The vote sparked criticism from former Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne, who accused the Government of abandoning Trinidad and Tobago’s independent foreign policy. Every week PM Kamla and Minister Sobers reaffirm our status as a vassal state.” Responding yesterday, Sobers accused the Opposition of deliberately stripping the vote of its context and misleading the public. He described Browne’s comments as “extremely irresponsible,” adding that they were particularly surprising coming from a former foreign minister. The Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister stressed that Trinidad and Tobago’s objection was procedural rather than personal.