Throughout the Caribbean Newspaper Editorials are commenting on the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and five Caribbean leaders. The meeting really came about due to the support of these countries, including the Bahamas, of the initiative of the American government to support the installation of the Opposition leader in Venezuela to lead that south American nation.
Some months ago, we took the position that our government broke the foreign policy of our nation to interfere in the internal affairs of another sovereign state. Since our independence in 1973, successive governments made this the firm stance of the Bahamian government over the years. Now, the Minnis administration has opened our country to ridicule and derision by Caricom and other countries and entities around the world.
While it is known that the US is our closest neighbour and that we will always want friendly relations with the Americans, it appears that we are afraid of offending the US, or afraid that if the Bahamas did not support the US, then our country would have been victimized by a vindictive Trump administration.
The Bahamas should have stood on the principle established more than 45 years ago. If not, then we should have abstained on the matter.
In Editorial from News Americas in New York City yesterday stated: “ Every Caribbean national – whether you live in the Caribbean or the US’ Caribbean Diaspora, should be bowing their heads in shame at this picture.
Here are five of the region’s leaders – Allen Michael Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Danilo Medina Sánchez, President of the Dominican Republic; Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Jovenel Moïse, President of the Republic of Haiti; and Hubert A. Minnis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas – representing nations that Donald Trump thinks of as largely “s-hole” nations, posing with him and Melania and brown-nosing in their comments following a private meeting at 45’s private resort at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida.
“So why would Donald Trump meet with five handpicked leaders and not the entire Caribbean Community (Caricom)? And why would he meet with them at his private resort and not at the White House?
“Those are questions that need to be asked of the five by the taxpayers of their countries paying for the trip, especially since they were quick to heap praise on the most racist, xenophobic, vacuous, petty, dictatorial bully that has ever occupied the office of President of America.
Donald Trump’s agenda was clear – to get the five he believes will support him in his quest to oust the current leadership in Venezuela. So what’s in it for the ‘Fab-Five?’
“It’s left to be seen what pieces of silver they are selling their souls for to the man who put children in cages; who has ramped up deportation of immigrants including from the Caribbean; who continues his racist agenda to scapegoat immigrants; who has ended TPS for Haitians and wants them out; whose rhetoric in support of white nationalism has led to a global rise of hate and hate crimes; who has trampled on American democracy and who continues daily to bully any and everyone, including the media, he feels is critical of him.
“It is shocking to hear the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, state: “The message from this meeting was that the United States wants to encourage and promote a stronger relationship with the region. We’re very happy with that message. We feel that it’s a message that is long in coming. … We’re satisfied that there will be instrumental action with that message.”
Really? What action is that? More deportation of Jamaicans from the US?
This is the leader of a country that has seen the US under Donald Trump deport almost 2,000 Jamaican immigrants in two years, while thousands more are in desperate need of some immigration relief.
But no such mention from the PM or the ‘Fab Five.’
And then there is the even more disturbing comment from Allen Chastanet, the prime minister of Saint Lucia and the incoming chairman of the 15-member CARICOM body.
“It’s been a really long time since leaders of the region have been invited to meet with the president of the United States of America and we think this is the beginning of a much broader initiative by America to the Caribbean,” Chastanet is quoted as saying. “This meeting was really about President Trump’s vision to re-initiate dialogue with the Caribbean.”
Really? What vision is that? The one where America under Donald Trump uses the ‘Fabulous Five” to help him execute his plan to invade Venezuela so they can take control of its oil assets and take his divide and rule plan of Trumpism to the Caribbean?
And just when you thought Chastanet could not sound more ridiculous as a brown-noser, he reportedly added: ‘There hasn’t been this level of engagement since Ronald Reagan engaged with former Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga in the early 1980s,’ according to Reuters reports.
Say what?
Perhaps Chastanet and Holness have both forgotten that it was President Barack Obama who travelled to the Caribbean to meet with CARICOM in 2015. And President George W. Bush who provided millions in aid to help fight HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean.
What has Trump done for the Caribbean since coming to office to deserve this revolting global display of public brown-nosing by our elected officials?
These Caribbean leaders should be ashamed of themselves for selling out not just their nations and their Diasporas but the entire region and its Diaspora.
Shame on you all!
