Former Trinidad and Tobago government minister and CARICOM Ambassador Kamaluddin Mohammed was awarded the region’s highest award, the Order of Caribbean Community, during the recent CARICOM Heads of Government four-day meeting in St. Lucia.
Mohammed, who was a founding member of the People’s National Movement (PNM) who is ailing, was unable to travel to St. Lucia to receive the award, which was collected by his son Alimuddin Mohammed.
“Chach,” as he is affectionately called, was a Member of Parliament and minister from l956 to 1986. He acted as prime minister on several occasions during that period and later served as CARICOM Ambassador under the Basdeo Panday administration.
Mohammed is also the recipient of Trinidad and Tobago’s highest national award.
In a letter to the CARICOM Secretariat dated June 27, 2012, Mohammed said he was pleased to be given the distinguished award.
He said he had fond memories of former prime ministers Dr. Eric Williams, Forbes Burnham (Guyana), Michael Manley (Jamaica) and others.
Mohammed said he also served with former Commonwealth Secretary General Sir Shridath Ramphal, while he was foreign minister of Guyana.
He expressed his gratitude to T&T Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and the People’s Partnership government for nominating him for the “prestigious honor.”
Mohammed is the seventh Trinidadian to be vested with the regional integration movement’s highest award.
