Statement of the Jamaica-Cuba Friendship Association against the Trump Administration escalation of the Helms Burton Act
The Jamaica-Cuba Friendship Association condemns in the strongest language, the vile attempts by current leadership of the United States of America, to asphyxiate the economy of our sister country and bringing untold hardship on its people, as part of their continued desperate attempt to impose a system of governance which was firmly rejected in the successful revolution of 1959 led by Fidel.
In vulgar display and utter contempt for the norms of international law, undergirded by raw demonstration of the politics of power which is unprecedented in the history of state to state relations, the Trump administration has sought to deny our Cuban brothers access to goods that are essential and basic for normal life, such as fuel.
Where, in an escalation of the extra territorial application of the repugnant Helms Burton act that deprives Cubans of the most elementary resources that are essential to their health and general wellbeing, they have pressured governments and countries where ships are registered, as well as imposing sanctions on shipping and insurance companies that transport fuel to our sister country, in a move designed to intimidate Cuba’s international associates thus making the day to day living conditions more difficult.
The Trump administration needs to be reminded that just like in 1960, when faced with a triumphant revolution and a united population who vowed not to return to the days of being the ‘playground’ of the empire led by its Batista-like cronies, a memorandum from US diplomat Lester Malloy in his summing up of the situation in our sister country noted, that the only path for them to take back control of Cuba was to provoke "disappointment and discouragement through economic dissatisfaction and hardship… with the objective of causing hunger, despair and overthrow of the government". This has failed!
History has taught us that the Cuban revolution has outlasted 11 presidents of the United States of America during the lifetime of the historical leader Fidel, while standing up against the most unjust, severe and prolonged unilateral system of sanctions known to mankind, an undeclared economic war against a courageous and patriotic people. The Donald Trump-led administration will be no different.
We call on all well-thinking Jamaica join us in raising their voices in opposition to USA’s genocidal action against our sister country.
Trevor G. Brown, President
9 October 2019