Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne has challenged Prime Minister Mia Mottley and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kerrie Symmonds to declare Barbados’ stance on the United States’ injunction against countries employing Cuban medical professionals, contrasting their silence with the clear position taken by regional neighbours.
Thorne urged the government to articulate its stance with the same clarity as St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves.
“This government talks a lot. Presumably, this government also thinks a lot because you can’t talk unless you’re thinking. And we can’t see when you think,” Thorne told the House. “But we want to hear what you think when you talk.”
Washington has threatened to restrict the visas of those countries involved with Cuban medical missions, which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called “forced labour.” Rubio is the child of Cuban émigrés who fled the regime of then-Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista, two years before the Cuban revolution.
The threat has also prompted strong public outcry from the prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica who declared they would gladly forgo their US visas.
Mottley assumed the chair of the 15-nation Caribbean Community (CARICOM) with the hosting of the bloc’s summit here last month.
He criticised what he suggested was diplomatic posturing without substantive action, questioning whether regional integration under CARICOM was merely symbolic.
Thorne asked: “Is CARICOM to mean anything to us? Or does CARICOM mean nothing to us? Is regionalism meaningful, or is it just a platform for pretty diplomatic exchanges, cocktail parties, and tinkling glasses before returning to our capitals to forget the philosophical discussions on integration?”
He commended the Vincentian government for its forthright approach, challenging Barbados’ leadership to follow suit.
“It is not for me to come to this Parliament and express admiration for another government,” he said. “But you will permit me, sir, to commend the head of the Vincentian government who has taken a principled position courageously. What is this government’s principled position?”
He singled out both the prime minister and the foreign minister, pressing them to take a definitive stand.
“I have never heard this foreign minister lost for words, nor even this honourable prime minister,” he stated. “What are your words? And beyond words, what are your intentions?”
Thorne underscored the importance of Cuban healthcare to Barbadians, highlighting the impact of Cuban medical professionals in providing essential care, particularly in ophthalmology.
“Too many Barbadians have had their eyesight saved in a Cuban system that, in some cases, has been gratuitous,” he said. “Only the wealthy or those with generous insurance policies can afford medical attention in North America.”
He called for transparency, urging the administration to move beyond diplomatic discretion and declare its position.
“What are your words, government? And more than your words, what are your thoughts? What are your diplomatic exchanges?” Thorne asked. “You can keep those to yourselves, but where do we stand in relation to that North American injunction?”
The post Thorne to Govt: ‘What are your words on US-Cuba medic issue?’ appeared first on Barbados Today.
