A major row has erupted in the 15-nation CARICOM bloc over the controversial reappointment of Secretary General Carla Barnett, with founding member nation Trinidad threatening to reduce its annual financial contribution to the 15-nation grouping in the coming months.
Trinidad’s anger has been triggered by a statement this week from current bloc chairman and St. Kitts Prime Minister Terrance Drew indicating that leaders at last month’s midterm summit had reappointed her by “the required majority.”
The surprising statement did not give details as to how many country leaders had in fact voted to reelect the Belizean economist for a second five-year term nor did it provide any additional details.
An angry Trinidadian Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar has actually made it clear that subterfuge was appears to have been afoot during alleged deliberations on the appointment as Trinidad, The Bahamas and Antigua were banned from participating in the private caucus meeting of leaders during a special retreat at the summit.
During caucus, rather than larger plenary meetings, heads of government usually prefer to discuss issues without delegation members but in the case of Trinidad, PM Persad Bissessar had left the summit early, allowing Foreign Minister Sean Sobers to act as head of the delegation. Acting leaders are normally accommodated but it is not clear why they were excluded this time. The PM said that Sobers and representatives from The Bahamas and Antigua were strangely not allowed in the caucus. Through Minister Sobers, the federation with Tobago has since penned a formal letter to the bloc, outlining its concerns and discomfort with the situation.
“It is a matter of record that Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas were not allowed to participate in this retreat,” the letter stated. “Consequently, Trinidad and Tobago was not privy to the deliberations on this matter. The issue of Barnett’s proposed reappointment was not placed on the provisional agenda for the fiftieth regular meeting of the conference and was also not discussed during the plenary sessions. We wish to place on record Trinidad and Tobago’s disagreement with the re-appointment of Secretary-General Barnett. We believe this was not done in the spirit and letter of Article 24 of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (founding treaty) that states that the secretary-general shall be appointed by the conference, on the recommendation of the community council, for a term not exceeding five years, and may be reappointed by the conference.”
Barnett has not been the most popular secretariat head in the opinion of some member states, with some functionaries regarding her performance as ordinary but no other serious candidate had been proffered, officials say.
The PM has also made it clear that the federation plans to reduce its annual $5 million contribution to the bloc as it remains dissatisfied with its performance in recent decades.
Barnett’s new term begins in late August. She had previously served as a deputy secretary general.
