No place for bullyism

There is a change taking place. People are championing their rights, underdeveloped countries are standing up against the historical wrongs, improper influences and overt or covert coercions of developed nations, demanding that they be recognised as equals.

Recently I had the privilege of listening to Minister Pandor of the Republic of South Africa in her remarks while hosting US Secretary of State Blinken. She did not mince her words. She addressed the ‘patronising bullyism’ of the USA, their current attempt to introduce what she termed ‘offensive legislation’ allegedly targeting African nations which did not necessarily follow the script that they were expected to adopt in support of the US. She stressed the need for mutual respect while opposing the ‘directives’ of the US that prescribed how sovereign African nations should conduct their foreign policies. These were face-to-face objections and not a speech made in the absence of the offending party which indicates, quite strongly, that there are some of us that are standing up to the age-old American tactic of bullyism.

Coming closer to home, I have in recent times witnessed some Caribbean leaders standing up to the powers that be and making their thoughts known, again, in face-to-face addresses that are not subject to misinterpretations. Prime Minister Mia Mottley of the Republic of Barbados stands out. Her address to the United Nations earlier this year on the perils of climate change and more recently her appearance with Prime Minister Keith Rowley of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, before the US Congress House Committee on Financial Services, on the inequities being suffered by the sector in the Caribbean was blunt and forthright. The conditions being forced down our throats by those who make the rules in the absence of considerations of lesser states is not only manifestly unfair but drives such economies into activities of the underworld. Who then stands to gain?

Marla Duckharan in a Report (Ted, Port of Spain – Fearless X) out of Trinidad, which I saw a short while ago, pointed out that the EU, which is the largest and most profitable trading bloc in the world, has proclaimed itself the ‘God of taxes, God of Anti-Money Laundering and God of Anti-Terrorism’ for the world, a mantle it has taken upon itself without the consent of anyone. In this regard, the EU has developed a ‘blacklist’ and a list of ‘non-compliant nations’ that it uses to condemn states that do not meet the stipulations of their edicts. Ducharan points out that on close examination of the EU’s application of their rules, it becomes evident that they apply only to countries outside of the EU and not to its powerful allies. As the self-appointed czars and having many developing nations dependent upon their assistance, they have effectively created a barrier which ensures that certain countries will not be able to compete with them economically. Those of us who can recall the many financial scandals of recent history should remember that most involve persons out of the UK, EU and USA, countries, for example, that are not on the Czar’s blacklist. This is the height of discrimination, oppression, injustice, etc., you name it, it is represented here. To add further insult to injury but to underline the policy of bullyism, Duckharan makes the point that the blacklisted/non-compliant countries are those previously colonised by Europeans and are all non-white countries.

We should not forget that bullyism has, for some, become a rite of passage. When Prime Minister Cameron from the UK stood in our Parliament (if I remember correctly) in 2015/16 and the matter of our sufferings under the slave trade arose and our requests for reparations were made, we were told to ‘get over it and move on’, or words to that effect. The mere fact that that was the UK’s thinking at the time, and probably today, is an indication of arrogance and the contempt with which we are treated and will continue to be treated as long as we continue to subject ourselves to representations of colonial bullyism as an independent nation. The illegally enriched see past actions as an entitlement of the time. The fact that we do not stand up enough, as a Mottley or Pandor have done, will allow even worse treatment in the future. I can’t help but wonder in the present context, what could have driven us to declare a period of mourning for a monarch, representative of our ancestral and present sufferings, that was much longer than that afforded by her own country!

CALLS FOR CHANGE

Calls for change resonate daily. Countries that are increasingly standing up against the use of bullyism internationally include, but are not limited to, India; Russia (even though embroiled in a conflict); China; Saudi Arabia; Venezuela; Barbados; Cuba; Trinidad; South Africa; Venezuela; and even Greenland which President Trump thought he could acquire! While the anti-bullyism movement is gathering momentum, there is need for some nations to rethink their strategies before it’s too late. Many, such as Jamaica, have already lost ground. In the words of Bob Marley, ‘Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds. Have no fear of atomic energy ‘cause none of them can stop the time...’ There is no place for bullyism in today’s modern world, together we in the Caribbean must heed these words and stand up and be counted in this struggle.

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