Lead Editor-Politics
The former prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines has made a bombshell allegation, claiming that Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers was not barred or “disinvited” from the retreat in Nevis, but instead informed regional officials that he could not make the trip by boat due to seasickness.
While Dr Ralph Gonsalves was not in attendance in St Kitts and Nevis in February for the last Caricom meeting after losing the elections in his country, he said he still has sources which are “100 per cent reliable.”
Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers told Guardian Media on Tuesday that Trinidad and Tobago, along with at least four other countries, were “disinvited” from the retreat in Nevis where the reappointment of Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett was ratified, after their respective Heads of Government departed the conference early.
However, Dr Ralph Gonsalves said that Sobers may be “omitting” key details.
Speaking on Star Radio in his home country, Gonsalves claimed, “From more than one reliable source, I was informed that Kamla said that she was not going to Nevis. She was sending Sobers, her Foreign Minister. And Sobers said that he can’t go to Nevis because he gets seasick and he has to take a boat. It’s five minutes between St Kitts and Nevis.”
The former PM added, “So he absented himself and nobody else was nominated who wouldn’t get sick to attend the meeting.”
While Persad-Bissessar and Sobers maintain that Caricom breached the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas by failing to recognise Sobers’ authority to vote as head of T&T’s delegation after the Prime Minister’s departure, Ralph Gonsalves is pointing to Article 28 of the Treaty.
Gonsalves said, according to that article, conference decisions must be approved by all members and are binding, but abstentions do not invalidate decisions once three-quarters of members vote in favour. Members who abstain or do not vote are counted as abstentions, and any party to a dispute or facing sanctions is barred from voting on that matter.
And while Sobers maintains that the appointment of a Secretary General was not on the provisional Caricom agenda, Gonsalves posited, “I have seen the agenda which was approved, that in caucus there would be several matters, governance of Caricom, which includes the appointment of the Secretary General, security questions and finance. So you don’t want to go to discuss those things?”
Gonsalves said he also took note of Persad-Bissessar’s threat to cut Trinidad and Tobago’s funding to Caricom’s annual budget.
According to Minister Sobers, T&T contributes around $126 million per year. But Gonsalves said while Trinidad and Tobago is the biggest financial contributor, it also benefits the most.
“I know Kamla is saying that she contributes so much money to Caricom. Well, the principal beneficiary in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy is Trinidad and Tobago, by far.”
And he said if T&T decides to pull out of Caricom, it will hurt its business sector.
“At the moment, they have a right of establishment in provision of goods or services. They would not get preferential access to the market. They will have to pay the additional duties, which are put at 15 per cent. You know the common external tariff now. So American goods, for instance, would become more competitive. Goods out of Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic would become more competitive. The Trinidad economy will take a hit. Unemployment will happen.”
Moreover, he said it will take at least a year for this country to formally pull out of the regional bloc.
Gonsalves also commented on Persad-Bissessar’s conduct during the Heads of Government conference in February.
Firstly, he did not like the Prime Minister’s speech during the opening ceremony, where she was highly critical of Caricom.
“It is a bad speech. A bad speech in many, many material particulars. And not conducive to unity, Caricom unity.”
He said he heard the PM was also absent from most meetings.
“I’m told that Kamla attended only one meeting with Caricom. It’s the one where Caricom and (Marco) Rubio had a meeting. And she didn’t grace any other meetings.”
Gonsalves, who has the distinction of being the longest serving Prime Minister in Caricom’s history, said Persad-Bissessar’s recent criticisms over Caricom is “Trumpian” in nature, and he is advising her to let this matter go.
“In this Caricom, you have to give and take. This is not an issue on which there should be a defining issue between you and Caricom.”
He also said it was “unfortunate” that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago had placed Dr Carla Barnett, whom he described as a “distinguished public servant,” in an “embarrassing position.”
Guardian Media attempted to get a response from Minister Sean Sobers and Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar yesterday; however, they did not reply before press time.
