SOURCE: CMC- Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley says she is prepared to have her United States (US) visa revoked as she urged Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries to ensure they are able to explain “what the Cubans have been able to do for us” as they seek to defend the Cuban health brigade programme.
“This matter, with the Cubans and the nurses, should tell us everything that we need to know. Barbados does not currently have Cuban medical staff or Cuban nurses, but I will be the first to go to the line and to tell you that we could not get through the (COVID-19) pandemic without the Cuban nurses and the Cuban doctors,” Mottley said in a statement in Parliament.
The United States has raised questions about the programme that Caricom countries have insisted has benefitted the region significantly.
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio announced recently that Washington would be expanding an existing Cuba-related visa restriction policy that targets forced labour linked to the Cuban labour export programme.
“This expanded policy applies to current or former Cuban government officials, and other individuals, including foreign government officials, who are believed to be responsible for, or involved in, the Cuban labour export programme, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions,” Rubio said.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who left Cuba in pursuit of the American dream, said in the statement posted on the US Department of State’s website that the new policy also applies to the immediate family of those people supporting the Cuban programme.
“The department has already taken steps to impose visa restrictions on several individuals, including Venezuelans, under this expanded policy,” he added.
The Antigua and Barbuda, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago prime ministers have publicly expressed their support for the Cuban programme, while Grenada’s Foreign Minister Affairs Minister, Joseph Andall, said St George’s not only has a “legal, moral and ethical obligation to stand by the people of Cuba but that it should avoid being opportunistic or transactional as it pertains to the relations between the two countries”.
Mottley, the latest Caricom leader to address the issue, said that she would be the first to inform the world that Cuban health professionals have been paid “the same thing that we pay Bajans (Barbadians), and that the notion, as was peddled not just by this government in the US, but the previous government, that we were involved in human trafficking by engaging with the Cuban nurses was fully repudiated and rejected by us”.
“Now, I don’t believe that we have to shout across the seas, but I am prepared, like others in this region, that if we cannot reach a sensible agreement on this matter, then if the cost of it is the loss of my visa, to the US, then so be it.
“But what matters to us is principles. And I have said over and over that principles only mean something when it is inconvenient to stand by it. Now we don’t have to shout, but we can be resolute.”
Mottley, the Caribbean’s only female head of government, said she is looking forward “to standing with my Caricom brothers…to be able to ensure that we explain that what the Cubans have been able to do for us, far from approximating itself to human trafficking, has been to save lives and limbs and sight for many a Caribbean person”.
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Meanwhile…Kamala in T&T (where SHUGY SPENT PARLIAMENT SESSION) is bowing to the USA.
@Facts,
It all Shugy’s fault. Even the Alpha Nero disappearing money. Isn’t it?
after all he used CAMPAIGN FUNDS TO BUY HIMSELF A BOAT!!!!
After 60 years of UWI existence, why can’t this venerable institution train and provide medical professionals to meet the regions need.?
CARICOM refuses to recognize the underlying causes of the brain drain.
Nurses, engineers and accountants; know they are appriciated and compensated for their knowledge and skills where they migrate.
In the Caribbean they are not held back by the politics that enables incompetence and corruption.
Marco Rubio’s position should not surprise anyone. He got elected as a Senator on an anti-Cuban platform. As a Senator he has been the most rabid anti-Cuba in the Senate.
He has sponsored every anti-Cuba piece of Legislation. He will not alter his position and his boss Trump supports it.
What is CARICOM solution? Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley says she is prepared to have her United States (US) visa revoked.
That means little to Marco Rubio, and it will be used in the US as political fodder.
What is CARICOM solution?
Correction: In the Caribbean they are held back
PM Mottley, I always have great respect for you and I expected of you exactly what you did. We do not want coward leaders – those who lie down all the time will soon be bedridden. You are indeed a woman of strength and will be remembered for your courage.
For a superpower to be fighting CUBA over nothing, it means the superpower sees its power as fading. The Cuban medical program has been of invaluable assistance to many of the islands and we should show gratitude. In the meantime, the USA has been pulling the medical professionals from the region because they are able to offer better pay.
What is the USA concern, is it human traffic or is it the nine additional countries including CUBA that joined BRICS this year? The GDP of BRICS surpassed the G7 last year with the ratio 35% to 30% and with the nine added countries, it is even greater.
“Mottley, the Caribbean’s only female head of government” – apparently with the biggest pair among them
Well it’s more than just Cuba that is a source of discontent to the USA.
Cuba is just the trigger.
If they get through with this I can guarantee you big stick policy in full effect!!!
Brace yourself
Let us see how many of our Caribbean Leaders have the testicles to stand up for Cuba. It’s one thing to stand up at the UN General Assembly and give a speech, but when it will hurt you directly will you still stand up. I will wait and see and hope for the best.
