Bahamas backs gay rights
BY JUAN McCARTNEY
NG Senior Reporter
thenassauguardian
juan@nasguard.com
Nassau, Bahamas
The Bahamas supports the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution passed yesterday that affirms equal rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette.
The resolution, which narrowly passed in the council in Geneva, Switzerland, expressed “grave concern” about discrimination against gays throughout the world and affirmed that freedom to choose sexuality is a human right.
The Bahamas does not have a seat on the council, but is in favor of the resolution in principle, Symonette said.
He noted that he had not seen the resolution, but said the government supports the expansion of rights for “people of any persuasion.”
“Our record is clear, we continue to support freedom of expression and the right for people to express their opinions,” Symonette said.
“We actually voted in expansion of the rights [of GLBT people in a UN General Assembly vote earlier this year].”
The resolution passed in the human rights council also asked the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to conduct a study by the end of the year that would point out “discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity in all regions of the world.”
Twenty-three countries on the human rights council supported the resolution, 19 voted against it and three countries abstained.
The resolution was the first of its kind passed by the council. It was fiercely opposed by Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, among other countries.
The United States supported the resolution, which also asked that the study be conducted before the end of the year to look at how international laws can “be used to end violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”
The resolution also said that the council will form a panel once the study is completed to discuss “constructive, informed and transparent dialogue on the issue of discriminatory laws and practices and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.”
One month ago, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay equated homophobia and transphobia to misogyny and racism. She also claimed that hate crimes against GLBT people were on the rise.
“States have an obligation to decriminalize homosexuality and to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation,” she said.
Jun 18, 2011
thenassauguardian
An International Caribbean Online Log about the news and opinions in the Americas and World. This Caribbean Blog of global reach and appeal is maintained by Bahamian Blogger - Dennis Dames with all readers and subscribers in mind.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Is crime an economic concern in The Bahamas?
By Youri Kemp
The focus has been on crime in The Bahamas for the last few years. It's playing such an important part in the social dialogue that reports have it that it has become the number one concern in some quarters, with the economy being a very close second. With such a high premium placed on both the economy and on crime, one has to ask the question: are these issues correlated to some extent?
I got an email over the past week stating that, in Toronto, where they have five million people, the murder count was 60, and people were furious over it. In 2010, Toronto had 60 murders in total. In The Bahamas, the murder count for the year 2011 is already 58 and will more than likely be higher by this submission is received by the media outlets that have so graciously shared my correspondence with the public.
With regard to analyzing crime statistics, persons sometimes tend to internalize and personalize crime and isolate the person that committed the crime. Partly because it affects us all in some way – my cousin was shot in back of the head, in broad daylight, with witnesses, but the chief witness was killed a year later before he had a chance to testify.
Without question the issue of crime is deep as it is wide. To that extent, you shouldn’t be blustered with the notion that any one person is able to solve crime with one stroke or within a calendar year. I certainly cannot share with you a path to breaking information on a one year 100% crime reduction strategy, and I can assure you that no one else can either. I will tell you, however, that reacting to the crime news and overstating crime statistics instead of analyzing the nature of the criminal behaviour and parameters of this behaviour are not fruitful endeavours.
Going back to the statistics, to some extent and to add further value to the Bahamian murder rate statistic, UN reports indicate that the average murder rate for every 100,000 persons in The Bahamas stands at 22. This is the same rate as Brazil, Haiti and Guyana, but far less than Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica with 43 and 60 per 100,000 respectively. St Kitts and Nevis on the other hand has a murder rate of 35 persons for every 100,000 and their population is under 75,000.
Let's take a closer look at The Bahamas vs. St Kitts and Nevis, with the latter suffering under the weight of a severe murder spree. People have indicated that the size of the population matters with regard to crime, but this matter can be a wash when we examine the population size of both countries as The Bahamas is four times the population size of St Kitts and Nevis.
We may say with some degree of rationale, however, that population density instead of overall population size may be the cause of the differences in crime levels in each country, when we bring into the mix Trinidad with a population density of 254, Jamaica at 252 against that of St Kitts and Nevis at 164 and The Bahamas at 23.27 -- all UN reported statistics. Population density as it relates to urbanization and how that relates to the crime phenomenon has been well documented. To date over 85 percent of the crime in The Bahamas happens in the inner cities of the capital city of New Providence.
Analysts typically link crime between economic performance and criminal activity. Speaking to an authority on the matter in The Bahamas, he assured me that crime is not a result of economic reasons. But the question to be asked is: what economic concerns are we evaluating with criminal statistics?
If we look at GDP per capita in all four of our countries, we see that Jamaica has a lower GDP per capita than all cases and a higher murder rate. But when we look at Trinidad and Tobago we see that they have the second highest murder rate but the second highest GDP per capita and The Bahamas ranked with the highest GDP per capita and the lowest crime rate, relatively speaking.
While analyzing the murder rate alone is not enough to base any determination on with regard to overall crime, so too we cannot base any determinations on the crime by virtue of the murder rate as it relates to GDP per capita either, because there is more to economic performance, and the economy for that matter, than just the GDP per capita alone.
When we speak of the economy, we speak of things not only in the performance indicators, but we also speak to the level of unemployment; urbanization; the size of the informal sector; the size and scope of corruption; the illegal vices trade (gambling, narcotics, illegal immigration trade and the trade in sex workers); the level of economic openness and transparency; business ease; and the level of state and social protection in terms of property rights and transfers relative to population size and scope as well as a host of other issues and concerns.
I take the position, absolutely, that over 70 percent of the total crime in The Bahamas can be traced back to prevailing economic concerns and linked to wider structural deficits in the economic regulatory mechanisms in The Bahamas. Crimes against property in total, realty theft, house breaking and grand theft auto, are crimes that have economic implications, if only from a net positive benefit for the criminal.
