Opposition Leader Penelope Beckles-Robinson has sharply criticized Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s speech at the opening of the 50th CARICOM Heads of Government meeting.
In a social media post, Mrs Beckles-Robinson said this country deserved leadership that reflects dignity, responsibility, and respect for our regional partners—which, in her view, was not evident in the Prime Minister’s speech.
“The remarks delivered by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar were, quite frankly, revolting and bizarre. They were inflammatory, reckless, and wholly unbecoming of the high office she occupies. Her statement was the worst speech ever delivered by a Head of Government at a CARICOM meeting in the organisation’s history,” she said.
The Opposition Leader also rejected allegations that the former government assisted in the kidnapping of a Trinidad and Tobago citizen in Barbados in October 2022.
“It is a dangerous fabrication that maligns the integrity of those who served in government, both in Trinidad and Tobago and in Barbados, and it undermines confidence in our institutions. It is also quite unfortunate that the Prime Minister sought to attack and ridicule the CARICOM Secretariat in such a disdainful manner,” Mrs Beckles-Robinson said.
The Opposition Leader also condemned what she saw as attacks on the CARICOM Secretariat and Cuba.
“Persad-Bissessar’s attack on the sovereignty of Cuba is extremely alarming and must be condemned. Trinidad and Tobago has long upheld a principled foreign policy rooted in non-interference, mutual respect, and firm adherence to international law,” she said.
“We do not lecture sovereign states from podiums, nor do we threaten interventionist postures merely to please foreign powers or score political points. The abandonment of these longstanding diplomatic principles is deeply troubling and must be rejected,” Mrs Beckles-Robinson added.
She warned that the speech undermines regional unity, misuses migration issues for political gain, and falls short of the statesmanship expected on the international stage.
“The international stage is not a platform for personal grudges, revisionist history, and inflammatory rhetoric. It is a place for unity, cooperation, and statesmanship. Likewise, CARICOM is a forum for unity, cooperation, and exemplary statesmanship,” the Opposition Leader said.
