A deepening diplomatic rift has emerged within the Caribbean Community (Caricom) after the bloc’s current chairman has pushed back against claims that Trinidad and Tobago was improperly excluded from a key decision-making meeting that approved the reappointment of Caricom Secretary-General Dr Carla Barnett.
Dr Terrance Drew, who serves as both Caricom chairman and Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevi, laid out a detailed timeline of events in an April 8 correspondence addressed to Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Drew’s account confirms that every member state received full, formal notice of the closed-heads retreat held on Nevis on February 26, a side gathering held during Caricom’s 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government hosted by St Kitts and Nevis between February 24 and 27.
Drew clarified that all participating leaders received advance official correspondence laying out the retreat’s date, location and agenda, with additional follow-up communications circulated throughout the main conference week. The full event schedule, which split business into plenary sessions, caucus meetings and the restricted heads-only retreat, was shared with all delegations far in advance. Items on the retreat’s working agenda included updates on global geopolitical shifts and discussions over Caricom’s internal financing and governance — a policy area where Secretariat leadership matters, including Secretary-General reappointments, are routinely addressed.
Per Drew’s account, Persad-Bissessar departed the host federation on the evening of February 25, a full 24 hours before the retreat was scheduled to begin. Out of a commitment to ensuring Trinidad and Tobago still had representation, Drew reached out to the country’s Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers to ask if he would step in to attend in the Prime Minister’s place. According to Drew, Sobers turned down the invitation, citing personal discomfort with the only available transit option to Nevis: a standard local water-taxi service. Drew wrote that Sobers explicitly stated he declined over fears of experiencing seasickness during the crossing.
It was during that restricted retreat that heads of government reviewed and approved Barnett’s reappointment, a process conducted in full alignment with Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which grants the Conference of Heads of Government full authority over Secretary-General reappointments. Drew noted that Barnett recused herself from the room and was not present for any part of the discussion. Out of respect for absent leaders, heads agreed to delay the public announcement of the decision to give the chair time to notify non-attending leaders first. Drew added that he personally attempted to reach Persad-Bissessar via both email and phone ahead of any public statement, but received no response to his messages and was unable to connect with her directly.
Drew closed the letter by extending an open offer to discuss the matter further, sharing his direct contact information with the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister.
However, the explanation has done little to resolve the dispute. On the Thursday following Drew’s letter, Sobers publicly rejected the account, saying the chairman’s response to Trinidad and Tobago’s original concerns was inadequate. Persad-Bissessar ordered a formal reply be sent to Drew, with a new letter dated April 9 refuting the claim that Sobers cited water-taxi discomfort as a reason for non-attendance. The rebuttal letter also renewed Trinidad and Tobago’s demand for full answers over what the country says is its improper exclusion from the reappointment process.