Naparima MP blasts PM’s Barbados trip

NAPARIMA MP Rodney Charles has labelled the Prime Minister’s meeting with members of the US congress on November 30 as “a glamorous photo-op” which he says will have little impact on US-Caricom relations.

Dr Rowley and other regional leaders met with a bipartisan US Congressional delegation in Barbados.

The delegation was led by US Democratic Leader in the House of Representatives Congressman Hakeem Jeffries and included officials from the Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, Veterans’ Affairs, and Natural Resources Committees.

A media release from the Office of the Prime Minister said the meeting focused on several issues including security, economic and climate goals for the US and Caricom.

In a media release on December 2, Charles said the meeting will have “negligible geopolitical impact” as the majority of the US officials will not have significant roles in the next US government led by Republican Donald Trump.

“In the ‘bipartisan’ US Congressional delegation…nine of the ten were Democrats and will be in ‘opposition’ when President-Elect Trump takes office in January 2025. Democrats will be a minority in the House, the Senate and even the Trump-leaning Supreme Court.

“The sole Republican was Aumua Amata Radewagen, American-Samoa representative on the Veteran Affairs, Natural Resources, and Foreign Affairs committees. She is up for election again on January 6, 2025.”

Charles also took aim at the discussions on climate change.

“Trump is strongly opposed to the Democratic stance on this matter, even calling it a scam and a hoax while threatening to withdraw US support for various UN climate change initiatives. Why this meeting with a potentially ineffectual delegation? The Lord alone knows.”

He suggested the meeting should have been held after Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025.

“Would this meeting not have been of more usefulness after Trump’s inauguration in January and his appointees confirmed? Or is this the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – with no real plan – attempting to cover all bases or lead the region down a geopolitical rabbit hole?”

Charles added, “The region must demand to be told what will be the measurable gains from this trip.”

He said Caricom should instead invest its time and money in securing lobbyists with links to Trump’s Republican party.

“The era of wine and dine club diplomacy is over. Instead we must get tuned to network diplomacy where relationships are developed with meaningful results for participating states.”

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