JOINT TRADE UNION MOVEMENT (JTUM)
MEDIA STATEMENT
JTUM’S SOLIDARITY WITH NEWLY APPOINTED CUBAN PRESIDENT
The Progressive Trade Union Movement of Trinidad and Tobago wishes to congratulate the current President of Cuba, Miguel Mario Diaz Canel Bermudez on his election into office. We are of the firm view that this President is not a puppet of anyone, however it appears that there are some forces who would want him to become a puppet of the United States.
We are pleased to hear that the President will continue the relationship and strong ties that Cuba has developed with the Caribbean, and by extension Trinidad and Tobago, instead of establishing a new foreign policy which could see Cuba looking more toward North America or even Latin America. The President has also decided to continue on the path of the revolution, which is consistent with the view of the majority of Cubans who have always appreciated the gains of the revolution.
We believe in the principles of sovereignty and self-determination which is consistent with our vision of achieving a society with the power to determine its own destiny. We now see a trend of a growing aggression by the US and its western allies to bully countries into following their dictates, which unfortunately also finds favour with certain interests in our own country.
The Joint Trade Union Movement now calls for the removal of the economic blockade imposed upon Cuba by the American Imperialist Government, which is the reason for the great pains of the Cuban people. We are opposed to any country exerting political and economic influence over a free and sovereign nation. We believe that the concept of western representative democracy hides the fact that what we have in most western countries is a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie. This is a small elite class who is immensely wealthy, who finances political parties and dictates the direction of governments.
We are a strong believer in participatory democracy where the citizens, the electorate, and the people themselves, play a central role in the decision making process. Our view is that neo- liberal policies such as privatisation, threaten democracy, because with privatization across the board, and the provision of services being made by private interests, then the question must be asked why we are voting. Privatisation disempowers the citizenry as voters. Participatory democracy is deeper and broader, which enables workers and ordinary citizens to play a role in deciding the direction of the country, which is why we subscribe to this form of democracy which exists in Cuba.
In the Caribbean there have been three major revolutions that are considered great moments in human history, the Haitian Revolution, the Grenadian Revolution and the Cuban Revolution. The Progressive Trade Union Movement stands by the ideals of these great Caribbean Revolutions. We have always been close to the Cuban Revolution and other liberation movements such as the civil rights movement, the anti-apartheid movement as well as the struggle for independence of Caribbean territories which are still colonized.
We condemn the posturing and comments made by the US Vice President Mike Pence, at the recent Summit of the Americas, which suggested that the Trump Administration will be aggressively pursuing an expansion of Manifest Destiny. The Progressive Trade Union Movement of Trinidad and Tobago is diametrically opposed to the concept of Manifest Destiny and the Munroe Doctrine.
We believe that there is no place in this part of the world for the Munroe Doctrine. There can be no place for such a doctrine in a world where we are supposed to respect the sovereignty, independence and freedom of nation states. We view the comments made by the US Vice President as a threat to the peace and stability of this part of the world.
We continue to stand in solidarity with the new Cuban President, the Cuban people and the Cuban Revolution which represents the ideals, aspirations and dreams of oppressed people all over the world throughout history, from Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ozzi Warwick,General Secretary
Oilfields Workers’ Trade Union