Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s understanding of the word ‘oxymoron’ in her February 24th CARICOM address appears to have momentarily slipped. An oxymoron is a statement which appears contradictory, but on closer examination is not. In her speech in St Kitts, she declared, “We cannot advocate for others to live under communism and dictatorship, but we want to live here in our CARICOM region under democracy and capitalism. That’s an oxymoron. It’s a contradiction for ourselves.”
But an oxymoron is not a contradiction. Perhaps the PM really meant contradiction, for she seems to have self-corrected. But if contradictions ought not to be tolerated, why is the speech so contradictory? Here are some contradictions.
The PM inveighed against the “involvement” of CARICOM states in the political campaigns of other states. She claimed that in 2025, her own political party was a victim of election interference. She condemned, “CARICOM governments and their political parties who actively involve themselves into the domestic and political affairs of member states. The sister or brother parties cannot then expect that when we come together that we must hug up each other.” Yet, on January 25th 2019, whilst in Opposition, she rose in Parliament to announce, “We’re preparing to join with the Venezuelan people and the free world in recognising Juan Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela.” This was two days after Trump, in his attempt to overthrow the Venezuelan government, declared that he recognized non-elected Juan Guaidó as leader of Venezuela.
The PM declared, “Despite repeated threats against two fellow CARICOM members from Venezuela, most of the CARICOM stood against the two who were threatened.” CARICOM did not take a stand against Guyana or Trinidad in the 2023 Venezuela/Guyana dispute. Barbados PM Mia Mottley invoked the Zone of Peace doctrine, warning the parties against confrontation. She “played a key role alongside other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders in facilitating high-level dialogue between Guyana and Venezuela to de-escalate tensions over the disputed Essequibo region. In December 2023, Mottley was among the regional leaders who met with President Irfaan Ali of Guyana and President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, which led to the signing of the Argyle Declaration.” (AI Overview).
Additionally, the Venezuela/Guyana dispute over the oil-rich Essequibo arose in 1899 and is the subject of an ongoing International Court of Justice process. The threat was two-directional. The Bolivarian Government threatened to invade the Essequibo as the Guyanese government began to accommodate US oil corporations, ExxonMobil and partners, in waters off the disputed region. Pre-empting the court process, and populating the region with US corporations, and the possible encampment of CIA and US military was, in Venezuela’s view, untenable.
And at what point did Venezuela threaten Trinidad? On 25th October 2025, the National Assembly of Venezuela declared that Persad-Bissessar was persona non grata. This was after she supported the US war build-up against Venezuela, US extrajudicial boat attacks, and ceded TT’s territory for war use. As a war collaborator and co-belligerent, ceding TT land, air and seas for war use, Trinidad had made itself liable in the event of a US attack.
Taking her lead from US authorities, the PM has continually and aggravatingly called President Maduro a “narco-terrorist.” But the main allegation in support of this claim, that he was head of the non-existent Cartel de Los Soles, was dropped by US prosecutors. Despite this, in her speech, the PM called the President Maduro “a narco-dictator.”
Story By Wayne Kublalsingh