From all reports the people of Cuba are having some of the hardest times in their history, certainly since the Revolution of 1959. The harsh economic sanctions imposed on that country by  the US government since the early 1960s and tightened by successive administrations are having their worst effects ever. They have hit hard at the Cuban economy and by extension the living standards of the Cuban people.

Cubans are a determined and resilient people. What they have put up with for over six decades, perhaps no other people on earth would have been able to withstand. Shortages, especially of food and other basic items, have been a way of life for Cubans. It has forced many to emigrate in the past especially to the USA which has encouraged it by making it easy for illegal Cuban migrants, unlike those from the rest of Latin America, to stay in the USA once they have landed.

In the past, the many benefits of the Cuban Revolution for its people, especially in the fields of education, health, social services and sports opportunities have helped the Cuban people to stay firm. But it is also true, that up to the early nineties, there was trade with the Soviet bloc, enabling Cuba to alleviate shortages. In addition, as Cuban prestige grew globally, more and more countries including from the European Union began to engage in economic relations with Cuba, especially in trade and tourism.

In recognition of this, not only has the USA been tightening the sanctions, but it has also now trampled on international law by introducing what it calls secondary sanctions. This means that not only is the US forbidding its companies and their subsidiaries from trading with Cuba, but countries and companies not under US jurisdiction face US sanctions if they trade with Cuba. This has affected trade, finance and the procurement of vital supplies, especially oil, food, equipment including medical, and almost any other area.

The effects have been devastating. With even remittances from families in the USA restricted, flights to Cuba difficult to obtain, and drastic shortages of food and medicine in particular, life in Cuba has become precarious. In spite of the advances and best efforts of the Revolution, patience is wearing thin. So much so that Cubans, in their tens of thousands are leaving. Many top athletes and sports stars, doctors, scientists, qualified personnel, are fleeing the island, their beloved home. Who can blame them? When your basic needs are not being met in any society, what do you do?

Cuba is at a critical crossroads and needs all the help it can get. The first persons to line up in providing that help, that solidarity, should be those who have not only benefited but continue to benefit from Cuban assistance. That assistance continues to be given, in spite of Cuba’s crisis. In the past two weeks alone, in addition to all that Cuba has done to aid our development, there are reports of more Cuban aid to us in the fields of education, agriculture and health with Cuban technicians and nurses being sent to our assistance. The same can be said for most other CARICOM countries. What have we given in return? Even “oil-rich” Trinidad and Tobago is complaining that the sanctions are hurting plans for developing the petrochemical sector.

It is true that those of us who benefit from Cuban assistance take a principled stand and vote for Cuba in the UN agencies, but given the drastic situation, that alone is not enough. Take this week’s meeting between some CARICOM leaders and the US Vice-President. We should collectively tell her that not only are the US sanctions criminal and anti-people, but they are also hurting us indirectly. The upcoming CARICOM Heads of Government Summit next month must take a firm stand in that regard. We must use our position as President of CELAC to put the matter on the agenda. We cannot tell the USA with whom it must trade, but we must insist that it has no right to punish any country for trading with Cuba, if the USA considers that country as its “enemy”.

Not just government either. The opposition NDP is a member of the Caribbean Democratic Union (CDU) an affiliate of the Republican party in the USA, a party very hostile to Cuba. The NDP needs to raise that matter with the Republicans and with its CDU and IDU friends. Our public servants and Ministers too must treat Cuban internationalist workers here with more respect, pay more attention to providing proper working conditions and living quarters for them. There are many complaints in this regard. This is not how you treat your friends.

To conclude, Mr. Prime Minister, let us show all and sundry that we care, we appreciate. Why not, on the occasion of the Cuban public holiday on July 26, let us organize a public rally, mobilizing as we do for political reasons, in support of Cuba, inviting the Opposition to mobilize their supporters as well? It’s the least we can do.

• Renwick Rose is a community activist and social commentator.