To a broader extent when we speak of benefits transfers to underserved citizens -- knowing full well that employees of the Department of Social Services were attacked by irate customers only a few short months back -- we have to look at the amount of those transfer benefits relative to the economic situation we have today in The Bahamas.
We also must examine to the state’s capacity to provide proper services and deliver adequate benefits under prevailing financial constraints in addition to issues of social protection intervention before the turning point of human attitudinal change, particularly pre-school and secondary school assessments of persons that exhibit anti-social behavioural traits, with issues such as violence against women and overall attitudes against women to be taken into serious consideration as well as with the general lack of respect for authority and property.
While we must submit that crime is not a single entity with one single fix, we must begin to think about the links with crime to the wider economy and by virtue the society. Then, we must disaggregate certain crimes, under certain instances, with certain parameters and then determine if they all can be identifiable under those instances and parameters.
The Bahamas has the ability to build the capacity in its institutions and societies to deal with this matter decisively, and I believe that we can deal with this matter absolutely.
June 16, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
The focus has been on crime in The Bahamas for the last few years. It's playing such an important part in the social dialogue that reports have it that it has become the number one concern in some quarters, with the economy being a very close second. With such a high premium placed on both the economy and on crime, one has to ask the question: are these issues correlated to some extent?
I got an email over the past week stating that, in Toronto, where they have five million people, the murder count was 60, and people were furious over it. In 2010, Toronto had 60 murders in total. In The Bahamas, the murder count for the year 2011 is already 58 and will more than likely be higher by this submission is received by the media outlets that have so graciously shared my correspondence with the public.With regard to analyzing crime statistics, persons sometimes tend to internalize and personalize crime and isolate the person that committed the crime. Partly because it affects us all in some way – my cousin was shot in back of the head, in broad daylight, with witnesses, but the chief witness was killed a year later before he had a chance to testify.
Without question the issue of crime is deep as it is wide. To that extent, you shouldn’t be blustered with the notion that any one person is able to solve crime with one stroke or within a calendar year. I certainly cannot share with you a path to breaking information on a one year 100% crime reduction strategy, and I can assure you that no one else can either. I will tell you, however, that reacting to the crime news and overstating crime statistics instead of analyzing the nature of the criminal behaviour and parameters of this behaviour are not fruitful endeavours.
Going back to the statistics, to some extent and to add further value to the Bahamian murder rate statistic, UN reports indicate that the average murder rate for every 100,000 persons in The Bahamas stands at 22. This is the same rate as Brazil, Haiti and Guyana, but far less than Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica with 43 and 60 per 100,000 respectively. St Kitts and Nevis on the other hand has a murder rate of 35 persons for every 100,000 and their population is under 75,000.
Let's take a closer look at The Bahamas vs. St Kitts and Nevis, with the latter suffering under the weight of a severe murder spree. People have indicated that the size of the population matters with regard to crime, but this matter can be a wash when we examine the population size of both countries as The Bahamas is four times the population size of St Kitts and Nevis.
We may say with some degree of rationale, however, that population density instead of overall population size may be the cause of the differences in crime levels in each country, when we bring into the mix Trinidad with a population density of 254, Jamaica at 252 against that of St Kitts and Nevis at 164 and The Bahamas at 23.27 -- all UN reported statistics. Population density as it relates to urbanization and how that relates to the crime phenomenon has been well documented. To date over 85 percent of the crime in The Bahamas happens in the inner cities of the capital city of New Providence.
Analysts typically link crime between economic performance and criminal activity. Speaking to an authority on the matter in The Bahamas, he assured me that crime is not a result of economic reasons. But the question to be asked is: what economic concerns are we evaluating with criminal statistics?
If we look at GDP per capita in all four of our countries, we see that Jamaica has a lower GDP per capita than all cases and a higher murder rate. But when we look at Trinidad and Tobago we see that they have the second highest murder rate but the second highest GDP per capita and The Bahamas ranked with the highest GDP per capita and the lowest crime rate, relatively speaking.
While analyzing the murder rate alone is not enough to base any determination on with regard to overall crime, so too we cannot base any determinations on the crime by virtue of the murder rate as it relates to GDP per capita either, because there is more to economic performance, and the economy for that matter, than just the GDP per capita alone.
When we speak of the economy, we speak of things not only in the performance indicators, but we also speak to the level of unemployment; urbanization; the size of the informal sector; the size and scope of corruption; the illegal vices trade (gambling, narcotics, illegal immigration trade and the trade in sex workers); the level of economic openness and transparency; business ease; and the level of state and social protection in terms of property rights and transfers relative to population size and scope as well as a host of other issues and concerns.
I take the position, absolutely, that over 70 percent of the total crime in The Bahamas can be traced back to prevailing economic concerns and linked to wider structural deficits in the economic regulatory mechanisms in The Bahamas. Crimes against property in total, realty theft, house breaking and grand theft auto, are crimes that have economic implications, if only from a net positive benefit for the criminal.
To a broader extent when we speak of benefits transfers to underserved citizens -- knowing full well that employees of the Department of Social Services were attacked by irate customers only a few short months back -- we have to look at the amount of those transfer benefits relative to the economic situation we have today in The Bahamas.
We also must examine to the state’s capacity to provide proper services and deliver adequate benefits under prevailing financial constraints in addition to issues of social protection intervention before the turning point of human attitudinal change, particularly pre-school and secondary school assessments of persons that exhibit anti-social behavioural traits, with issues such as violence against women and overall attitudes against women to be taken into serious consideration as well as with the general lack of respect for authority and property.
While we must submit that crime is not a single entity with one single fix, we must begin to think about the links with crime to the wider economy and by virtue the society. Then, we must disaggregate certain crimes, under certain instances, with certain parameters and then determine if they all can be identifiable under those instances and parameters.
The Bahamas has the ability to build the capacity in its institutions and societies to deal with this matter decisively, and I believe that we can deal with this matter absolutely.
