Latest update September 8th, 2026 10:25 AM
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AFC urges against supporting proposed political union
…says it will undermine CSME
Chairman of the Alliance For Change, Khemraj Ramjattan, says that the proposed political and economic union is a radical move that goes against the spirit Treaty of Chaguaramas that created the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) some 35 years ago.
According to Ramjattan, the action by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Patrick Manning was unbecoming of a senior leader in CARICOM.
He noted that the unilateralism with which Manning and his supporters have made up their minds to set up the union within a union will leave “a bitter taste” for other leaders, adding that he was confident that the move was without any consultations with the CARICOM Secretariat.
As it relates to the CARICOM Single Market and Economy, Ramjattan said that it would undermine the entire process.
Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo, when asked recently if he would support the move by Manning, declined to take a position, stating that he has already informed Manning that before any commitment is made by Guyana, “I have to see technical work done…What model of union is being proposed.”
Manning has been visiting several countries to explain his proposal for the political integration of four Caribbean nations.
The government in Jamaica last week made public its misgivings about the proposal, warning that it could undermine CARICOM’ s single trading market.
Manning is also scheduled to visit Haiti and Suriname this week.
At home, he has dismissed opposition calls for a referendum on an economic and political union of Trinidad and Tobago.
The political union is set to take place between Trinidad and Tobago and the nine Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) countries within the next five years.
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