Kudos to Caribbean Patriots like JBF and political leaders like Hon. Mia Mottley of Barbados, Hon. Denzil Douglas of St. Kitts and our own Hon
Gaston Browne who have issued a brave and measured response to US immoral and illegal threats of aggression towards Cuba in partivular and to the region as a whole. Already, it is becoming quite clear the difference between true Caribbean leaders and those who have no backbone whatsoever. The “cool” Indian Opposition member in Trinidad advising Kamala to ditch Cuba a la Trump’s orders, and the pseudo savants who remain soft and limp forever “Just Asking” and those who dare not take a stand but prefer to remain in a pit hiding their cowardice while secretly hoping that the pending hurricane would destroy their neighbour’s house while leaving theirs intact, are just a few examples of those not needed at any level in today’s forward march. The Caribbean is in dire need of armies of good, real men and women, not wimps and traitors!
@Just Asking March 13, 2025 At 12:47 pm
As soon as we educate our Young people in the field of medicine they run to greener pastures in North America. That is how they can pay back their student loans. Especially our nurses are so in demand, that as fast as we educate them they leave as well. We just cannot keep them here. if we would pay them the equivalent that they would earn in the USA or Canada, our healthcare would be broke in a couple of months and people would not be able to afford going to a doctor. And I’m telling you private doctors’ fees has gone up tremendously in this country. I remember in the 80s it was $75 per visit. Then is went to $150 in the 90s now it is $250 minimum for the first visit and $200 for follow up visits. And those are general GP fees. Specialists starts at $350 going up per visit.
Kamala in Trinidad is hoping to be the stooge of the USA who might bless her with political power over Trinidad, remember she is a racist for the indians who think they should rule over the afro Trinidadian people.
60 years “Just asking”??? Try 77 YEARS. UWI started in 1948 NOT 1965. They have been in existence as a full fledge university for 76 YEARS!!!!
Stand up Mia to that wimpy Cuban hating Secretary of State who cannot get past Fidel Castro but is in a Party who sucks up to Putin. I hope all the male colleagues around you will show some testicles. I’m worried that some of them will get picked off. As Bob Marley sang,”when you gonna get some food your brother got to be your enemy.” Plain US ambush in sight. Caricom, Latin, Central and South America has to stand up and not get rolled over cuz Venezuela is in his sights also.
Hats off to this lady. The US is getting waayyy to tyranical with the its actions on the world stage. The Americans of course dont see their actions as such but there are other countries who have done worse than sell a missile to US enemies and yet the US trades quite comfortably with them. So yes they can keep their visa.
Crazy thought. What if we invited Cuba to Carricom and they adopted our EC currency? The world is about trading blocks right? What if we expanded our own?
ChatGpts Ans:
That’s an interesting idea! Expanding CARICOM and integrating Cuba into the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) would be a bold geopolitical and economic move. Let’s break down some potential pros and cons of such a decision.
Potential Benefits:
1. Stronger Regional Trade Block:
Adding Cuba (the largest Caribbean nation) would increase CARICOM’s influence.
The region would have better leverage in trade negotiations with the U.S., EU, and China.
2. Economic Boost for the ECCU:
Cuba has a population of over 11 million, creating a much larger market.
Cuban tourism and industries (e.g., biotech, agriculture) could integrate with the EC market.
3. Stability Through the EC Dollar:
The Eastern Caribbean Dollar (XCD) is one of the world’s most stable currencies, pegged to the U.S. dollar.
If Cuba adopted the EC dollar, it could help stabilize their economy, which has struggled with inflation and currency fluctuations.
4. Diversification of Trade and Investment:
CARICOM could benefit from Cuba’s human capital (medical professionals, engineers, etc.)
Increased investment in regional infrastructure and tourism.
Challenges & Risks:
1. U.S. Sanctions & Political Tensions:
The U.S. embargo on Cuba could create pressure on CARICOM nations, especially those reliant on U.S. trade and aid.
2. Currency Integration Issues:
Cuba currently has the Cuban Peso (CUP), and transitioning to the EC Dollar would require major financial restructuring.
The ECCB (Eastern Caribbean Central Bank) would need to adjust monetary policy for a much larger economy.
3. Economic Disparities:
Many CARICOM countries have small open economies.
Cuba’s state-controlled economy could clash with CARICOM’s mixed economies.
4. Governance & Political Differences:
Cuba’s one-party socialist system differs from the democratic frameworks of CARICOM states.
Would Cuba be willing to integrate politically while keeping its governance structure?
Conclusion:
If Cuba joined CARICOM and adopted the EC dollar, it could transform the Caribbean into a stronger regional economic and trading bloc.
However, U.S. sanctions, economic disparities, and political differences would pose significant challenges.
A more realistic approach might be stronger trade agreements between Cuba and CARICOM first, before considering full integration.
What do you think the biggest challenge would be?