June 16, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
Thursday, June 16, 2011
WikiLeaks diplomatic cable: ...the unaddressed issue of Haitian integration in The Bahamas could eventually lead to ethnic violence in The Islands
Cable: Haitian-Bahamian tension could lead to violence
BY BRENT DEAN
NG Deputy News Editor
thenassauguardian
brentldean@nasguard.com
Nassau, Bahamas
Hundreds of Haitian migrants land illegally in The Bahamas each year
The Americans are of the view that the unaddressed issue of Haitian integration in The Bahamas could eventually lead to ethnic violence in this country, according to a diplomatic cable from the United States Embassy in Nassau.
The detailed nearly 3,500-word cable from June 2009, obtained by The Nassau Guardian from WikiLeaks, is an extensive analysis by the embassy of the tense Haitian situation in The Bahamas.
“The existence of a large, dissatisfied and poorly-integrated ethnic minority is a potential risk to social and political stability in The Bahamas,” said the embassy.
There are a wide range of estimates as to how many Haitians reside in The Bahamas. The numbers range from 30,000 to 70,000 in a country of 350,000 people.
Many Haitians live in shantytowns and the majority of these shantytowns are in New Providence. However, two of the largest are in Abaco (The Mud and Pigeon Pea).
Successive governments, for the most part, have maintained the country’s traditional policy position regarding Haitians, pushing repatriation of the undocumented and the regularization of those eligible for legal status.
This policy has not solved the problem. There are no official numbers, but many Haitian children born to parents illegally in The Bahamas are ‘stateless’. They consider themselves Bahamians, but have no legal status in this country, having not taken up the Haitian status of their parents.
The Americans consider further engagement of the Haitian community as a possible means of preventing conflict between the communities.
“The GCOB (Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas) would be well-served to encourage integration, as some commentators recognize, both to diffuse existing animosities and (to) avoid future manifestations of discontent,” said the cable.
“In the short term, given the economic and social pressures, GCOB anti-immigration policy is unlikely to change. As a result, well-entrenched Haitian communities are barely tolerated and the risk of ethnic flare-ups rises in proportion to economic hardship and stricter immigration enforcement. The possibility of overt inter-ethnic violence persists.”
No sustained inter-ethnic violence between Bahamians and Haitians has emerged, though Bahamians regularly express frustration, and sometimes hostility, via talk radio about the Haitian situation.
The Americans suggested that in a down economy, with increasing numbers of Haitians coming to the country and increased anti-Haitian sentiment, Haitian-Bahamian conflict could at some point emerge in various parts of The Bahamas.
“Inner-city Nassau neighborhoods are most at risk, but the potential for conflict also exists in suburbs where new subdivisions encroach on existing migrant settlements,” said the cable.
“Conflict is also possible in outlying islands, which are proportionately greater affected by demographic changes or economic deterioration, and the competition for scarce land and jobs is fiercer.”
The Haitian vote
In recent years, the Free National Movement (FNM) has publicly been ‘softer’ in its public tone towards Haitians than the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), which has held more to the traditional policy of repatriation.
At a rally in March at Clifford Park, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham began by reaching out to the Haitian community, acknowledging the return of the former leader of the country.
“Firstly, I want to give a shout out to my Haitian brothers and sisters and say how pleased I am that President Aristide has been allowed to return back to Haiti,” Ingraham said.
Though a casual remark, Ingraham’s reference to Haitians in The Bahamas as his “brothers and sisters” was a significant demonstration of solidarity by a Bahamian politician and leader.
The extent of anti-Haitian sentiment in The Bahamas was evident after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Ingraham suspended repatriations and released Haitians being detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.
Talk radio across the country was overwhelmed by those expressing anger with Ingraham’s decision.
Thus far Haitians have not organized a political lobby to agitate for their interests in The Bahamas. There are no openly Haitian representatives in Parliament.
With the large number of Haitians in the country, however, the Americans realize that they would have significant power if they came together.
“A well-organized community might already have the power to swing a close election and wield increased influence as a result. Haitians in The Bahamas, however, do not appear as yet to have the will or organizational wherewithal to risk an open challenge to the status quo,” said the cable.
“Instead, most prefer to seek integration in place while others move on to the U.S.”
With the large number of Haitians in the country, despite the current reluctance by them to openly enter front-line politics, sustained and open Haitian representation in Parliament going forward is inevitable.
The flow of people and discrimination
Cables on China have revealed the American concerns regarding The Bahamas being used as a transit point to smuggle Chinese to the United States.
Many of the Haitians that come to The Bahamas are smuggled into the country by Bahamians. The Americans described these smugglers as experienced.
“Migrants from poorer Caribbean countries are smuggled to or through The Bahamas, destined for the U.S., by well-established, island-hopping networks. Many are run by Bahamian smugglers based in Freeport, Grand Bahama or Bimini, two of the closest points to Florida shores,” said the cable.
These migrants risk their lives to come to The Bahamas, as the Americans noted. Haitians have relayed stories revealing that they have been told by smugglers to jump overboard from vessels into the sea and to swim to shore when they approach Bahamian islands. Some who could not swim drowned after paying $2,000 to $3,000 to escape the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
“Such tragic incidents highlight the desperation of the migrants and indicate that the illicit Haitian migration flow to and through The Bahamas is unlikely to stop,” said the cable.
After suffering through this ordeal, many Haitian migrants are faced with discrimination once they settle in The Bahamas.
“Bahamians strongly resent the social cost, cultural impact, and crime linked – in popular stereotypes certainly – to Haitian immigration. These sentiments are confirmed in contacts with government officials, political activists, especially the youth, and NGO leaders who interact with both communities,” the Americans observed in the cable.
“Haitians are thought to impose disproportionate demands on inadequate social services, primarily health and education, due to the higher birth rate in the Haitian community.”
