Partido Político de Trinidad y Tobago ¨Movimiento por la Justicia Social¨ (MSJ) emite declaración de apoyo a Cuba en condena a la nuevas agresiones de EE.UU.
MSJ stands in Solidarity with Cuba, condemns US Aggression against Cuba
On this historic day for Cuba, the Movement for Social Justice expresses its solidarity with the Cuban people and Government. Sixty-six (66) years ago Fidel Castro led a group of young men and women in an attack on the Moncada military garrison in the eastern city of Santiago. While that attack failed as a military action and a number of the group were killed, July 26, 1953 marked the start of the Cuban Revolution against the brutal dictatorship of Batista. Fidel himself was captured along with Raul Castro and many others and jailed. At his trial Fidel made his historic address - History will Absolve Me.
History did indeed absolve Fidel and his July 26th Movement which eventually completed the Revolution on January 1st, 1959 - 6 short years after the July 26 attack on Moncada. The Cuban Revolution transformed Cuba and the social gains have been acknowledged globally.
Cuba has however had to endure hostile actions by the United States throughout the 60 years of its Revolution. Military intervention with the Bay of Pigs attack; numerous assassination attempts against Fidel; terrorist acts, the worst of which was the 1976 bombing of a Cubana airplane off the coast of Barbados that killed all 73 persons on board; have all been part of successive U.S. Government actions to bring about regime change in Cuba.
The most sustained U.S action has been the economic, financial and trade blockade against Cuba. This blockade has been universally condemned by the United Nations General Assembly as illegal and an attack on the sovereignty of Cuba. Yet, the US Congress refuses to abide by international law and remove this unilaterally imposed blockade.
In the latter period of his presidency, President Obama agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba and by executive order relaxed some restrictions on the travel of and remittances by US citizens to Cuba. The blockade, however, remained in place as this is the result of laws passed by the US Congress and can only be ended by the Congress.
The right-wing Trump has reversed all the limited actions by Obama and has now gone much further to tighten the illegal and illegitimate blockade against Cuba. In particular, Trump has invoked a part of the Helms-Burton Act that had previously remained unimplemented. The Helms-Burton Act was one of several laws passed by the US Congress to effect the blockade. This insidious law placed sanctions on other countries that trade with Cuba - something that is totally contrary to international law and the principles of international relations. The Trump regime has now effected Title 3 of that Act which is even more draconian.
One example of this is that the US claims the right - totally illegally - to punish with sanctions any country or company that trades with targeted Cuban companies. Recently that has now affected Trinidad and Tobago and our state-owned National Gas Company that has established a commercial agreement with the Cuban company Cubametales.
Marco Rubio the rabid right-wing US Senator who is an integral part of US actions to bring about regime change in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, last week attacked the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago and our right to establish and engage in economic and trade relations with whom we wish to. Rubio threatened this country's bilateral relations with the US because of NGC selling LPG to Cuba.
The MSJ condemns in the strongest possible way this blatant attack on our nation's sovereignty by Rubio. Instead of focusing on Trinidad and Tobago and Caricom and trying to illegally bring about regime change in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua, Rubio and his Republican senators should be seeking to have a change in regime in Washington. Donald Trump, who has shown himself to be a racist, miscogenist, neo-fascist is a danger to US democracy and to world peace and should be removed from office. Rather than support Trump's impeachment, Rubio cowardly attacks us, all in the self-interest of getting Trump's support for his (Rubio's) re-election.
We call on the Trinidad and Tobago government and all of Caricom to stand firm and defend our sovereignty in the face of this blatant bullying of what can best be described as US imperialism at its worst. We reiterate our solidarity with the Cuban Revolution and the Cuban people as they once again face tremendous challenges as a result of illegal and immoral US actions against them
Movement for Social Justice
David Abdulah, Political Leader
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson