PM justifies SVG, Cuba ties

Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has blasted the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) for their criticism of the deepening of relations between Cuba and this country.

Dr. Gonsalves, at a press conference at Cabinet Room on Monday 31 January, said it was sad that in the year 2005 he had to address what he described as “infantilism and stupidity”, the NDP’s claims that he was trying to transfer communist ideology to young Vincentians because of a recent visit to the Young Communist League in Cuba. {{more}}

The Prime Minister said such a claim could not be taken seriously, and it was the kind of “political illiteracy” expected from persons so backward that it was difficult to imagine how much more backward they could become. He said he was sure that the party’s founder, Sir James Mitchell, would find the article “repugnant to common sense”.

The Prime Minister was at the time replying to a question about an article submitted by or on behalf of the NDP, and published in last week’s issue of a weekly newspaper under the headline: “Cuban Visit – Communistic Visit Withheld”,

The article read “But why the report, from the Prime Minister, didn’t indicate to this country that Gonsalves met with Hassan Perez Casabona the 2nd secretary of the Young Communist League. What was Ralph Gonsalves’ interest in the Young Communist League?”

It continued: “This was Gonsalves speaking: ‘Cuban youth has always played a very important role in the revolution, pointed out Gonsalves, who was interested in the Young Communist League structure and ways of developing an ideology in youth….Clearly we can see his interest in the young Communist League was that of an understudy nature, presumably to transfer such ideology to the youth of St. Vincent and the Grenadines”.

The Prime Minister said this country was seeking to enhance trade with Cuba and Vincentian students there have been asking for a Consulate in that Spanish-speaking country. He said it was a complex world in which we live but some persons, behaving like infants, were seeking to simplify it.