REGIONAL ROW - T&T challenges CARICOM chief’s reappointment, wants CCJ to decide

A major diplomatic rift has opened within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leadership amid the reappointment of Secretary General Dr Carla Barnett, with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar insisting that the matter be brought to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Persad-Bissessar’s position was outlined in a 22-page letter sent to new CARICOM Chair and St Lucia Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre, in which she also called for Barnett to recuse herself from the decision-making process of the Secretariat until the court offers its position.
It comes during a meeting of regional heads at the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM under way in Gros Islet, St Lucia. 
The Trinidad and Tobago prime minister said Barnett’s deputy should act in the decision-making role until the matter is settled.
Noting that she considers CARICOM the Caribbean’s greatest achievement, the twin-island republic’s prime minister said it stands as the reason why she wants the matter addressed.
“Our concern is not directed towards any individual. It is neither personal nor political. Rather, it concerns the legality of the process adopted, the integrity of our institutions, and the faithful observance of the constitutional framework established by the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC),” said Persad-Bissessar, in the July 3, 2026 document.
“The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago does not accept the process by which the secretary-general was purportedly reappointed, and consequently, is unable to recognise the validity of the purported second term of the secretary-general,” she said in the letter, that was also addressed to regional heads of governments.
She said her country’s position is not held to “create division within the Community, but to preserve the constitutional order upon which the legitimacy and credibility of CARICOM ultimately depends”.
She asserted that regional unity cannot rest upon expediency and irregular practices “masquerading” as precedent.
The prime minister said it must rest upon adherence to the rules which every member state has freely accepted and undertaken to uphold.
She argued that the decision was finalised during a heads-only retreat in Nevis in February, challenging that under Article 24 of the RTC, the power to appoint or reappoint lies strictly with the conference.
Persad-Bissessar said an informal, ad hoc retreat cannot inherit treaty-based legal powers simply because heads of government are in attendance.
She said on the morning of the retreat, a WhatsApp text message was sent disinviting foreign ministers and staff.
At the same time, she argued that under Article 11(2) of the RTC, any head of government has an absolute right to designate a minister to represent them.
She said because Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda and The Bahamas were being represented by ministers or directors at the time, they were legally locked out of the decision-making room.
Further, the matter of reappointment, she said, was never listed on the draft provisional agendas, annotated agendas, or working documents circulated weeks’ prior, arguing that It was abruptly introduced under the vague topic of ‘Financing and Governance of the Community’, violating Rule 26(1).
She said this rule mandates a one-month prior notice for items of high constitutional significance. The closing joint communiqué and summary of decisions also omitted any mention of the reappointment, the prime minister asserted.
According to Persad-Bissessar, Article 24 of the RTC requires the CARICOM Council to issue a formal recommendation before the conference can appoint a secretary-general. She said no such recommendation was sought or obtained.
She said conference decisions require unanimity and that every member state effectively holds a veto. She noted that because multiple nations were excluded or absent, with Haiti and Montserrat entirely absent, only 10 out of 15 member states voted in favour of Barnett.
She said considering the rules regarding absences, a valid decision required at least a three-quarters majority, or 12 affirmative votes.
“The purported approval by only 10 member states falls short of that threshold prescribed in Article 28 of the Revised Treaty, and cannot satisfy the majority required by the Revised Treaty,” said Persad-Bissessar.
Her letter said while Barnett was not in the room during the debate, she and her general counsel actively participated in the administrative set-up, including executing the WhatsApp messages that disinvited representatives.
She argued that an office-holder cannot manage the logistics of their own job renewal.
Among other things, Persad-Bissessar is recommending that the CCJ be asked to look at the matter.
“The issues surrounding the purported reappointment of the secretary-general have caused much discomfort and dissonance in the CARICOM.
“Consequently, The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, believing in the values of the CARICOM, and wishing to strengthen, rather than weaken its institutions, proposes that this matter be resolved through the legal mechanism established by the Revised Treaty itself, by way of a reference to the CCJ for an advisory opinion, in circumstances where there is a genuine dispute concerning the legality of the purported reappointment of the secretary-general,” she said.
Meanwhile, Jamaica’s Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, in a letter to Pierre, said while his country was not seeking to overturn the decision to reappoint Barnett, it held procedural concerns regarding how the decision was handled.
He said there is a need to restore confidence, transparency and regional solidarity.
Holness, in the three-page letter dated July 5, 2026, acknowledged that the decision was handled during a sensitive  Caucus.
However, he said under Rule 27 of the Revised Rules of Procedure (adopted in 2023), any such decision made in Caucus must either be formally ratified during a plenary session to take legal effect, or recorded confidentially by the secretary general and circulated for immediate signature prior to the meeting’s conclusion.
He said this procedural requirement was a “departure” from not only previous practice, but the rules of procedure established by the conference.
He said the ongoing impasse has exposed CARICOM to external scrutiny and concern from citizens and international development partners, which risks damaging institutional trust.
“I reaffirm, at the outset, that Jamaica is not by this letter seeking to overturn the decision that was taken in February 2026 to reappoint Dr Carla Barnett as Secretary-General of CARICOM.
“However, I remain concerned that the approach taken has neither resolved the matter nor promoted the spirit and goals of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. As a matter of principle, the fact that one member state (L/C) has formally and consistently expressed opposition to a matter, on procedural and other grounds, and the fact that the issue has since become one of public controversy, should be of grave concern to us and should not be disregarded.
“It has become clear that we were not all on the same page. Therefore, it is important that any concerns be addressed in a meaningful manner in order to restore cohesion, if not unity, which is indispensable to the effective functioning of CARICOM,” said Holness.
kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com