Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has every right to defend his international travels in the face of criticism by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
In fact, Dr Rowley's position that he is the least travelled Caricom leader is not necessarily a good thing, particularly when it comes to his absence at some of the more high-level international meetings, such as this week's 79th session of the United Nations that began in New York yesterday.
T&T is being represented by Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne, who is one of the better-performing ministers.
He properly articulated T&T's position on how the trade in small arms affects our country at the UN's Summit of the Future on Monday.
But as PM, Dr Rowley is the top diplomat and his presence at these meetings not only sends a clear message that T&T takes its global affairs seriously, but also ensures that we are speaking with our strongest voice at bilateral negotiations that take place at the sidelines of these meetings.
Being among Caricom's biggest economies, his presence would have also helped present the body as a strong regional unit that is prepared to make key decisions when called upon to do so.
Arguably, Dr Rowley does not need to be at these meetings to ensure T&T engages in profitable negotiations.
However, when one considers that this is the largest gathering of world leaders since the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict; that it is President Joe Biden's last UN meeting; and that this year poses serious threats to world economies through rising global debt and scientific predictions that 2024 will be the hottest year on record, T&T has much to gain from a strong leadership presence to help agendas that are in our interest.
These are travel schedules that Dr Rowley cannot be faulted for had he been doing more of them.
But where Dr Rowley tends to blur the lines is in his travels which result in little or no accountability to the population.
His recent trip to the US for a health check-up was covered in complete secrecy.
Apart from telling the country that he was leaving, at no point did Dr Rowley or his office seek to communicate to the population about his whereabouts or his eventual return.
Dr Rowley's only communication while abroad was on his Facebook page to celebrate winning a defamation case against Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal, and later, to criticise Dr Moonilal for inaccurate statements he made on another matter.
At the end of his near two-week trip, his office sent a blunt media release to state that he was back.
To date, we are yet to be told about his health.
If the Prime Minister believes that his health is only of interest to him and not his country, then he is wrong.
As the leader of the country and Government, the public has every right to know whether he is fit enough to continue on in the role and whether he has any major health ailments.
Contrary to the Opposition leader's view, the PM's travelling is not the real problem but the priorities and accountability related to them are.