These issues, the Americans observed, have the potential to explode someday in The Bahamas if constructive policies are not introduced to further integration.
Jun 15, 2011
thenassauguardian
BY BRENT DEAN
NG Deputy News Editor
thenassauguardian
brentldean@nasguard.com
Nassau, Bahamas
Hundreds of Haitian migrants land illegally in The Bahamas each year
The Americans are of the view that the unaddressed issue of Haitian integration in The Bahamas could eventually lead to ethnic violence in this country, according to a diplomatic cable from the United States Embassy in Nassau.
The detailed nearly 3,500-word cable from June 2009, obtained by The Nassau Guardian from WikiLeaks, is an extensive analysis by the embassy of the tense Haitian situation in The Bahamas.
“The existence of a large, dissatisfied and poorly-integrated ethnic minority is a potential risk to social and political stability in The Bahamas,” said the embassy.
There are a wide range of estimates as to how many Haitians reside in The Bahamas. The numbers range from 30,000 to 70,000 in a country of 350,000 people.
Many Haitians live in shantytowns and the majority of these shantytowns are in New Providence. However, two of the largest are in Abaco (The Mud and Pigeon Pea).
Successive governments, for the most part, have maintained the country’s traditional policy position regarding Haitians, pushing repatriation of the undocumented and the regularization of those eligible for legal status.
This policy has not solved the problem. There are no official numbers, but many Haitian children born to parents illegally in The Bahamas are ‘stateless’. They consider themselves Bahamians, but have no legal status in this country, having not taken up the Haitian status of their parents.
The Americans consider further engagement of the Haitian community as a possible means of preventing conflict between the communities.
“The GCOB (Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas) would be well-served to encourage integration, as some commentators recognize, both to diffuse existing animosities and (to) avoid future manifestations of discontent,” said the cable.
“In the short term, given the economic and social pressures, GCOB anti-immigration policy is unlikely to change. As a result, well-entrenched Haitian communities are barely tolerated and the risk of ethnic flare-ups rises in proportion to economic hardship and stricter immigration enforcement. The possibility of overt inter-ethnic violence persists.”
No sustained inter-ethnic violence between Bahamians and Haitians has emerged, though Bahamians regularly express frustration, and sometimes hostility, via talk radio about the Haitian situation.
The Americans suggested that in a down economy, with increasing numbers of Haitians coming to the country and increased anti-Haitian sentiment, Haitian-Bahamian conflict could at some point emerge in various parts of The Bahamas.
“Inner-city Nassau neighborhoods are most at risk, but the potential for conflict also exists in suburbs where new subdivisions encroach on existing migrant settlements,” said the cable.
“Conflict is also possible in outlying islands, which are proportionately greater affected by demographic changes or economic deterioration, and the competition for scarce land and jobs is fiercer.”
The Haitian vote
In recent years, the Free National Movement (FNM) has publicly been ‘softer’ in its public tone towards Haitians than the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), which has held more to the traditional policy of repatriation.
At a rally in March at Clifford Park, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham began by reaching out to the Haitian community, acknowledging the return of the former leader of the country.
“Firstly, I want to give a shout out to my Haitian brothers and sisters and say how pleased I am that President Aristide has been allowed to return back to Haiti,” Ingraham said.
Though a casual remark, Ingraham’s reference to Haitians in The Bahamas as his “brothers and sisters” was a significant demonstration of solidarity by a Bahamian politician and leader.
The extent of anti-Haitian sentiment in The Bahamas was evident after the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Ingraham suspended repatriations and released Haitians being detained at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre.
Talk radio across the country was overwhelmed by those expressing anger with Ingraham’s decision.
Thus far Haitians have not organized a political lobby to agitate for their interests in The Bahamas. There are no openly Haitian representatives in Parliament.
With the large number of Haitians in the country, however, the Americans realize that they would have significant power if they came together.
“A well-organized community might already have the power to swing a close election and wield increased influence as a result. Haitians in The Bahamas, however, do not appear as yet to have the will or organizational wherewithal to risk an open challenge to the status quo,” said the cable.
“Instead, most prefer to seek integration in place while others move on to the U.S.”
With the large number of Haitians in the country, despite the current reluctance by them to openly enter front-line politics, sustained and open Haitian representation in Parliament going forward is inevitable.
The flow of people and discrimination
Cables on China have revealed the American concerns regarding The Bahamas being used as a transit point to smuggle Chinese to the United States.
Many of the Haitians that come to The Bahamas are smuggled into the country by Bahamians. The Americans described these smugglers as experienced.
“Migrants from poorer Caribbean countries are smuggled to or through The Bahamas, destined for the U.S., by well-established, island-hopping networks. Many are run by Bahamian smugglers based in Freeport, Grand Bahama or Bimini, two of the closest points to Florida shores,” said the cable.
These migrants risk their lives to come to The Bahamas, as the Americans noted. Haitians have relayed stories revealing that they have been told by smugglers to jump overboard from vessels into the sea and to swim to shore when they approach Bahamian islands. Some who could not swim drowned after paying $2,000 to $3,000 to escape the poorest country in the western hemisphere.
“Such tragic incidents highlight the desperation of the migrants and indicate that the illicit Haitian migration flow to and through The Bahamas is unlikely to stop,” said the cable.
After suffering through this ordeal, many Haitian migrants are faced with discrimination once they settle in The Bahamas.
“Bahamians strongly resent the social cost, cultural impact, and crime linked – in popular stereotypes certainly – to Haitian immigration. These sentiments are confirmed in contacts with government officials, political activists, especially the youth, and NGO leaders who interact with both communities,” the Americans observed in the cable.
“Haitians are thought to impose disproportionate demands on inadequate social services, primarily health and education, due to the higher birth rate in the Haitian community.”
These issues, the Americans observed, have the potential to explode someday in The Bahamas if constructive policies are not introduced to further integration.
