00:00Opposition Senator Amory Brown is leading criticism of the Prime Minister's performance
00:05on the CARICOM Heads of Government Summit in St. Kitts and Nevis,
00:09describing the address as disappointing and diplomatically floored.
00:13Many persons were left with a deep sense of shame.
00:17The Prime Minister was incoherent.
00:19She was disorganized, at times rambling considerably.
00:25Brown argued that Trinidad and Tobago's presentation contrasted sharply with the tone adopted by
00:31other regional leaders who he said focused on unity, collaboration and shared solutions to common challenges.
00:39He also accused the Prime Minister of breaching diplomatic protocol during her formal salutations.
00:45The Prime Minister could not bring it within herself in her salutations
00:50to refer to the Secretary General of the Caribbean community who was sitting right in front of her,
00:58clearly carrying some kind of personal grouse, which she addressed eventually during her remarks.
01:06One of the more pointed criticisms centered on her reference to a 2022 letter sent
01:11while she was opposition leader regarding the kidnapping of Trinidad and Tobago national Brent Thomas in Barbados.
01:18To date, that was 2022, I have not had a response from the Secretariat.
01:25So I say to CARICOM, that response, non-response, it may be the result of poor management,
01:33lax accountability, or most concerning, that one ceases to be recognized by the Secretariat
01:41as a member citizen of CARICOM when not in government.
01:46And so I want to reaffirm that the CARICOM should be the voice for all, not just for the governing
01:53parties.
01:54He also criticized what he described as coordinated statements from government ministers defending the speech.
02:00Late at night, the poor public servants, some of them drafting and typing up this foolishness on government letterheads,
02:09praising the speech or their leader was so wonderful, was so wonderful.
02:14The bad news for the government, this has not changed the narrative and the perception of citizens.
02:21Another major flashpoint was the Prime Minister's remarks on Cuba.
02:25Brown contended that her comments were inconsistent with Trinidad and Tobago's long-standing diplomatic posture
02:32and could complicate relationships with international partners.
02:36And the Prime Minister stood on that stage and dragged the flag, embarrassed this country.
02:44Not to mention that many of the countries that we currently do business with have very different political systems.
02:52Some of them do not have what she labeled as free and fair multi-party elections.
02:59So lecturing and hectoring the people of Cuba, who are literally under siege today,
03:06being starved of food and fuel on that basis,
03:10when at the same time praising the Saudis, the UAE, the Chinese and all others is monumental hypocrisy.
03:23He pointed as well to reactions from partner heads as evidence that the address had generated discomfort among some attendees.
03:32The Prime Minister's speech marked her first appearance at a CARICOM Heads of Government Summit since returning to office.
03:38Ravishi Tuwari Rabnarain, TV6 News.
