The Andrew Holness Administration has spoken about its foreign policy as being one of pragmatism and not ideologically driven. He has said that his foreign policy is built around getting the best deal for Jamaica, alienating none and taking no sides when it comes to major disputes. This, he believes, will get us the best results as we deal with a changing international order which is more volatile than the one preceding it. As a result, his Administration took the side of the US during Trump’s first Administration, breaking historical ties with Venezuela, and had to be dragged into recognizing Palestine.
Some thought that when Andrew Holness defended our Cuban medical brigade during the visit of Marco Rubio last year, the Administration had turned a corner and realised that they needed to show more steel when it came to defending our vital interests, but actions recently have shown that such thoughts were misplaced. Under great pressure from the US, the Administration buckled and cancelled the deal with Cuba, which saw us getting medical personnel.
Now I will not waste time going over the GOJ’s stated reasons; we all know the real reason is that we have had such undue pressure put on us that we decided it was better to forego the deal. To do that is understandable; we are all aware of how dependent we are on the US economically and otherwise, but it again underscores how weak we are when it comes to foreign policy.
The move was signaled by the PM at the recent CARICOM summit, where he gave a mealy-mouthed defence of Cuba while also leaving room for regime change by criticising the Cuban governance structure. This ‘defence’ was a clear signal that a new view on the relationship was brewing, and we have seen the result as Cuban medical brigades have been called home from Guyana as well.
The poorest and most vulnerable will be the primary victims of this deal being scrapped, and there is no solution which has been offered up. Instead of being grown-ups and acknowledging the pressure we were under, we have sought to sully Cuba by saying they ended the deal. It does not wash, and one excuse after another given by the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) show that they had not thought about the fallout of this.
Hospitals in rural Jamaica will suffer as Cubans leave, and with a shortage of personnel in specific areas, like cancer treatment, it is obvious that a medical system which is already under strain will now be in a critical state. The Government seemed to be trying to get ahead of this by engaging Filipino and Ghanaian doctors and nurses, but we do not know if we will get them in numbers to fill the gaps left by the Cubans, as well as pre-existing gaps.
It is clear that the PM’s pragmatism has hit upon the realities of empire. Nothing we do short of kowtowing will suffice to the US, so we must take a stand at the very least on issues that directly affect us. What we have witnessed instead is a Government rolling over and then muddying the waters when called out on it.
If the GOJ releases are to be believed, then the agreement spanning multiple party administrations was totally illegal, and we, read the State, are open to legal action. Are we really saying that? Are we really saying that all those diplomats and lawyers didn’t see this until, coincidentally, Marco Rubio pointed it out?
We will be expected to make more tough choices, which will impact us for decades. On the chopping block are our relations with China, and there will come a time in the not-too-distant future when the US will tell us to cut relations with China. Are we prepared for that? Are we willing to stand up and say no, or will we buckle as we have done with the Cuban medical brigades?
This situation could have been tackled as a regional issue, but again, the Jamaica Labour Party, with its reluctance for regional integration, has chosen to go it alone. It is time that our leaders understand that while they may want to stay in the middle of the road, reaping benefits from both sides, we are fast approaching the point where we will have to make decisions, stay as an appendage of the US or engage the rest of the world.
Yes, the US is a bully, and yes, sanctions would harm us, but at some point we must have a spine and stand up. We were silent when Maduro was kidnapped. We have thrown Cuba under a bus by cancelling the medical personnel deal. We have buckled and we have nothing to show for it and will soon find ourselves on the chopping block. Will anyone be left to stand up for us or will we have burned all bridges?
