Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has publicly rejected the reappointment of Dr Carla Barnett as CARICOM Secretary-General, calling for greater transparency over the process used to secure her second term. In a public statement, Persad-Bissessar said Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to CARICOM, but argued that the procedure surrounding the appointment must be fully explained.
The issue stems from a March 25 statement by CARICOM Chair and St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew, who said that during the Fiftieth Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government, held from February 24 to 27 in St Kitts and Nevis, the required majority of CARICOM Heads agreed to reappoint Barnett. Drew also said Barnett’s second term is due to begin in August 2026.
Trinidad and Tobago has maintained that the reappointment was not handled in keeping with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. That article states that the Secretary-General is appointed by the Conference on the recommendation of the Community Council and may be reappointed by the Conference. According to Persad-Bissessar’s account, the proposed reappointment was not included on the provisional agenda for the conference and was not addressed during plenary discussions. She said the matter was reportedly taken up instead during a Heads of Government retreat, prompting formal objections and requests for clarification from Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and CARICOM Affairs.
Persad-Bissessar said that the people of Trinidad and Tobago, who finance 22 percent of CARICOM’s budget, deserve transparency, accountability, and faithful adherence to agreed rules. CARICOM has so far publicly stood by the March 25 announcement that Barnett was reappointed by the required majority of heads of government.