Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says there has been abuse of the issuance of diplomatic passports and indicated yesterday that former prime ministers Dr Keith Rowley and Stuart Young will be required to surrender their diplomatic passports.She said they would instead be issued official passports, in keeping with Government’s revised policy.
to be given official PASSPORt: Stuart Young
The Prime Minister was responding to questions from the Express yesterday regarding Young’s complaint about the decision to revoke his diplomatic passport.In a video statement posted to social media on Thursday, Young disclosed that he received an unexpected call instructing him to surrender the diplomatic passport issued to him after he demitted office.
‘corrective action’:Kamla Persad-Bissessar
He argued that the move amounted to continued victimisation.Young said, “As a former prime minister, you get a diplomatic passport. It was given to me on the second of May last year. I didn’t ask for it. Get a call out of the blue: return the passport.”Responding yesterday, Persad-Bissessar criticised Young, describing him as a “cry baby”, as she disclosed that a foreign government had requested a review of Trinidad and Tobago’s diplomatic passport policy.“The Government was requested by our foreign counterparts to look into the issuance and abuse of Trinidad and Tobago-issued diplomatic passports. Upon investigation it was revealed that 985 persons possess diplomatic passports despite most of these persons not meeting the criteria for holding these passports,” she said.Persad-Bissessar explained that diplomatic passports were intended for people representing the State internationally.“Official passports are for non-government parliamentarians, technical, administrative, or departmental State business. MP Young will therefore receive an official passport instead of a diplomatic passport,” she said.The Prime Minister said a number of other people currently holding diplomatic passports would also receive official passports, while some would have their diplomatic passports withdrawn altogether and be issued ordinary passports.Others, she said, would retain their diplomatic passports.“Both the diplomatic and official passports confer special benefits, however immunity only applies to diplomatic passport holders and is strictly granted by the receiving country based on official Vienna Convention accreditation,” she said.Not a downgradePersad-Bissessar emphasised that Young’s new passport status should not be viewed as a demotion.“This is not a downgrade or any indication of wrong-doing by anyone who is being affected. It is simply corrective action being taken,” she said.She added, “When some people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination to them. Stuart should stop his cry baby, beh-beh behaviour. It’s unbecoming.”Asked if Rowley would be allowed to retain his diplomatic passport, the Prime Minister said he should no longer be in possession of one.“Bearers of diplomatic passports are required to return them to the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs when their overseas posting concludes, they retire, or they leave the qualifying political office,” she said.She continued, “He is retired and he is not representing the country in an official capacity. Therefore, he should not be in possession of a diplomatic passport.”Persad-Bissessar further said, “I am advised that ministry personnel will contact him in due course and that he will be given an official passport instead of the diplomatic passport. He will still have many of the benefits and privileges afforded to holders of diplomatic passports but will not be covered by diplomatic passport immunities.”Rowley did not immediately respond to a question from the Express yesterday.PM heads toCaricom meetingThe Prime Minister also confirmed that she will leave Trinidad tomorrow to attend the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Caricom Heads of Government in St Lucia, which runs from July 5-8.Accompanying her will be Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Nicholas Morris.The Prime Minister has said previously that she spoke with incoming Caricom chairman St Lucia Prime Minister Philip J Pierre.Pierre will assume the chairmanship of Caricom on July 1, 2026, and will serve until December 31, 2026.He will replace current Caricom chairman Dr Terrance Drew, prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis.
