Norris McDonald | Jamaica, Cuba, American embargo and the arrogance of power!
Published:Wednesday | March 30, 2022 | 12:09 AM
People around the world are organising international caravans that are aimed at demanding that America lift the 60-year-old economic embargo against Cuba, which has created terrible hardships. This cruel economic embargo was imposed in 1962.
Jamaica is now also commemorating another 60 years – that of a hard-fought, and won, political Independence.
How can Jamaica, a friend of Cuba, feel comfortable celebrating 60 years of Independence, with fireworks and Grand Gala, while Cuba is commemorating 60 years of hardship? The Cuban government has done so much for Jamaica over the years, the true friend that it is.
After 60 miserable years, isn’t it clear that the political and economic embargo has failed? Isn’t it time to end the embargo? Isn’t it time that Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean demand that the US end this unjustified, unnecessary, gruelling oppression of one of its own?
AMERICA BECOMES AN IMPERIALIST NATION
Prior to the 1959 Cuban Revolution, America’s military presence in Cuba was used to prop up corrupt regimes.
American intervention in the political and economic life of Cuba started with the 1898 Spanish-American War. This, too, marked the ascendancy of America as an international ‘Great Power’ nation, as an imperialist power, with the ability to show and project strength worldwide.
It was against the background of Cuba’s successful War of Independence from Spain that America intervened in the country.
The Platt Amendment was passed in 1901 to give legal authority to the US military intervention in Cuba, arguing that it was aimed at ‘protecting Cuba’s independence’.
Well, it is now over 120 years since American troops landed in Guantanamo Bay, virtually annexing that part of Cuba.
Since then, the American military presence has been used to prop up corrupt Cuban leaders such as Fulgencio Batista. He came to power in 1940 and remained in power until 1959, when he was overthrown by the Fidel Castro-led Cuban revolutionaries.
THE CUBAN REVOLUTION SUCCESSES
On January 8, 1959, when Fidel Castro addressed the Cuban people, following the victorious revolution, “a white dove” reportedly landed on his shoulders, “while two others hovered over his head”.
The Cuban religious culture of Santeria has a white dove as an important icon. Therefore, although it may appear as a matter of chance or coincidence, “the dove landing on Fidel’s shoulder was deemed an important prophetic act”.
It may well be so, too, since Fidel Castro, as some would say, ‘is protected’, since he managed to survive over 600 assassination attempts by the American Central Intelligence Agency.
The Cuban President Fidel Castro eventual died from natural causes in 2016.
The charismatic nature of Fidel Castro aside, what is most outstanding is the many achievements of Cuba despite 60 years of the cruel American embargo.
• Cuba has achieved universal health care for her people.
• They have eliminated illiteracy.
• They have established a universal, integrated education system.
• They have the highest physician-to-patient ratio and best teacher-student ratio in the world.
Neighbouring Caribbean countries have benefited from Cuba in terms of the training of regional doctors, engineers, economists, and other specialists. In practical terms, the success of Cuba in building construction has been translated in practical actions, such as the Jose Marti Technical and Garvey Maceo high schools they donated to Jamaica.
Cuba’s internationalism is legendary. In 1975, Cuban freedom fighters went to South Africa to defend the national liberation struggle against the evil schemes of the Western-backed, racist, apartheid South African regime.
It is the progressive and internationalist character of the Cuban ‘revolution’ that caused so much imperialist ‘teeth gnashing’. And yet, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba sent an ‘army of dedicated doctors and nurses’ to help other countries in the fight to save lives.
Italy, for example, is a rich Western industrialised nation who was in deep distress with COVID-19, and Cuba rapidly dispatched 51 doctors to help save lives.
They also dispatched healthcare workers to several other countries, including Jamaica, to help fight the deadly virus.
All this has been achieved despite 60 years of unjust economic hardship!
US President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in 2016 offered a glimmer of hope that America’s inhumane policy towards Cuba would change.
Donald Trump, on becoming president, reversed Obama’s actions that allowed American citizens to travel to Cuba, among other positives. Trump went on to impose some 243 more stringent measures, reimposing extreme hardships on the Cuban people.
President Joe Biden, although claiming that he was a ‘working man’ – working-class Joe – has kept Trump’s extremist policies against Cuba in place.
END THE AMERICAN EMBARGO
Political principles require the Caribbean nations to speak up for Cuba and demand the lifting of the unjust American embargo.
So there we have it, my friends, two political anniversaries in 2022 – Jamaica’s hard-fought political Independence and the Cuban people fighting to have the 60-year economic embargo lifted.
Times hard an’ duty tuff,
Nutten naaw grawn,
Ah bwoy! T’ings ruff!
Despite 60 years of economic blockade, their determination for political and economic independence made them focus on getting rid of illiteracy, homelessness, lack of health care and other social problems.
Things would be a lot better for the Cuban people and our region without this economic blockade against Cuba.
What are the Caribbean nations doing about not having another 60 years of oppression of Cuba, a Caribbean sister nation?
Winston ‘Burning Spear’ Rodney, in his song Swellheaded, would put it this way:
“My Black brother call me, call me, and he reason with me
Everything he tells me, he tells me, oh yes, it’s true
That’s why I will never, run, run, run, I will never run away
Do you hear? – I will never run away.
I will never run, never run, never run away!”
The 60-year-old American embargo against Cuban MUST END NOW! And the Caribbean political leaders must be upfront in this fight!
That is just the bitta truth!
Norris McDonald is an economic journalist, political analyst, and respiratory therapist. Email feedback columns@gleanerjm.com and miaminorris@yahoo.com.