PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC)- Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar says her administration will over the next five years implement a “Trinidad and Tobago first policy” as she remained undaunted over criticisms at her decision to support the United States deployment of “military assets” into the Caribbean region to destroy what it described as “the terrorist drug cartels”.

Persad Bissessar, whose United National Congress (UNC) led coalition came to office following the April 28 general elections, told the CNC3 television that she remains unapologetic for her stance.

Last weekend, Persad Bissessar in a statement indicated that Port of Spain has “not engaged and has no intention of engaging” the 15-member regional integration grouping Caricom “on this matter”.

Persad Bissessar has been accused of causing a fraction within the 15-member regional integration grouping, Caricom, over her publicly declared statement last weekend on the matter.

Last week, the United States ordered an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels.

A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser are also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission.

Prime Minister Persad Bissessar, who has lead responsibility for security within the quasi Caricom cabinet, said that on this matter, each Caricom member state “can speak for themselves” and that “Trinidad and Tobago has been helplessly drowning in blood and violence for the last 20 years”.

While she has come under criticism from former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley and others, including a former attorney general in her previous government, Persad Bissessar told the television news programme that other Caricom countries had stated their position even before she released her statement.

Last week, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America–Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) at an extraordinary summit voiced support for Venezuela.

The virtual meeting, hosted from Caracas, brought together heads of state and representatives from Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada, and St Lucia. Honduras participated as a guest.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the deployment of US naval and air assets under the command of Southern Command represented “a strategic move” beyond counter-narcotics, warning it could destabilize regional peace.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro described the alliance as “an alliance of warriors for peace” and thanked ALBA members for their solidarity.

“Rowley omitted critical facts. Several Caricom nations, namely St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Dominica are ALBA signatories and openly backed Maduro and condemned the US.

Caricom unity had already been fractured before my comments. I make no apology for standing firm against narco-trafficking and gun-smuggling,” she said.

Persad Bissessar said whether Caricom likes it or not, the US has the capacity to disrupt the drug networks and to partner with the Americans is not to undermine the Caribbean region, but to defend it.

She said while there are calls for collaboration with Caricom, it is the Trinidad and Tobago taxpayer who is footing the bill for illegal Venezuelan migrants in the country and that like it or not, her government’s position for the next five years will be Trinidad and Tobago first.

“Thousands of our citizens are being murdered in the last 25 years. Just yesterday a 65-year-old retiree was raped most likely by an illegal immigrant. Going forward our foreign policy will be dictated mainly on what is in the best interest for the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago first.”

She dismissed as hypocrisy, the statement made by former prime minister Rowley on the US presence, asking “wasn’t Rowley the same Caricom chair who appealed to the US for help for stemming the flow of guns into the region?

“Didn’t Caricom declare gun violence a public health emergency and an act of terror,” she said, adding that the Caribbean is on fire, engulfed by the flames of illegal drugs, guns and arms trafficking and that efforts by Caricom to date have failed to produce a solution.

She said she believes that the US has now taken decisive action and Port of Spain stands by Washington.

She said the former government had no issue working with the Joe Biden administration, adding “further it was the last PNM government and Caricom who had no issue collaborating with Washington when Joe Biden was President and his Democrats were in government.

“If they don’t agree with President Trump’s politics and ideology, that is their choice, come out and say that, but my government does not have to go along with their views,” she added.

Caricom has not yet issued any statement on the situation involving the United States military buildup