Kingston, Jamaica, 22 March 2020. Lisa Hanna, a Member of Parliament for South East St. Ann and opposition spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, shared from her Facebook page a deep reflection on the need to end the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the US Government against Cuba.
In an article entitled "It's time – We are all connected!", Hanna makes a historical review from the emergence of that criminal policy to the present time, she presents solid arguments in favour of its lifting and recognizes that "Despite the burden of the worst economic imposed blockade, Cuba continues to give generously to humanity by sending healthcare workers to China, Italy and whenever there is need for help during this COVID-19.”.
Referring to the recent arrival in Jamaica of a significant group of Cuban health care professionals to strengthen the Cuban Medical Brigade that is already serving in the country in the face of the Covid-19 spread, she says: “Jamaica has once again been the beneficiary of their profound big-heartedness. Cuba has been a loyal and reliable friend whose footprints are visible in our health, education and construction sectors.”.
Due to the logic of the reasoning presented in favour of lifting the blockade and the feelings of friendship towards Cuba expressed by the author in this article, we append it in its entirety and recommend its reading.
IT’S TIME: WE ARE ALL CONNECTED!
When history presents the opportunity to reset our values, and change old attitudes, we must seize the moment and do the right thing. COVID-19 has forced everyone globally to stop and honestly evaluate how our actions can and will physically harm one another. It’s a stern pause for social and personal introspection and a catalyst for the positive entrenchment of our modified behaviour for the improvement of this generation and the next.
Leaders around the world must move away from confrontation to conciliation; tolerant of different economic and political systems if we’re not only to survive but prevail. Our shared humanity demands compassion as we seek to understand the differences that may divide us.
It has been nearly 58 years since the US imposed an embargo on Cuba. The world has changed in profound ways over the course of 58 years. Not only has the embargo failed, but it has imposed severe hardship on the people of Cuba and deprived both the US, Cuba and the world of valuable trade, health benefits, investment, tourism and cultural exchanges.
Today, I again say to our friend to the North, the United States of America that this failed strategy should have been abandoned long ago. The dismantling of the embargo would be consistent with US approaches of reconciliation with countries such as Vietnam. We call on the US to end the embargo and restore normalcy to relations with Cuba. We on this of the house have consistently opposed the embargo and stand ready to work with the Government to assist our two closest neighbours in normalization of relations. Let’s find a way to remove this outdated, counter-productive, embarrassing, and failed Embargo.
It is incomprehensible that the embargo is still in place. This is the repeatedly expressed view of 188 countries. The international community has, with few exceptions resoundingly continued to register their condemnation over the past twenty years and have disregarded the embargo in their economic and diplomatic relations with Cuba.
The US imposed an embargo on Cuba on February 3, 1962. It involved "an embargo on all trade between the United States and Cuba." This action was a continuation of a strategy aimed at regime change in Cuba which originated at the height of the Cold War. An earlier manifestation of this strategy was the "Bay of Pigs Invasion" and the danger of this strategy brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in an incident which has become known as the "Cuban Missile Crisis." No doubt the USA policy at the time of a bitter Cold War demanded a show of strength in the prevention of the spread Communism in the Caribbean. Since then the USSR has been dissolved; “Communist China lends more money to the USA than any other country in the world and the Cold War came to an end.
Common co-existence with the ideology of communism is now the USA’s daily reality. It’s clear that Cuba can no longer be regarded as a credible threat to American national security.
There’s declining political support in the US for the continuation of the embargo. The Cuban Research Institute in its "2011 Cuba Poll" found more than 80% of Cuban Americans surveyed said the embargo has not worked very well or not at all. The wider USA community agrees.
A 2012 opinion poll, more than 1,000 US adults found 62% of respondents thought the United States should re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba, while only one in four was against it. Among Americans surveyed, 57% think the travel ban to Cuba should be lifted, while only 27% think the ban shoul remain. Regarding the trade embargo, 51% of Americans want to open trade with Cuba, compared to 29% who do not.
When it was deemed detrimental in the West to support Cuba after 1962, Prime Minister Michael Manley showed unrelenting support and led a united front with Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1972 being the first in the western hemisphere. This assertive, courageous and enlightened leadership in our foreign policy and diplomacy has served Jamaica well.
The Government and people of Cuba are well aware of our friendship and strong solidarity. Over the years Jamaica has demonstrated our support, cooperation and partnership. Our two countries have shared mutually beneficial bi-lateral programs especially in sports, education and health. However, the Embargo has not allowed the full potential of our relationship with Cuba or USA to flourish.
It’s time to recognize that the end of the Embargo is not just a US-Cuba issue BUT one crucial to the national interests of Caribbean countries. The collective economic development of the Caribbean has been impaired as the embargo inhibits trade, investment and tourism with a market of 11.5 million.
Jamaica with its geographical location is ideally suited as a logistics/ coordination port for supplies and business services to Cuba.
Jamaica is positioned as an international transportation hub for the operations of large ships especially from Asia and the Far East. Cuba will be important in these transhipment decisions. The Embargo as embodied in a raft of pieces of legislation at the core of which is the Helms/Burton Act, constitute serious deterrents to both our nations expanding our economies for growth.
This Act, in particular, enacted in 1996 to strengthen the embargo applies U.S. law – extraterritorially – to associated parties of US companies. For example, in 2006 the Bank of Nova Scotia in Jamaica decided to end banking services to Cubans living and doing businesses in Jamaica. In 2014 Price Smart suspended membership accounts to Cubans non-permanent residents in Jamaica or of any other country.
In 2014, President Barack Obama uttered the watershed declaration "It is now time to acknowledge that particular policy has failed." With the reestablishment of diplomatic relations and the easement of restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba in 2014 by President Barack Obama, the Jamaican American Chamber of Commerce recommended that their office be the conduit to facilitate trade with American businesses in Cuba.
In 2016 for the first time at the UN there was not a single vote against the Resolution to lift the blockade. The Representative of the United States, one of two states which abstained, said, “It was time for a new chapter of cooperation.” However, the Trump administration has reversed these gains.
We must recognize in the face of the overwhelming statistics supporting the lifting of the embargo; the admission of the failure of the policy at the highest level of the United States Administration and the unanimous Resolution in the United Nations there has been no movement in the US Congress to do the right thing and lift the embargo.
Jamaica will have to do what it has always done best in these situations. Remain resolute in the UN to prevent any roll back; mobilize our CARICOM partners in the struggle; and use our enormous influence in the G77 and China to ensure there is no breach among the developing countries. There is nobody more qualified than Jamaica to act as an interlocutor to help both proud nations find their way to the end of this Embargo.
We are so much better situated than other countries; understand the history and culture of both the USA and Cuba; have contributed to the growth and development of both with the export of our human resources, services and goods; have so much more of a stake in a negotiated solution. Furthermore, I would dare say that both nations trust us given our longstanding support and mutual respect.
Despite the burden of the worst economic imposed blockade, Cuba continues to give generously to humanity by sending healthcare workers to China, Italy and whenever there is need for help during this COVID-19. Jamaica has once again been the beneficiary of their profound big-heartedness.
Cuba has been a loyal and reliable friend whose footprints are visible in our health, education and construction sectors.
We must never take this friendship for granted. We are all Connected!
Ms. Lisa Hanna, MP
South East St. Ann