Jun 15, 2011
thenassauguardian
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Cuba's Fidel Castro Ruz - Has history absolved him?
By Rebecca Theodore
“But I do not fear prison, as I do not fear the fury of the miserable tyrant who took the lives of 70 of my comrades. Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.”
In a speech that rang synonymous with Socrates at the portico of Athens for the alleged charge of impiety, or with Dr King fighting for the civil rights of African Americans, or even Saint Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologica, Dr Fidel Castro, is still cleverly checking his adversaries, both from within and abroad.
Since that fateful arrest in 1953 for assaulting the Moncada military barracks in the eastern city of Santiago in southern Cuba, Castro still controls his mind although nearly subdued by collapsing health.
Fidel Castro Ruz is the world's longest-serving head of government and the leader of the Americas' only communist country. Since he seized power in a 1959 revolution, El Comandante as he is affectionately called by his countrymen, still commands the admiration of the world.
He endured the fall of the Soviet Union, the culmination of communism in Eastern Europe, antagonized ten American presidents and outwitted dozens of assassination attempts.
It is true that the Cuban Revolution is probably one of the most theatrical, polarizing political events of the twentieth-century. Critics and proponents alike may someday eulogize Castro on the pages of history as a tyrant who suppressed freedom, equality, and social justice.
Nonetheless, education and the intelligence of a human being in a revolutionary society have immensely prevailed over instinct. Castro has without doubt offered every Cuban and many Caribbean citizens the opportunity of an education free from discrimination.
Today, Castro’s 1959 revolution provides a compelling picture of Cuba in relation to the rest of the world. Cuba’s influence on Latin America and the Caribbean, its coalition with the Soviet Union from the 1960s until the downfall of the Soviet bloc in 1989, and its riotous relationship with the United States cannot go by unnoticed.
For someone who has reiterated that “all of the world’s glory fits in a kernel of corn,” Castro is now preparing his people politically and psychologically for his absence through the power of his pen.
Adhering to his own thoughts that “a revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past and that a revolution is a dictatorship of the exploited against the exploiters,” his name will forever be printed on the pages of history and will again be read overtime for “one just man deserves more respect than a rogue with a crown.”
He has justified his point of view by proving that “revolution is the source of legal right” in Cuba and there is indeed, according to French writer, François Hotman, “a bond or contract between the government and its subjects.”
Yet, assuming all this as truth, John Locke, in his essay on government, seems to refute this socio-politico principle with his assertion “that when the natural rights of man are violated, the people have the right and the duty to alter or abolish the government.”
Hence, stunning doubts persist on who will be the leader who brings Cuba out of decades of seclusion? Who will be Raúl Castro’s heir?
Castro’s retirement draws the curtain on a political career that traversed the Cold War, survived US animosity, and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. As one of the most controversial, combative, and charismatic rulers in history, the assessment by political scientist of how his illness and departure will transform politics continues to raise doubts about the future of the western hemisphere's only communist state.
His wishes have always been to discharge his duties to his last breath for he believes that one has to be consistent right up to the end. After all, it is suffering and death that defines our humanity and as mortals we must die.
As to whether his policies will play a major role in a post Fidel Castro Cuba or continue to plague the US beyond the grave remains to be seen.
Notwithstanding, Fidel Castro Ruz continues to fight in the battle of ideas. That’s all he can now offer his people. His pen has become mightier than his sword after so many years of struggle but that too is irrelevant.
The question is - has history finally absolved him?
June 15, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
Monday, June 13, 2011
Haiti under the Martelly era, one month after
By Jean H Charles
I flew to New York one day after the inauguration of Michel Martelly as the 56th president of the Republic of Haiti. I returned to the island nation one month after to gauge and taste the change on the street and in the spirit of the people. I have not seen any change yet. The president has been facing gridlock on all sides.
The former president Rene Preval on his last day in power may have orchestrated a constitutional subterfuge, sending to the national printing house an amended version of the constitution that was not approved by the parliament.
This malicious maneuver is creating all types of setback that the new president finally has rescinded the entire project of constitutional amendment. It took two weeks for him to do so.
The legislature with a small majority in the Preval camp therefore not on the side of the president is lingering, taking its time before engaging the dispositions to receive, hear and approve the program of government of the new prime minister, Gerard Rouzier. Some senators had even openly demanded bribes before sitting for the session. Martelly has firmly stated that he has a popular mandate to bring about change. He will not be bought.
His detractors, mainly those with a sour grape from the Myrlande Manigat camp, his former rival, are criticizing every utterance, every move with an intensity that freezes stupidity.
Item, Martelly has brought back the custom of a national holiday on Ascension Day. He is accused of mutilating the modern republican spirit of God versus State.
Item, Wilson Jeudy the mayor of Delmas, a suburb of Port au Prince, has taken responsibility to dislodge some earthquake refugees on a park leading to the airport. That camp is suspected of being a hotbed for bandits harassing the travelers at night. The full national and international public relations system, including the American legislative Black Caucus, has been engaged to condemn Michel Martelly for this assault on democracy. The mayor of Delmas is accusing a senator from the north, Moise Jean Charles, a fierce supporter of the former president, of being the instigator of the confusion for political reasons. The citizens of Delmas, victims of the hooliganism in that camp, are grateful and thankful to the mayor.
Item, Michel Martelly is also being accused of using sexual innuendos that cannot be printed in this essay to describe his satisfaction of the shape and form of a new school building he was dedicating. Education for all is his passion. Sexual innuendos included.
The Diaspora has its grief against the new president for demanding a tax of $1.50 per international transfer and 5 cents per minute on calls to Haiti. The contribution will augment a fund dedicated to making schooling free and universal in the entire country. Privilege comes with responsibility, legislation is on the way to provide the Diaspora with voice and vote.
