Kamla Persad-Bissessar's UNGA Debacle: A Masterclass in Brown-Nosing and Betrayal
What a trainwreck. Today, as the world tuned into the 80th United Nations General Assembly, Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar took the stage with what can only be described as a speech so cringeworthy, so devoid of spine, and so blatantly pandering that it felt like it was ghostwritten in a Mar-a-Lago backroom. If you're looking for a display of national leadership that prioritizes photo-ops with power over the interests of your own people, this was it. From fawning over Donald Trump with that infamous escalator nod to tossing aside climate action, regional peace, and basic human rights, every section dripped with disappointment. Let's break it down—because someone has to call this out.
The Escalator Sycophancy: Trump Worship on the Global Stage
Right out of the gate, Persad-Bissessar couldn't resist the Trump love-in. In a bizarre aside that had diplomats blinking in confusion, she referenced Trump's 2015 escalator descent into presidential politics, gushing about how it "changed the world" or some such nonsense. Yes, that escalator—the one that launched a thousand memes and a presidency built on division. It was pure brown-nosing, a desperate bid to cozy up to the U.S. amid whispers of her eyeing a bigger role on the international stage.
This wasn't subtle diplomacy; it was embarrassing. While other Caribbean leaders like Barbados' Mia Mottley and St. Vincent's Ralph Gonsalves used their UNGA slots to champion regional solidarity and de-escalation around Venezuela, Persad-Bissessar was busy auditioning for Trump's inner circle. And for what? Trinidad and Tobago isn't some flyover state in the U.S. heartland—it's a sovereign nation with its own proud history. Yet here she was, treating the UN like a campaign rally for the MAGA crowd. If this is leadership, count me out.
Ditching the Zone of Peace: Inviting Yankee Guns to Carnival
One of the speech's most gut-punching moments came when Persad-Bissessar outright declared the Caribbean "not a zone of peace." Shattering decades of regional rhetoric that positioned our islands as a bastion of harmony amid global chaos, she painted the area as a narco-infested warzone ripe for foreign intervention. And who better to "help" than Uncle Sam? She doubled down on her support for U.S. military strikes in the southern Caribbean, praising the recent takedown of a Venezuelan gang vessel that killed 11 alleged traffickers. "No sympathy for traffickers," she echoed her earlier hawkish comments, even suggesting the U.S. should "kill them all violently."
Look, drug cartels are a scourge—no argument there. But inviting American warships to patrol our waters? That's not tough-on-crime; that's sovereignty suicide. It flies in the face of CARICOM principles and ignores the blowback: escalated tensions with Venezuela, potential refugee crises spilling over borders, and a precedent for endless U.S. meddling. Persad-Bissessar deviated so sharply from her neighbors that it felt like she was freelancing for the State Department. The Caribbean as a "zone of peace" isn't some hippie dream—it's a hard-won diplomatic shield. She just handed it over like yesterday's roti.
Haiti Intervention: Exporting Our Boys to a Meat Grinder
If the Trump flattery was tone-deaf, the call to send Trinidadian troops to Haiti was straight-up reckless. Persad-Bissessar urged stronger multilateral action in the crisis-torn nation, positioning T&T as a frontline player in stabilizing the island. Noble on paper? Sure. But let's be real: Our military is stretched thin dealing with domestic gang wars and border patrols. Shipping off troops to a quagmire where foreign interventions have historically ended in disaster (hello, MINUSTAH scandals) isn't heroism—it's hubris.This reeks of overreach, a prime minister more interested in UN brownie points than the lives of our young soldiers. Haiti's plight demands support—aid, not arms from a country barely holding its own homicide rates in check. Yet here she was, volunteering us for the front lines. What a way to squander goodwill and risk lives for optics.
Climate Change? What Climate Change?
In a world choking on wildfires, floods, and rising seas—issues that hit small island states like Trinidad and Tobago hardest—Persad-Bissessar barely whispered about climate action. One fleeting mention of "sustainable development," buried under rants about drug wars and migration, then... crickets. No push for loss and damage funds, no call-out of fossil fuel giants (despite T&T's oil dependency), no solidarity with Pacific atolls drowning under our emissions.
This isn't oversight; it's abandonment. Our nation, ringed by vulnerable coasts and battered by hurricanes, deserves a leader who fights for the Paris Agreement's teeth, not one who treats climate like an afterthought. Fuck climate change? More like fuck the future of our grandchildren. Persad-Bissessar's silence was louder than any applause she might've gotten from oil lobbyists back home.
Security Council Ambitions: Jockeying for a Seat at the Big Boys' Table
Lurking beneath the pandering was the real play: Persad-Bissessar's not-so-subtle jockeying for a non-permanent spot on the UN Security Council. She name-dropped alliances like the U.S.-led anti-drug pact involving South American nations, positioning T&T as a "reliable partner" in hemispheric security. Translation: "Hey, world powers, we're your yes-men—hook us up with that veto-lite gig."It's transparent and insulting. Trinidad and Tobago has a proud UN history—think small-state advocacy on disarmament and development. But this? It's selling out for scraps. Ignoring Gaza and Palestine entirely (as called out by critics like Foreign Minister Amery Browne) while cozying up to aggressors? That's not principled; that's parasitic. If she's gunning for the Council, she needs to earn it with backbone, not bootlicking.
The Aftermath: A Speech That Echoes in Empty Chambers
By the end, the hall felt a little colder. No standing ovation, just polite claps from the U.S. delegation and eye-rolls from the rest. Social media lit up with backlash: Venezuelans decrying her "provocation," locals mourning the death of T&T's independent voice, and regional allies wondering if she's gone rogue. This wasn't a speech for Trinidad and Tobago—it was a love letter to empire, wrapped in the flag of desperation.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar had a chance to elevate our nation, to remind the world why small states matter. Instead, she delivered a horrible, hollow performance that prioritized personal ambition over people, peace, and planet. What a waste. Time for accountability at home: Voters, demand better. And UN, take note—this isn't the Caribbean we know.
