Guard Against Division, Heed Mottley’s Warning

The people of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region would do well to heed the impassioned plea of the head of its political institution constituted by its Heads of States and Governments, Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, which was made last weekend in response to the actions of the US President to impose additional tariffs on CARICOM’s exports to that country.

Speaking in her capacity as Chairman of CARICOM, the Barbadian leader spoke directly to all sectors of the Caribbean community. Referring to the tariffs and US actions against the Caribbean, Ms. Mottley warned that there is “trouble in Caribbean waters and it will impact on every one of us”. So great is the danger, she stressed, that “We must act now” to combat the threat.

In so doing, the CARICOM Chair recognised that the Caribbean response can only be successful if at all levels of CARICOM society we preserve the need for unity and “end in-fighting” among us because “the Caribbean is on the brink of being held hostage by global powers”.

Her words cannot have more relevance, for historically, Caribbean society has been the victim of deliberate colonial policies of divide and rule which has impeded collective action even when agreed upon among ourselves. The divisions of race, religion, class, size, and political outlook have long been our bugbears. Added to these are the false divisions perpetrated by the same powers which exploit us, giving us false notions of affiliation to political parties and organisations in the very countries which exploit us all.

For instance, there are political parties in the Caribbean which, in the face of all the harmful actions against Caribbean people and their quest for development by the dominant political forces on both sides of the Atlantic, are nevertheless proud to belong to global bodies set up by those parties which, over the years, have shared power between them. Thus, there are political parties in Jamaica, St Kitts/Nevis, St Lucia, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines which share membership in the right-wing International Democratic Union with parties such as Donald Trump’s Republicans in the USA, and the Conservatives in the UK.

They do so either directly as is the case with our own New Democratic Party here, or indirectly via the Caribbean Democratic Union, an offshoot of the international body. How can one be proud to associate politically with Trump- the Republicans, or Britain’s Conservatives?

Another division with international implications surrounds the controversial Citizenship by Investment (CBI), or passport for sale scheme being implemented by a number of Eastern Caribbean states, but strongly opposed by governments in the USA and Europe.

The scheme is thought to benefit financiers from mainland China as a bypass to gaining access to the USA and Europe. It may also explain the willingness of some parties to support diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China, as the NDP in SVG has pledged.

Yet such is the threat to our economic development, and welfare of our people that Ms. Mottley has called for us to place the welfare of our people above all the contradictory and contrary relations, and to band as one. Just as Donald Trump continues to trumpet “America first” so too must we place the common interests of our people and CARICOM first. We must reject the divisive approaches to woo Jamaica as being “like-minded” with the right-wing Republicans, or to cajole Trinidad and Tobago into a conspiracy against Venezuela, or use the oil wealth to suck Guyana into an armed conflict against Venezuela. We must stand firm on our sovereignty and solidarity with Cuba.

It will be difficult, and calls for sacrifice, but only unity can ensure victory in dignity.