The hurricane and the rainy season are already creating havoc in parts of the country. Some thirty citizens have lost their lives due to flooding. There is urgency in protecting lives and limb yet the debate amongst the protagonists of the president has been around comma and style.
Haiti, like a fine flower, is in danger of extinction due to environmental negligence and the pressure of the population, accumulated through sixty years of ill governance, forcing the people to concentrate in the main cities without a proper assessment of its environmental impact.
President Martelly, as the first pilot helping Haiti and its people to take off, must focus on the big picture as well as the small details. I have often said that a nation at its transition is like an airplane taking off. The pilot must use all the power at its disposal so the plane will reach its cruising altitude.
The old guard wants nothing but the crash of the airplane and the pilot, so it can, like the vultures, enjoy the carcass.
President Martelly’s budding passion for Haiti, the genuine love and generosity of his wife for the lowly, can only augur the success of his government in spite of the odds against him. Stay tuned for an update six months from now.
June 13, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
I flew to New York one day after the inauguration of Michel Martelly as the 56th president of the Republic of Haiti. I returned to the island nation one month after to gauge and taste the change on the street and in the spirit of the people. I have not seen any change yet. The president has been facing gridlock on all sides.
The former president Rene Preval on his last day in power may have orchestrated a constitutional subterfuge, sending to the national printing house an amended version of the constitution that was not approved by the parliament.This malicious maneuver is creating all types of setback that the new president finally has rescinded the entire project of constitutional amendment. It took two weeks for him to do so.
The legislature with a small majority in the Preval camp therefore not on the side of the president is lingering, taking its time before engaging the dispositions to receive, hear and approve the program of government of the new prime minister, Gerard Rouzier. Some senators had even openly demanded bribes before sitting for the session. Martelly has firmly stated that he has a popular mandate to bring about change. He will not be bought.
His detractors, mainly those with a sour grape from the Myrlande Manigat camp, his former rival, are criticizing every utterance, every move with an intensity that freezes stupidity.
Item, Martelly has brought back the custom of a national holiday on Ascension Day. He is accused of mutilating the modern republican spirit of God versus State.
Item, Wilson Jeudy the mayor of Delmas, a suburb of Port au Prince, has taken responsibility to dislodge some earthquake refugees on a park leading to the airport. That camp is suspected of being a hotbed for bandits harassing the travelers at night. The full national and international public relations system, including the American legislative Black Caucus, has been engaged to condemn Michel Martelly for this assault on democracy. The mayor of Delmas is accusing a senator from the north, Moise Jean Charles, a fierce supporter of the former president, of being the instigator of the confusion for political reasons. The citizens of Delmas, victims of the hooliganism in that camp, are grateful and thankful to the mayor.
Item, Michel Martelly is also being accused of using sexual innuendos that cannot be printed in this essay to describe his satisfaction of the shape and form of a new school building he was dedicating. Education for all is his passion. Sexual innuendos included.
The Diaspora has its grief against the new president for demanding a tax of $1.50 per international transfer and 5 cents per minute on calls to Haiti. The contribution will augment a fund dedicated to making schooling free and universal in the entire country. Privilege comes with responsibility, legislation is on the way to provide the Diaspora with voice and vote.
The hurricane and the rainy season are already creating havoc in parts of the country. Some thirty citizens have lost their lives due to flooding. There is urgency in protecting lives and limb yet the debate amongst the protagonists of the president has been around comma and style.
Haiti, like a fine flower, is in danger of extinction due to environmental negligence and the pressure of the population, accumulated through sixty years of ill governance, forcing the people to concentrate in the main cities without a proper assessment of its environmental impact.
President Martelly, as the first pilot helping Haiti and its people to take off, must focus on the big picture as well as the small details. I have often said that a nation at its transition is like an airplane taking off. The pilot must use all the power at its disposal so the plane will reach its cruising altitude.
The old guard wants nothing but the crash of the airplane and the pilot, so it can, like the vultures, enjoy the carcass.
President Martelly’s budding passion for Haiti, the genuine love and generosity of his wife for the lowly, can only augur the success of his government in spite of the odds against him. Stay tuned for an update six months from now.
June 13, 2011
caribbeannewsnow
Sunday, June 12, 2011
WikiLeaks secret cable: ...the continuous arrival of thousands of low-wage Chinese workers in The Bahamas will likely lead to a significant increase in illegal migration of Chinese from The Bahamas to the United States
U.S. fears Baha Mar Chinese migration
BRENT DEAN
NG Deputy News Editor
thenassauguardian
brentldean@nasguard.com
Nassau, Bahamas
One of the major fears the United States has with the Baha Mar project at Cable Beach is that as a result of the large number of Chinese coming into the country to build the resort, the smuggling of Chinese into the U.S. from this country will increase dramatically, according to a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Nassau.
“Regardless of whatever number of workers the parties agree upon, the continuous arrival of thousands of low-wage Chinese workers in The Bahamas will likely lead to a significant increase in illegal migration of Chinese from The Bahamas to the United States,” said the November 2009 secret cable obtained by The Nassau Guardian via WikiLeaks.
“The GCOB (Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas) does not have the institutional capacity to effectively monitor the movements of the Chinese workers nor effectively detect inauthentic travel documents.”
The $2.6 billion Baha Mar resort is being financed by the Export-Import Bank of China. The China State Construction Engineering Corporation is building the resort.
As a part of the deal, 8,150 foreign workers will help build the resort along with 4,000-plus Bahamian workers. The majority of the 8,150 workers will be Chinese.
Citing a conversation an embassy official had with former Chamber of Commerce president Dionisio D'Aguilar, the cable said that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was very wary of allowing that number of Chinese into the country, hoping only 1,000 to 2,000 Chinese would be needed.
Before the deal was sealed Ingraham publicly expressed his concerns about the labor component of the deal.
The Americans had intimate conversations with Baha Mar senior vice president Robert Sands on the Chinese laborer issue, according to the cable.
