CMC- Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said that her country will not be “held to ransom” as she accused some Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries of siding with Venezuela over the ongoing security situation in the region.
“Caricom is proving to be unreliable partners in some regards. Some of our Caricom partners have chosen Venezuela over Trinidad and Tobago and that is something we need to remember,” Persad-Bissessar said, during a live interview on the Crime Watch programme with Ian Alleyne on Monday night.
But she told viewers that no regional government or organisation would “pressure or blackmail” her administration in its security efforts.
Earlier this month, the Guyana-based Caricom Secretariat said that regional leaders had discussed several issues on the regional agenda, including the security build-up in parts of the Caribbean and its potential impact on member states.
It said that the position at that meeting was not endorsed by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.
Last month, President Donald Trump ramped up United States (US) military presence in the Caribbean Sea ordering an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of his effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.
A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser have also been allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.
The United States military has carried out deadly airstrikes in Caribbean waters over the past few weeks against what Washington alleges are Caracas-backed drug traffickers. The Venezuelan Government denies the charge, accusing the administration of being a threat to the peace and security of the whole region.
Trinidad and Tobago has come out in full support for the US action, with Persad-Bissessar already indicating that the drug traffickers should be killed “violently”.
Responding to the announcement by the Venezuelan Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, that Trinidad and Tobago has been colluding with Washington to destabilise the South American country, Persad-Bissessar said that this has never been the case.
On Monday, Rodríguez said she would recommend to President Nicolás Maduro that all energy agreements between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago be suspended, as the US Navy destroyer USS Gravely arrived in Trinidad last Sunday for joint training exercises.
Persad-Bissessar told viewers to the programme that her Government, which came to office on April 28 this year, has never engaged in any communication or negotiations with the Venezuelan authorities regarding energy matters and has not received any formal notice about suspending bilateral energy cooperation.
“And I will share with you, Ian, and I stand by my words, no one, whether it is Venezuela, Caricom, or any other entity, no one will pressure or blackmail my Government into retreating in the fight against drug cartels.
“We have no plans for Trinidad and Tobago to be used as a base for any attack on Venezuela. There has been no such request from the US Government,” she said, adding that while her administration stands in solidarity with the people of Venezuela, it will continue to support international efforts to combat narcotics trafficking, illegal firearms trade and human smuggling across the region.
Persad-Bissessar said that Trinidad and Tobago faces unique security challenges, including a spiralling murder rate and transnational criminal networks, insisting that “there is no zone of peace here” given the country’s crime situation.
She said that the Parliament will meet on October 31 to vote on the Government’s proposal to “extend” the current state of emergency, which was called on July 18 to deal with the crime situation and extended on July 28 by a further three months until late October.
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Boys and girls, this right here is a classic example of why you shouldn’t drink rum. It is known that alcohol, particularly Angostura 1824 (if you happen to be from Trinidad), will make you drunk and have you acting stupidee. Anyway, Kurt Allen advised some years ago that the way things going in Trinidad that it might be best to elect a drunken prime minister. I guess Trinis took his advice seriously. “Dem fellas they bright. Good good they more than bright, and that is why the nar run dis country right!”
This HEIFER talking like she got something sweet in exchange for her statement
There goes the neighborhood. CARICOM is not about unity.
History repeat itself. 1 from 10 leaves 0.
It is sad that when Trinidad had their HEYDAYS the never shared their wealth with the rest of the Caribbean. Guyana is now doing the same thing. All for them and non for us. They even say that Trinidad will not be the ATM of the rest. It took Venezuela’s generosity under the Socialist Government of Hugo Chavez to see it fit to share the wealth of Venezuel with the rest of CARICOM in what is knows as PETROCARIB.
PetroCaribe was an energy initiative launched in 2005 by Venezuela to supply crude oil to Caribbean and Central American countries at discounted prices and with favorable financing terms. Member countries could pay for a portion of the oil within 90 days, with the rest financed over 25 years at a low interest rate of \(1\%\) per year, sometimes offset by goods or services. The initiative also supported social and food security projects in member countries.
That kind of socialistic generosity was not welcomed by the Washington Capitalist. And they sought to do everything to bring this program to a halt. Which they eventually succeeded in.
