breakdown of all events.
Only on Saturday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar urged Caricom to provide full documentation after she made public a letter sent to Caricom by Minister Sobers.