“Sands did emphasize that Baha Mar and the GCOB were concerned with [the] legitimacy of individual [workers], or those that would come to The Bahamas solely to illegally migrate to the United States,” said the cable.
“He noted that the workers would be ‘highly regulated, close to the site in a fully contained camp,’ though the men ‘will be let out occasionally.’ Sands indicated that they were looking into biometric identifications to help manage the workforce.”
According to the cable, at the time, Baha Mar wanted to establish a large work camp for the Chinese laborers at the Cable Beach Golf Course.
“Baha Mar executives and the GCOB are clearly cognizant of the negative message they will send to tourists, as well as the Bahamian public, by maintaining a 4,000-strong Chinese laborer camp in a highly visible and affluent section of town,” said the cable.
“Still, the GCOB believes that the completion of this massive project is a vital component of its long-term plan to provide thousands of new jobs for Bahamians.”
A February 2009 cable, also labeled secret, indicated that Bahamian officials were so concerned about the laborer issue that they approached the Americans for help.
“Senior GCOB officials expressed concern to the Charge’ over the Chinese request for foreign workers. They requested U.S. assistance with obtaining background checks and mused that it would be preferable if the Chinese workers were first routed through the U.K. or U.S. so that they would be properly vetted,” said the cable.
“Of primary concern is ensuring that…adequate accounting methods are in place to track that those that enter eventually leave.”
Timothy Zuniga-Brown was, and is, the U.S. Charge d’ Affaires referred to in the cable.
WEARY PARTNERS
In 2008, Harrah’s Entertainment pulled out of an earlier joint venture deal with Baha Mar to develop the mega-resort. Chinese financing and partnership revived the Cable Beach redevelopment plan.
The Ingraham administration always appeared less enthusiastic to the Baha Mar project than Perry Christie and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The last PLP administration began negotiations with Baha Mar.
A March 2009 cable, also labeled secret, said that Bahamian officials told the Americans they were not, at the time, enthused about Chinese involvement in the deal.
“Senior GCOB officials privately expressed that China is not their preferred partner and acknowledge that negotiations are difficult,” said the cable.
The Bahamian officials expressing that view were not named.
The cables also revealed that the Chinese expressed their concerns to the Americans about getting so deeply involved with Baha Mar.
“Chinese Embassy officials privately told (an embassy official) the China Ex-Im Bank would prefer another investor in the mix in order to diminish the financial risk,” said the March 2009 cable.
Baha Mar has said it will not comment on the cables.
The company has said 11,000 Bahamian jobs will be created as a result of the project. There will be 6,500 to 7,000 permanent jobs when the resort is completed; and 4,000 construction jobs for Bahamians will be created during the build phase of the project.
There will be six hotels at the property, almost 2,250 new rooms and condos, the largest convention center in The Bahamas, the largest casino in the Caribbean, a world-class golf course and a retail village.
Jun 10, 2011
thenassauguardian
BRENT DEAN
NG Deputy News Editor
thenassauguardian
brentldean@nasguard.com
Nassau, Bahamas
One of the major fears the United States has with the Baha Mar project at Cable Beach is that as a result of the large number of Chinese coming into the country to build the resort, the smuggling of Chinese into the U.S. from this country will increase dramatically, according to a cable from the U.S. Embassy in Nassau.
“Regardless of whatever number of workers the parties agree upon, the continuous arrival of thousands of low-wage Chinese workers in The Bahamas will likely lead to a significant increase in illegal migration of Chinese from The Bahamas to the United States,” said the November 2009 secret cable obtained by The Nassau Guardian via WikiLeaks.
“The GCOB (Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas) does not have the institutional capacity to effectively monitor the movements of the Chinese workers nor effectively detect inauthentic travel documents.”
The $2.6 billion Baha Mar resort is being financed by the Export-Import Bank of China. The China State Construction Engineering Corporation is building the resort.
As a part of the deal, 8,150 foreign workers will help build the resort along with 4,000-plus Bahamian workers. The majority of the 8,150 workers will be Chinese.
Citing a conversation an embassy official had with former Chamber of Commerce president Dionisio D'Aguilar, the cable said that Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham was very wary of allowing that number of Chinese into the country, hoping only 1,000 to 2,000 Chinese would be needed.
Before the deal was sealed Ingraham publicly expressed his concerns about the labor component of the deal.
The Americans had intimate conversations with Baha Mar senior vice president Robert Sands on the Chinese laborer issue, according to the cable.
“Sands did emphasize that Baha Mar and the GCOB were concerned with [the] legitimacy of individual [workers], or those that would come to The Bahamas solely to illegally migrate to the United States,” said the cable.
“He noted that the workers would be ‘highly regulated, close to the site in a fully contained camp,’ though the men ‘will be let out occasionally.’ Sands indicated that they were looking into biometric identifications to help manage the workforce.”
According to the cable, at the time, Baha Mar wanted to establish a large work camp for the Chinese laborers at the Cable Beach Golf Course.
“Baha Mar executives and the GCOB are clearly cognizant of the negative message they will send to tourists, as well as the Bahamian public, by maintaining a 4,000-strong Chinese laborer camp in a highly visible and affluent section of town,” said the cable.
“Still, the GCOB believes that the completion of this massive project is a vital component of its long-term plan to provide thousands of new jobs for Bahamians.”
A February 2009 cable, also labeled secret, indicated that Bahamian officials were so concerned about the laborer issue that they approached the Americans for help.
“Senior GCOB officials expressed concern to the Charge’ over the Chinese request for foreign workers. They requested U.S. assistance with obtaining background checks and mused that it would be preferable if the Chinese workers were first routed through the U.K. or U.S. so that they would be properly vetted,” said the cable.
“Of primary concern is ensuring that…adequate accounting methods are in place to track that those that enter eventually leave.”
