THE governments of Guyana, Barbados and Dominica last week gave Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi their respective highest national awards.
The honours were an expression of gratitude for Covid-19 vaccines in 2021 and ongoing support in various sectors.
Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, who was involved in a tiff over the vaccines, did not offer any public expression of appreciation, even though Trinidad and Tobago shared in the 500,000 Covid-19 medicines.
Upon his return from Guyana, where he was part of Caricom discussions with Modi, the Prime Minister did not hold any media conference nor make public statements.
This was unlike what took place following his three visits to Ghana.
Long-promised yams from Ghana and cooperation in the energy sector have not yet taken place.
In Guyana, Modi offered assistance to T&T and other Caricom countries in renewable energy, medicine, agriculture, trade, tourism, food security, culture, technology transfer and other areas.
India is the world’s fastest-growing economy, and Modi has a commanding international presence.
On the margins of a Caricom-India meeting, Rowley and Modi signed an agreement for aid in agro-processing.
The Indian authorities have been attempting to deepen economic, cultural and diplomatic relations with T&T, and a trade mission visited Port of Spain in June.
Yet, there has been no visit in recent years by high-powered Indian officials to T&T.
Apart from Modi’s recent three-day stay in Guyana, Foreign Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has also visited that country.
T&T and India have had deep links going back to the first Prime Ministers of both countries Dr. Eric Williams and Jawaharlal Nehru, pioneers in the anti-colonial movement.
Williams held Nehru in high esteem, praising him as “one of the greatest champions of freedom of all time.”
Williams, Nehru and several African leaders were stalwarts in the independence movement.
The T&T leader welcomed Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1968 in another expression of mutual respect.
No Indian leader since came to the Caribbean until Modi’s visit to Guyana last week.
T&T has the largest diaspora in the Caribbean and South Asian businesses and organisations.
Knowledgeable sources said the Rowley Government has not been receptive to overtures of meaningful cooperation in various fields.
“Bilateral relations have warmed a bit over the past few months,” an informed source acknowledged.
“But the Trinidad and Tobago authorities are either not interested in mutually beneficial agreements or they move at a certain pace.”
He said that India’s booming economy has “much to offer” to T&T.
A veteran diplomat said India’s closer ties with Guyana “is an indicator of T&T losing its hold as the region’s unofficial leader.”
He said that under Rowley’s leadership, T&T does not have an effective international presence even though the Prime Minister routinely attends foreign conferences.
The diplomat also criticised the performance of Foreign Affairs Minister Amery Browne and his predecessor Dennis Moses.
In contrast, Guyana’s President Dr. Irfaan Ali has cultivated a relationship with India and has received aid in energy, infrastructure, trade, financial lines of credit, and other fields.
India offered support in Guyana’s territorial dispute with Venezuela.
Modi’s administration is also moving to offset China’s economic and strategic relations with the Caribbean and Latin America.
T&T, which is close to dictator Nicholas Maduro in Venezuela, is no longer viewed as the region’s diplomatic capital.
