Describing her as a fearless champion of democracy, the United States’ senior diplomat in Trinidad and Tobago, Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, has praised Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her recent decisions on regional matters.
As she addressed the American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago’s Annual Women’s Leadership Conference on Friday, she applauded women who stand up for the rights of others.
“I would like to also mention your Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and her courageous words, standing up for people living under undemocratic governments, like the governments led by Maduro and the governments led in Cuba. I really appreciate her, and I appreciate her willingness and courage in speaking up for those who don’t have a right to speak.”
Dr. Neidhart de Ortiz said Cuba is guilty of 70 years of crushing violations of civil rights.
“They protest because in Cuba there have been no real elections for decades. The elections look like: all of you can vote for choice number 1 that I choose for you, choice number 2 that I choose for you, or choice number 3 that I choose for you. We are from democracies. We know that is not a real democracy and that is not a real election.”
The US’s senior diplomat in T&T encouraged the men and women at the conference to follow Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar’s example.
“May we all find the courage to speak out in solidarity with those who are being beaten down when they try to speak out for themselves, and may we all have the courage to challenge those very, very small groups of people at the top who hold on to their power and dominance with every ounce of their strength because they do not want others to have that power.”
The theme of American Chamber of Commerce of Trinidad and Tobago’s 2026 Women’s Leadership Conference was “Give to Gain.”