Home »

Trinidad & Tobago Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift tendered his resignation with immediate effect on Tuesday.

ON WEDNESDAY marks the beginning of the search for a new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

After almost five years in office and with no official explanation, Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift tendered his resignation with immediate effect on Tuesday.

As such, matters of Foreign Affairs policies rest in the hands of Prime Minister Patrick Manning until he selects Gift's replacement.

A Government source said yesterday that under the Constitution, once a Minister resigns his or her portfolio will fall under that of the Prime Minister until a replacement is appointed.

In a four-page letter to Manning dated September 25, Gift listed the accomplishments of his Ministry but did not state why he was resigning.

It is being speculated that Manning is not pleased with Gift's performance. Manning is currently in Washington attending a conference and Acting Prime Minister Dr Lenny Saith said he had no comment.

In his letter to Manning outlining his accomplishments, Gift stated "...further afield for international visibility and importance of Trinidad and Tobago were manifested by the establishment of a number of new embassies in Port of Spain, among them Chile, Guatemala and Panama while El Salvador due in the month of October could be followed by South Africa."

Similarly, Gift said that requests have been pouring in from foreign governments seeking the approval for the appointment of honorary consuls in many capitals as we seek to establish resident missions in these countries.

The letter continued: "There is not a single foreign policy initiative or priority mandated by your good self that was not successfully accomplished.

"Honourable Prime Minister, the above indicative list of accomplishments, is self-evident. They have in themselves contributed to the disproportionately positive image of Trinidad and Tobago, as a tiny nation, headed by your good self and for this you can feel justly proud."

"Finally, I make bold to say my conscience is clear in respect of performance expectations from any Minister of Foreign Affairs and I thank you again for the opportunity to have served our beloved country."

This is the second time that Gift has resigned the post of Foreign Affairs Minister in his career.

He had served in that office for only ten days in 1995 from May 7-17, during a previous People's National Movement administration before resigning in the face of allegations of financial improprieties at the end of his stint as High Commissioner to Jamaica, where he served between 1984 and 1987.

The alleged improprieties included the purchase and resale of two Mercedes Benzes while Gift was High Commissioner to Jamaica.

Gift would later admit in subsequent interviews to the importation and sale of a Benz and a Nissan station wagon at the end of his tour of diplomatic duties in Jamaica.

Gift has also been alleged to have been involved in a questionable multi-million dollar land deal in Tobago.

However, when he was appointed as Foreign Affairs Minister in 2001, Manning defended Gift against the allegations and has since then commended his performance.

Gift is not known to be suffering from any major health problems.

Unlike the resignations of MPs Franklin Khan and Eric Williams as the Minister of Works and Energy respectively, Gift is not facing any criminal charges before the courts.

His resignation has left Manning with the challenge of finding a replacement for a post that is integral to the nation's regional and international well-being. A Cabinet shake-up therefore, could be in the works, unless Manning either decides to retain the Foreign Affairs portfolio or appoint Gift's replacement from outside of the Parliament.

Manning is expected to revoke Gift's appointment as a Government Senator.

Rumours of Gift's resignation began circulating on Monday and Whitehall confirmed it at 3.59 pm on Tuesday in the following brief statement: "Mr Knowlson Gift has tendered his resignation from the Cabinet, with immediate effect, to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has accepted Mr Gift's resignation and in so doing, has expressed his gratitude for the loyal service rendered by Mr Gift during his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister has also wished Mr Gift well in all his future endeavours."

TV6 News reported last night that the Office of the President said on Tuesday that a new Foreign Affairs Minister would be sworn-in on Friday.

It was confirmed that Gift was not at the Foreign Affairs Ministry's head office at the Knowsley Building, Queen's Park West, Port of Spain on Tuesday.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry on Tuesday issued no statement on Gift's resignation.

Gift could not be reached for comment.

Fact file :- Knowlson Gift served as Trinidad and Tobago's High Commissioner to Jamaica from 1984 to 1987. Gift was first appointed as a Senator and Minister of Foreign Affairs on May 7, 1995 under the first administration of Prime Minister Patrick Manning. He replaced Ralph Maraj wo was fired by Manning on the prime minister's return from to Hong Kong. Gift was then permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ten days later, on May 17, Gift resigned following reports of financial problems. In 2001, when the Manning administration was again in office, Gift was reappointed as a Senator and Foreign Affairs Minister. Until his sudden resignation yesterday, Gift spearheaded Government's policies regarding the Caribbean Community (Caricom) regional trading bloc including the Caricom Single Market. It was Gift who had announced that Caricom had requested that the Organisation of American States (OAS) investigate the February 29, 2004 removal of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He was also involved in the establishment of bilateral agreements with the countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan. Gift was also at the forefront of Caricom's demand for changes in the structure of the United Nations to better represent the needs of small developing states. Gift has represented Trinidad and Tobago in many countries.