Patterson agonising over Cuba crisis

Former Jamaican Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has expressed his “indescribable” personal torment over the deepening political and humanitarian crisis in Cuba – a crisis he says is made worse by the absence of the bold political courage once shown in the era of Michael Manley.

Patterson was among 10 former Caribbean prime ministers who issued a joint statement as the situation in Cuba worsens, with the island reportedly starved of fuel.

Speaking to ‘Beyond the Headlines’ host Dionne Jackson Miller on Radio Jamaica 94 FM on Friday, Patterson did not mince his words.

“I have been undergoing a level of personal torment which is indescribable because what I see is a total reverse of the courage, the boldness, the foresight, a willingness to fight formidable odds, which were all evident in the meeting of December 8, 1972, and the present time,” he said.

On December 8, 1972, the leaders of four independent Caribbean states met in Chaguaramas, Trinidad, and agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba, defying the United States’ economic embargo.

Known for his oft-repeated line that silence cannot be misquoted, Patterson explained why he felt compelled to break his own rule.

“Silence cannot be misquoted”

“I’m often quoted for saying silence cannot be misquoted, but I’m also aware of that passage in Ecclesiastes, which says there’s a time to be silent and a time to refrain from silence. And in my mind, in my torment, in my agony, the time had come to refrain from silence.

“And so, I reached out to a number of former colleagues who have served at various times as heads of state and government in the Caribbean. We are not a formal organisation, and as we have all retired from active service, we are not in the kind of regular contact which previously obtained,” Patterson told the programme’s host.

The eight former leaders initially endorsing the statement are Jamaica’s Bruce Golding and P.J. Patterson, St Lucia’s Kenny Anthony, Barbados’ Freundel Stuart, Guyana’s Donald Ramotar, Trinidad and Tobago’s Keith Rowley, Grenada’s Tillman Thomas, and Dominica’s Edison James. Antigua’s Baldwin Spencer and Belize’s Said Musa later added their names.

Patterson stressed that the group no longer holds political power and is mindful of the responsibilities borne by current leaders.

“We are aware that we no longer exercise political control, and we are acutely conscious of the challenges and responsibilities of those in whose hands that power presently resides. And our statement was intended and is designed to set out the very clear principles on which our relationships with Cuba has been based over many years of association. The repeated denouncement by the United Nations General Assembly of the embargo which has been in place but this has taken a sharp turn which is a fatal potential for Cuba. If you cut off the energy supplies, you’re cutting off food supplies, medical supplies, [and] we’ve just heard sanitation problems arise which could result in an epidemic, a pandemic, as unjustified and horrible and indefensible in law as was the recent intervention in Venezuela,” Patterson explained.

Just over a month ago, US troops entered Venezuela and removed its president amid tensions over fuel shipments to Cuba. With Nicolás Maduro out of office, Venezuela’s fuel supplies to Havana have ceased.

“This one is of an unprecedented dimension because whatever one might think about the people in the government of Cuba, it is the 11 million civilians that are facing punishment. And we think that this is not only a clear breach of all the principles and norms which govern international law and diplomatic relationships, but it offends our common humanity. And therefore, our appeal is for the Caribbean heads, when they meet in Saint Kitts and Nevis next week for their intercessional meeting, to make very clear where the Caribbean region stands in solidarity with the people of Cuba in their repudiation of action which will result in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and use the contacts which we have with nations all over the world,” Patterson urged.

“Cruel executive order”

He wants the Caribbean Community to call on the United States to “revoke this cruel executive order”, while avoiding any slide into open conflict with Washington.

Jamaica, under Manley, faced severe political and economic destabilisation in the 1970s, particularly after he declared the island a democratic socialist state in 1976. A spiralling crime wave, deep ideological divisions and economic warfare with the US pushed the country into the arms of the International Monetary Fund, whose loans came with punishing conditions.

Patterson said today’s leaders must be advised that the measures imposed by the US are reprehensible. He also acknowledged Washington’s retaliatory steps, including the revocation of visas for key Caribbean officials.

Caribbean nations have already been told to end their participation in Cuba’s medical brigade programme or renegotiate the terms under which Cuban doctors are hired. Jamaica is currently in talks to revise its own arrangements.

Above all, Patterson said, the looming humanitarian disaster remains the gravest concern.

The United States has not alleged that Cuba is in breach of any rule or norm of international conduct. While acknowledging differences in political and economic systems, Patterson questioned whether Washington is prepared to starve the very people it is urging to rise up against their government.

The joint statement was also signed by former leaders of Guyana, Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago, alongside Spencer and Musa.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com