Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has accused former Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders, including former Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, of hypocrisy after they urged countries to support a United Nations resolution calling for an end to the United States’ longstanding economic embargo against Cuba.
In remarks provided to Guardian Media on Monday, October 26, Persad-Bissessar questioned whether the former leaders would accept Cuba’s political system being introduced in their own countries.
She suggested they were supporting an oppressive political system they would reject at home, telling them to stop embarrassing themselves with what she described as hypocrisy.
The criticism follows an open letter signed by 11 former Caribbean leaders calling on United Nations member states to support the resolution scheduled for a vote on October 28.
The signatories, including Rowley, argue that the decades-old US embargo violates international law and contributes to economic hardship among ordinary Cubans.
Their appeal focuses on removing economic restrictions against Cuba, while Persad-Bissessar’s criticism centres on the country’s political system and democratic governance.
The disagreement comes amid questions about Trinidad and Tobago’s position ahead of the upcoming vote.
According to official United Nations records, Trinidad and Tobago voted in favour of the resolution on October 29, 2025, when 165 countries supported the measure, seven opposed it and 12 abstained.
However, Trinidad and Tobago subsequently abstained from a separate procedural vote concerning Cuba in July 2026.
The annual resolution, considered by the United Nations General Assembly since 1992, is non-binding and cannot compel Washington to remove the embargo.
The United States maintains that its restrictions are intended to pressure the Cuban government over human rights and political repression, while opponents argue that the measures impose substantial hardship on the Cuban population.
With the latest vote approaching, attention now turns to whether Trinidad and Tobago will maintain its previous support for ending the embargo or adopt a different position.
The Government’s voting decision for the October 28 resolution has not yet been confirmed.