T&T PM roasts CARICOM for ignoring opposition, affiliate parties campaigning in other countries

Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, 16:10 by Writer

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Tuesday night slammed the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) headquarters for ignoring her almost four years ago when she had penned a letter about the alleged kidnap of a national of her country from a regional member state and his return on a Regional Security System (RSS) plane.

She recalled writing the CARICOM Secretariat but never receiving a response about the “coordinated kidnapping of a citizen from another CARICOM member state” in October 2022, an incident she said the Trinidad and Tobago Supreme Court had ruled was a kidnap.

“I say still concerns me, how one of my citizens was kidnapped in another CARICOM state and when I inquired, the Secretariat could not give me an answer up to today. That should never happen,” she told the opening of the CARICOM Summit in St Kitts.

At that time, the now opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) and the Barbados Labour Party administration of Mia Mottley were in office when the movement of licensed arms dealer, Brent Thomas took place.

She appealed to other CARICOM heads of government to work together “for all our nations” regardless of whether they are in government or opposition. “We were all in opposition once and we may all be in opposition again,” she said.

The veteran Caribbean politician said CARICOM, as an organization, should not be misused by anyone to benefit or protect political parties and friends affiliated with the incumbent government.

“I say to CARICOM, that response, non-response, it may be the result of poor management, lax accountability, or most concerning that one ceases to be recognized by the Secretariat as a member citizen of CARICOM when not in government and so I want to reaffirm that the CARICOM should be the voice for all, not just for the governing parties, not just for those in the Caribbean who form government parties,” Ms Persad-Bissessar also said.

The Trinidad and Tobago leader also criticised the practice among a number of affiliate political parties across the region campaigning for each other. She said that was leading to “unneeded factional divisions and private conflicts” between regional leaders and political parties and ultimately hindering CARICOM’s progress.

“CARICOM governments and their political parties who actively involve themselves in the domestic and political affairs of member states to assist sister or brother parties cannot then expect that when we come together, that we must hug each other when in the last election one, you sent your missives, you sent your people from your party to openly campaign against another political party,’ she said.

A senior member of Ms Persad-Bissessar’s United National Congress (UNC), in the weeks running up to the St Vincent and the Grenadines general elections last November, had publicly attacked then Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves and his wife concerning her ownership of houses in Trinidad and Tobago.

Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar said it was not right for political parties to send their representatives to other countries to campaign because in the end, depending on who wins the elections, they have to “hug up each other and cooperate”. We are not red and we are not yellow, we are not blue, we are not green, we are all CARICOM persons and we must give that respect to every single one. And no leader here sitting would want another CARICOM Head of State to send people to campaign in your domain. That should never happen,” she said.