Strong and swift response in the face of silence
Dear Editor,
I envy Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s defence of her country’s official as one that should be exemplified by our very own prime minister and government officials. I find it very commendable that she has spoken swiftly and intelligently on the matter thus far.
This is, of course, in startling contrast to her Jamaican counterpart Portia Simpson Miller. She has not only failed in the eyes of the Jamaican population to address the pertinent issues, but in the eyes of the regional and international communities to follow through on commitments made before her second inauguration as prime minister of Jamaica.
That aside, despite Bissessar’s stance that no breech of individual human right has been committed, the contrary seems to be true. It becomes more evident that Jamaicans have been the deliberate targets of a regional system that should encourage and support unity. This recent development has again called into question the relevance of Caricom within the region.
Increasingly within the region there are blatant evidences of open discrimination against people of specific nationalities as evidenced in the Dominican Republic/Haiti issue, the Shanique Myrie/Barbados case, and the countless others before and after that have gone unreported. What has Caricom done?
Caricom has dragged its feet in its response and condemnation of these evident injustices and has failed to implement stringent measures to prevent their recurrence. Caricom has only continued to reflect the individualistic nature of the states involved, and inarguably serves the trade interest of the twin-island republic.
I honestly support Caribbean integration as a means of survival in an international global political economy that does not serve the interests of the small-island developing states of the Caribbean. However, this support hinges on the premise that this institution does not discriminate, swiftly and strongly condemns actions that leads to the violation of the human rights of the Caribbean peoples, and is more visible within the region and on international issues.
Wendy Simpson
ocsa.wendy@hotmail.com
