Since October 2025 the Caribbean has been caught in the middle of rising conflict between the United States and Venezuela. From numerous strikes on vessels off Venezuela’s coast, to surveillance operations involving the CIA, and over 60 fatalities in just the past few months, Trinidad and Tobago’s government has been noticeably silent. This lack of clear communication between the government and citizens is creating confusion, fear, and a high level of uncertainty for Trinidadians.
Trinidad and Tobago is the southernmost Caribbean island and shares maritime borders with Venezuela. Trinidad also relies heavily on Venezuela for natural gas reserves to keep their energy sector floating. However, current Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesar seems to have forgotten her and her nation’s dependence on Venezuela. She has thrown her full support behind the U.S. military, welcoming them to dock their warship, the U.S.S. Gravely, on the island. She even went as far as allowing them to host primary school children to go aboard and view the ship. What message does this send to one of Trinidad’s closest trade allies that is just five miles away?
Some Trini’s took to Instagram to air their frustrations. “They doing a very good job at pretending they give a sh-t knowing damn well they will bomb them kids if they have to,” one commenter wrote underneath a post featuring U.S. Navy Seals with schoolchildren from Cedros. Another commented “Instead of evacuating university students from Jamaica our government’s focused on US stupidness”, referencing the lack of action by the Trinidadian government to do anything to get their students out of Jamaica before Hurricane Melissa hit. Persad-Bissesar and her cabinet are instead focusing much of their time and resources on a prospective war that would wipe them out if they involve themselves.
In the past months, the Trinidazdian government has made no public statement, nor held any press conference to detail how this rising conflict will impact the energy sector or the diplomatic relations in the region. Citizens have been constantly left in the dark, most times relying on social media gossip to gain information on the situation. The nation is currently in a state of emergency and their Defence Force has recently been called to report for duty with any soldiers on leave being called to immediately return.
Amidst this chaos, Persad-Bissesar and the Minister of Homeland Security, Roger Alexander, are making bold and reckless claims to reporters. Bissessar has claimed that all is calm and that she was apparently unaware of all Defence Force members being called to assemble. She has also been labeled a “warmonger” by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and has been declared “persona non grata” in Venezuela for her support for the American military. Alexander has been far more condescending, arguing with people that they should not get their information from social media, claiming that the assembly of the Defence Force is “normal” — it has not happened in my lifetime — and making the quite frankly ridiculous claim that he and his administration will not leave T&T in the dark, something they have done illiberally since their term started in April 2025. Once again, on social media people are questioning if Alexander and Persad-Bissesar are “the person for the job” with others saying “the lack of transparency is frustrating” and “girl I so fed up of you.”
The Trinidadian people deserve better. They deserve leaders that will stand up for them and operate with full transparency. Even after two of their own citizens were killed in a U.S. strike on Oct. 14, they made no comment. These men were fishermen, just trying to get back home after a long day of work, but were suspected of trafficking drugs so somehow deserved to die? They even welcomed the same military that killed Trinidadians to dock their warship on our island after the strike. So often they allow world powers to walk all over them simply for a belief that they are inferior. But when people are unjustly dying, leaders must take a stand and be held responsible.
As U.S.-Venezuela relations continue to be strained, Trinidad must not be silent in the middle. Clear communication is not just a courtesy at this point. It is a necessity to ensure the safety of every Trinidadian person. They deserve to know and understand the challenges their country is facing.
Featured image: CNN
Leave a Reply