May the Cuba/SVG friendship grow from strength to strength

Fri, Jun 15. 2012

The Governments of St Vincent and the Grenadines and the Republic of Cuba have just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between these two states, situated at opposite extremities of the Caribbean chain. It was in May 1992 that the then New Democratic Party government, led by Sir James Mitchell, took the bold step to formalize ties between the respective countries.{{more}}

While twenty years before, the ‘Big Four’ CARICOM nations – Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago – had broken the ice of political and diplomatic isolation by becoming the first Caribbean countries to open up formal links with Fidel Castro’s Cuba, then very much a no-no, it still took considerable courage in 1992 to follow in their footsteps. It is to the eternal credit of Sir James, then Foreign Minister Herbert Young and the NDP administration of the day, that they could rise above obvious political and ideological differences and put the interests of our people, Caribbean integration and world peace first.

Nine years later, when the Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration took office, cooperation with Cuba was taken to new heights. This was not surprising, considering that Dr Ralph Gonsalves was the leader of the ULP and Prime Minister. He was one of a generation of Caribbean intellectuals and political activists who refused to toe the line of successive US administrations that Cuba should remain isolated from its neighbours. He had to convince his colleagues from the old Labour Party of the wisdom of such a step, that party having been hostile to any relations with Cuba in the post-independence era.

Long before the ULP took office, the roots of future Cuba/SVG relations had been planted. Even in the colonial era, intellectuals from the ‘Forum’, (later the Democratic Freedom Movement) had made no secret that they favoured such openings. In spite of repressive laws banning socialist and Cuban literature, people like the late Dennis ‘Prick’ London openly read and circulated the ‘Granma’, the organ of the Cuban Communist Party. DFM leaders like the deceased Kerwyn Morris, Kenneth John and P.R. Campbell were vilified for pro-Cuba positions. The latter today heads a solidarity Committee for five Cubans imprisoned in the USA.

Dr Gonsalves and his colleagues from then YULIMO and later the UPM (United People’s Movement) were persecuted for their support for Cuba. Caspar London, who spearheaded the formation of the SVG/Cuba Friendship Society as long ago as 1976, was himself arrested and charged for subversive literature. He endured much vilification, along with other colleagues like former minister Mike Browne and the current President of the Friendship Society, Renwick Rose.

In the long run, steadfastness and perseverance won out and informal contact was made with Cuba, resulting in the first batch of a long line of students to be granted scholarships to Cuba in 1980. These included the current Foreign Minister, Dr Douglas Slater and his Permanent Secretary Andreas Wickham. The flood gates had been opened.

Today St Vincent and the Grenadines can point to many tangible benefits of its association in Cuba, before the establishment of diplomatic relations, and particularly in the 21st century. Whether in the fields of education, health or sports, more especially in the construction of our flagship project, the Argyle International Airport, and in solidarity, politically and diplomatically, we have much for which we owe Cuba a huge debt of gratitude.

The one regret is that we have not been too forthcoming in demonstrating that gratitude. All too few of those who took advantage of Cuban generosity to become qualified professionals today display any support for solidarity events with Cuba, or defend it in the face of political slander. That does not speak well for us. Given all of this, Sir James and former Foreign Minister Young deserve praise for their public support of the 20th anniversary activities and their identification with it. May the friendship and solidarity between our peoples grow from strength to strength.