A regional political dispute has erupted within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as Trinidad and Tobago advances a public campaign to oust sitting Secretary-General Dr. Carla Barnett, a Belizean national. Belize’s Prime Minister John Briceno has swiftly announced his country’s unwavering full support for Barnett, pushing back against Trinidad’s unprecedented public move to remove the bloc’s top administrative leader.
In an exclusive interview with local outlet News Five, Briceno emphasized that the public campaign against Barnett is a regrettable departure from appropriate regional diplomatic protocols. He stressed that Barnett’s decades of expertise and deep knowledge of Caribbean regional affairs make her a highly qualified leader for the integration bloc, and her position as a Belizean public servant guarantees her continued, unshakable support from the Belizean government.
Addressing widespread political speculation that his government’s stance is shaped by Barnett’s past ties to Belize’s opposition United Democratic Party, Briceno rejected the narrative. He underscored that domestic political divisions in Belize do not extend to the international stage: regardless of internal partisan differences, all Belizeans stand in solidarity when one of their own holds a key regional role, he said.
Briceno further outlined that while all CARICOM leaders hold the right to raise legitimate concerns over administrative performance, any such grievances should be addressed through private, established channels within the heads of government, not through a public pressure campaign targeting the secretary-general. He also noted a key procedural irregularity in Trinidad’s push: the country’s own prime minister declined to attend the most recent in-person CARICOM Heads of Government meeting, where the bloc was set to discuss Barnett’s reappointment process.
To resolve the escalating standoff, CARICOM heads of government have scheduled a virtual emergency meeting for Friday noon to deliberate on the dispute. Briceno told reporters he remains cautiously optimistic that regional leaders will reach a mutually acceptable, amicable resolution that preserves both the integrity of the bloc and the standing of its secretary-general.