CARICOM defends secretary-general reappointment

CARICOM Chairman, Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis Terrance Drew, has maintained that proper procedures were followed in the reappointment of the Secretary-General amid concerns by Trinidad and Tobago.

The assertion was made in a statement issued after a special emergency meeting of Heads of Government on April 10, which was not attended by either Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar or any representative from the country.

The issue comes amid heightened regional tensions, with the Trinidad and Tobago prime minister strongly criticising the reappointment of Dr Carla Barnett and demanding accountability from the regional bloc.

Persad-Bissessar has vowed that CARICOM would receive “no quarter” from her government and pledged to “mercilessly, relentlessly and, if needed, ruthlessly publicly prosecute this matter until transparency is achieved”.

However, in the statement issued on Saturday, it was explained that all member states were duly informed of the draft agenda, programme of work, and details of sessions to be held in plenary, caucus and retreat ahead of the 50th Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, held in St Kitts and Nevis from February 24 to 27, 2026.

It added that all Heads were also notified in advance of the date and venue of the retreat through official correspondence, with acknowledgements received from all member states.

The statement outlined events surrounding attendance at the retreat, noting that the Trinidad and Tobago prime minister departed the conference ahead of the retreat.

It explained that the country’s Minister of Foreign and CARICOM affairs, Sean Sobers, later contacted the secretary-general via WhatsApp to enquire about attending in the prime minister’s absence and was advised that he could represent the country, as other member states had done. The minister reportedly cited seasickness as a possible barrier to attendance.

The secretary-general later indicated that attendance would be optional under the circumstances, but the minister did not subsequently confirm participation to either the chairman or the secretary-general.

The CARICOM statement noted that the reappointment of the secretary-general was considered during the retreat, with the holder of the position not present during the discussion.

It added that efforts were made to inform absent leaders before any public announcement was issued, but attempts to reach the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago were unsuccessful. According to the statement, the chairman subsequently engaged the foreign minister.

The CARICOM chairman had urged member states to rely on internal mechanisms to resolve disputes and avoid undermining regional integration.