Who then should the rest of the CARICOM Support. If Venezuela came to their rescue especially when things got so bad for many Islands during and after COVID. We would not have been able to purchase Oil and pay for it. We would have to go borrow lots of money and go into an IMF program.
Venezuela has always invited observers from Caricom whenever they have elections. And the Observers have always reported the elections to be free and fair. But not for the USA. And that only because their candidate did not win. America is the only country in the world that can make a Rich Country Poor by placing sanctions on them. So with all the all that Venezuela has it is still poor because of America. And that seems to be fair in this world. If you do not dance to their tune they will sanction you.
Well it is a good thing Jack Warner won his extradition case against the USA. After ten years of legal battle. I wish our Mr. Leroy King had won his battle for extradition as well. Now he is rotting in a USA jail for what. It’s called American Justice. But they will never extradite an American to stand trial here. You watch and see if that will ever happen. They are not even party to the ICC. A wanted prime Minisyter from Israel can go and come as he pleases. They will not arrest not extradite him.
The PM of T&T needs to understand that when a house is divided, there can be no progress.
If T&T has issues with Venezuela, there is no need to agree to allow America to occupy our backyard to solve the problem.
A United force from Caricom should be able to get the job done if not work in solidarity with the other carcom members to find an appropriate solution.
To each his own. The T&T PM does what she feels right for her ppl. But on a serious note, What really is Caricom? As a young person, I think Caricom is a big joke in all aspect. What is really their role to Caribbean development. They do nothing when serious concerns are affecting the different islands so what are they truly there for? Just asking. They are like a rubber stamp. Nothing else!!!
This woman is practically licking out Trump’s orange ass and have the nerve to call CARICOM unreliable?
The damn woman is just about as orange as Trump is.
To side with Venezuela or not to side with the US would be a foolish move for any Caribbean island. Venezuela has nothing to really offer, and it’s just a matter of time that regime (the same regime that was voted out by its own people and refused to leave office) will be toppled by the assassination of Maduro.
So the President of T&T is smart to stand on the side of the lesser of two evils.
I commend this woman to have the balls to stand on the hill she chooses to die on.
The biblical proverb “Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away,” means that it’s often more valuable to have a good, reliable person close by for immediate help than a friend or family member who is distant and may not be available when you need them. It emphasizes the importance of local support networks over long-distance relationships during times of need, whether it’s for a physical emergency or other daily challenges.
Lest we forgot when our sister isle of Barbuda was facing its darkest hour, having been ravaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017, it was the generosity of the Venezuelan Government who came to our rescue by sending a military aircraft to Barbuda, which evacuated the entire Barbuda Population over into Antigua within 48 hrs. of the onset of this terrible disaster.
Just like the ec dollar .. them big countries boi
@Zelajams October 30, 2025 At 11:12 am
Not to mention the hundreds of millions Maduro wrote off for Antigua and Barbuda of monies we owe them for oil delivered, but because of the USA sanctions we cannot repay them.
And when Baldwin Spencer couldn’t pay public servants he called Chavez who didn’t hesitated and send him US$50million as a gift.That is what you call a friend in need is a friend indeed.
After our citizens lost over $300million in CLICO/BAICO Trinidad is yet to pay our people. You call that being reliable. I’ll call that being a real Trickydadian.
All this military activity in our region is all about the OIL.
The USA claims that they will need double the amount of power by the year 2030 to support the new AI era.
Venezuela sits on most of that juice. The US being eyeing this for a very long time and that’s why they have a republican government, because the other party won’t go in and attack. We have to watch the trend here. This is the same tactic the use to destabilize the Middle East. Their lust for energy is what this is all about.
They blame Drugs but the main drugs are coming out of Mexico. Fentanyl is the main drug that’s killing more US citizens than anything and it comes out of Mexico.
The Caribbean region don’t need this destabilization and disruption in our fragile economy at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7hLyJ_SkNA&list=RDb7hLyJ_SkNA&start_radio=1
We need to play this song for Kamla. She is working for the Yankee Dollar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ2_3hqFZvk&list=RDHZ2_3hqFZvk&start_radio=1
Or wait till the Yankee has gone and see who’ll take over.
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