The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, issued a statement this Wednesday in which she justified her country's vote against the annual resolution of the UN General Assembly calling for the end of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, clearly stating that her government supports the Cuban people but opposes the dictatorship that governs them.
"I have made it clear publicly that Trinidad and Tobago will not support the military dictatorship in Cuba," wrote Persad-Bissessar on X, under the heading: "THE UNC (Persad-Bissessar's party) SUPPORTS THE CUBAN PEOPLE, WE DO NOT SUPPORT A MILITARY DICTATORSHIP. THE CUBAN PEOPLE DESERVE DEMOCRACY."
The resolution A/81/L.5 was approved this Wednesday with 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions, the most unfavorable result for the Cuban regime since it began presenting this initiative in 1992.
The contrast with previous years is dramatic: in 2024, the resolution received 187 votes in favor and only two against; in 2025, it decreased to 165 in favor and seven against. Trinidad and Tobago was one of the 12 countries that changed their stance compared to the previous year when it had voted in favor. In the Caribbean, Jamaica, Guyana, and Haiti abstained.
Persad-Bissessar supported Marco Rubio's stance on the need for political reforms in Cuba. "Secretary of State Marco Rubio, of Cuban heritage, is right: for Cuba to thrive, there must be political reforms, and the democratic rights and freedoms of the Cuban people must be restored," she stated.
The prime minister also questioned the consistency of those who advocate for democracy at home but remain silent in the face of its absence in Cuba: "We cannot demand democracy, free and fair elections, freedom of expression, and political rights for ourselves while staying silent when those same freedoms are denied to the Cuban people."
His statement directly targeted the regime's elite: "While the Cuban people suffer, the leaders of the Cuban regime and their families live in luxury. The exploitation of ordinary Cubans to sustain the lavish lives of those connected to the ruling regime must come to an end."
The decision was preceded by intense internal controversy. Eleven former heads of Government from CARICOM —including the former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowley— signed an open letter on October 24 urging member states to support the resolution. The former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amery Browne, also publicly called for the country to vote in favor. Persad-Bissessar responded by accusing them of hypocrisy, claiming that those who defend the Cuban dictatorship “would never support it in our own country.”
This position is not new. At the 50th Ordinary Meeting of the CARICOM Heads of Government Conference, held in February 2026, Persad-Bissessar had already stated that she would not support "a dictatorship in Cuba or anywhere else".
In July 2026, Trinidad and Tobago had already abstained from a procedural vote in the General Assembly to hold an additional debate on the embargo against Cuba.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, celebrated the outcome and described the Cuban resolution as "fraudulent," pointing out that almost three times as many countries voted against, abstained, or did not participate.
Persad-Bissessar concluded her statement with a message of solidarity: "The United National Congress praises all nations that stand in solidarity with the wonderful people of Cuba."
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