By Peter Richards
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) — CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister Terrance Drew late Saturday night reiterated that Trinidad and Tobago was not “uninvited” to the retreat where a decision was taken to reappoint Belizean economist Carla Barnett as secretary general of the 15-member regional integration grouping.
In a lengthy statement following the meeting of the regional leaders on Friday to discuss the issues in relation to the governance of CARICOM, Drew, who is also the prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, also released 11 pages of the correspondence that had been sent to all members countries leading up to the Feb. 24-27 summit that was held in Basseterre.
He said that the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had left the summit on “the evening of the first day of the first day of the Conference, before the Retreat on February 26”.
He said that at 10.33 p.m. on Feb. 25, Trinidad and Tobago’s Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Minister, Sean Sobers called the Secretary General on WhatsApp to inquire if he should attend the retreat in the absence of his Prime Minister.
He was advised he could and that other leaders who have had to leave may be represented by their foreign ministers.
Drew said Sobers “indicated that he had a problem with seasickness so he may not be able to attend”.
Drew said that at 12:37 a.m. on Feb. 26, the CARICOM secretary-general sent the following message to Minister Sobers: “Minister, if the boat trip will cause nausea am sure the Chairman would understand if you chose not to come tomorrow.”
The CARICOM chairman said the Trinidad and Tobago Foreign Minister “did not subsequently indicate to the Chairman or the Secretary-General that he would be willing and able to attend the Retreat”.
Trinidad and Tobago had been calling for a meeting of CARICOM to deal with the re-appointment of Barnett, insisting that it was “deliberately uninvited” to the meeting where the agreement had been reached.
Sobers, earlier this week, said that Port of Spain would be seeking a meeting of CARICOM to challenge the reappointment and that fresh elections could also be placed on the table. The meeting was held on Friday and neither Persad-Bissessar nor Sobers attended the virtual meeting.
Persad-Bissessar has already condemned the “surreptitious and odious process” used regarding the reappointment of Barnett, saying it could have long-term effects for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
In a statement posted on her Facebook page, Persad-Bissessar said that she was again calling on the 15-member regional integration grouping “for transparency on the surreptitious and odious process used to reappoint” Barnett for another five-year term.
Sobers also sought to reassure CARICOM that Trinidad and Tobago is not seeking to withdraw from the grouping that was formed in 1973, saying, “I would say to those persons — fear not, and perish that thought”.
But he insisted that while Trinidad and Tobago does not have a problem with CARICOM, it has with its operations, effectiveness and efficiency and that what transpired demonstrates CARICOM is not operating effectively and efficiently.
He also reiterated support for Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s stance, demanding transparency and indicating this country would re-examine its Caricom allocation.
In his lengthy statement on Saturday night, Drew said, “in keeping with the discussions among the Heads yesterday, information related to communications with Member States in preparation for and during the Fiftieth Regular Meeting of the Conference, as well as discussions and decisions taken by Heads while meeting in Retreat, is shared in the attachments.
“It is hoped that as the Community moves forward, it will be possible to revert to the use of internal mechanisms for addressing the challenges that arise from time to time, lest unfortunate and erroneous statements diminish the progress towards deepening the integration process for the benefit of the people of the Region.”
Drew said that in preparation for the summit in Basseterre in February “all Member States were duly informed of the Official Events, the Draft Agenda of the Conference and the Programme of Work indicating which Agenda Items were to be taken in Plenary sessions, in Caucus and in Retreat of Heads only.
“The Offices of all Heads of Government were informed of the date and venue of the Retreat via official correspondence prior to the Meeting of the Conference and via communication during the meetings,” Drew said, adding all member states “acknowledged receipt of all official correspondence related to the convening of the 50th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government.”
Drew said that during the retreat, under the agenda item, “Financing and Governance of the Community, Heads decided to consider the reappointment of the Secretary General and agreed to the reappointment as provided for under Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas”.
He said Barnett, who became the eighth CARICOM Secretary General on August 15, 2021, by “unanimous appointment” of the regional leader, was “not in the room during the discussion of this matter”.
He said that a decision was also taken to delay the announcement so as to inform, as a matter of courtesy, the regional leaders who were not at the retreat, before the official announcement was made.
“Attempts were made to reach the Heads who were absent to inform of the decision, but it was not possible to make contact with the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago by email or telephone call. After some efforts to reach the Prime Minister, the Chairman was asked to speak with the Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.
He said while on retreat, “under the Agenda Item on Financing and Governance, Heads of Government also agreed to establish a sub-Committee of Heads comprising Barbados, Dominica, Guyana and Jamaica to review the Governance and Financing of Community institutions.
“Under the Agenda Item Geopolitical Developments, Heads also agreed to issue a statement on CARICOM’s Meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio,” Drew said.
Guyana and Belize have since come out publicly in support of the process for reappointing Barnett, the first female Secretary General of CARICOM.