Timothy Zuniga-Brown was, and is, the U.S. Charge d’ Affaires referred to in the cable.
WEARY PARTNERS
In 2008, Harrah’s Entertainment pulled out of an earlier joint venture deal with Baha Mar to develop the mega-resort. Chinese financing and partnership revived the Cable Beach redevelopment plan.
The Ingraham administration always appeared less enthusiastic to the Baha Mar project than Perry Christie and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP). The last PLP administration began negotiations with Baha Mar.
A March 2009 cable, also labeled secret, said that Bahamian officials told the Americans they were not, at the time, enthused about Chinese involvement in the deal.
“Senior GCOB officials privately expressed that China is not their preferred partner and acknowledge that negotiations are difficult,” said the cable.
The Bahamian officials expressing that view were not named.
The cables also revealed that the Chinese expressed their concerns to the Americans about getting so deeply involved with Baha Mar.
“Chinese Embassy officials privately told (an embassy official) the China Ex-Im Bank would prefer another investor in the mix in order to diminish the financial risk,” said the March 2009 cable.
Baha Mar has said it will not comment on the cables.
The company has said 11,000 Bahamian jobs will be created as a result of the project. There will be 6,500 to 7,000 permanent jobs when the resort is completed; and 4,000 construction jobs for Bahamians will be created during the build phase of the project.
There will be six hotels at the property, almost 2,250 new rooms and condos, the largest convention center in The Bahamas, the largest casino in the Caribbean, a world-class golf course and a retail village.
Jun 10, 2011
thenassauguardian
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Bahamas - China relations in spotlight with the high-level visit of the Deputy Secretary of Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Committee, Wang Lequan
Bahamas, China relations in spotlight with high-level visit
BY CHESTER ROBARDS
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
chester@nasguard.com
The Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Committee, Wang Lequan, along with a delegation of Chinese officials began their diplomatic tour of key government sites and points of bilateral interest yesterday.
The delegates paid a visit to Prime Minster Hubert Ingraham at the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre, Cable Beach, where he and Wang spoke about the similarities and differences in China and The Bahamas’ economy and people as well as trade relations and immigration.
Wang spoke about China’s rapidly increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in relation to China’s 1.3 billion people. However, Ingraham explained to Wang that The Bahamas’ GDP as it relates to Bahamians, is skewed by foreigners whose cumulative income produces an unrealistic average for the country.
“On the question of GDP from The Bahamas’ point of view that is a great disadvantage in the international community using GDP as a source of determining the wealth of a nation,” Ingraham said. “We have high levels of international persons who are employed in The Bahams and when their income is taken into account we end up with an average that is not supported by reality.”
Ingraham also spoke to Wang about this country loosening the travel restrictions for Chinese visitors to The Bahamas. He suggested on-arrival visas for Chinese who already hold visas to gateway countries.
“We look forward to many more Chinese tourists,” he said.
“We will have discussions with your embassy to see to the extent to which we can arrange for Chinese visitors who have entry visa to the United States, Canada and the European Union, to be able to also come to The Bahamas and be issued a visa on arrival instead of having to go to our embassy in Beijing.”
Wang told Ingraham that as the wealth of China increases and favorable travel conditions are created by The Bahamas, Chinese tourist visits to The Bahamas will increase.
“In the past the Chinese did not have enough income to afford overseas trips,” he said. “Now with growing salaries and more economic welfare, they are capable of going outside for tours. If we create favorable conditions for them I am sure that more and more Chinese will come over.”
Ingraham also suggested that both countries could also benefit from the opening of crawfish exports from The Bahamas to China.
Ingraham thanked the delegation again for the gift of the National Stadium and the continued cooperation with projects such as Baha Mar and the Airport Gateway Project.
Before the Chinese visited the prime minister, they met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette and Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest at the Police Headquarter’s Command Center to talk about the similarities and differences between both countries’ border controls, especially as it relates to illegal migration, smuggling and poaching.
The delegation’s last stop yesterday was to the headquarters of the Free National Movement (FNM) where Wang and his delegation met with FNM chairman Carl Bethel.
Wang shared some history of the CPC with Bethel and spoke about his party’s upcoming five-year plan for China — the 12th five-year plan in the country’s history — which Bethel said The Bahamas could learn from. Wang said China is attempting to slow its economy’s growth from 10 percent per year to seven percent per year.
Bethel told Wang that The Bahamas has a lot to learn from China’s 5,000-year history and its rise to a global superpower.
“There is much that we in The Bahamas can learn from the wisdom and experience of the Chinese people and government,” Bethel said.
“I am particularly impressed with the success of your planning through your five-year plans and I do believe a greater attention to national planning would certainly be a great benefit to The Bahamas — not just every year a budget, but to have a vision over a longer term.”
Jun 11, 2011
thenassauguardian
Who is Wang Lequan?
BY CHESTER ROBARDS
Guardian Staff Reporter
thenassauguardian
chester@nasguard.com
The Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Committee, Wang Lequan, along with a delegation of Chinese officials began their diplomatic tour of key government sites and points of bilateral interest yesterday.
The delegates paid a visit to Prime Minster Hubert Ingraham at the Cecil Wallace-Whitfield Centre, Cable Beach, where he and Wang spoke about the similarities and differences in China and The Bahamas’ economy and people as well as trade relations and immigration.
Wang spoke about China’s rapidly increasing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in relation to China’s 1.3 billion people. However, Ingraham explained to Wang that The Bahamas’ GDP as it relates to Bahamians, is skewed by foreigners whose cumulative income produces an unrealistic average for the country.
“On the question of GDP from The Bahamas’ point of view that is a great disadvantage in the international community using GDP as a source of determining the wealth of a nation,” Ingraham said. “We have high levels of international persons who are employed in The Bahams and when their income is taken into account we end up with an average that is not supported by reality.”
Ingraham also spoke to Wang about this country loosening the travel restrictions for Chinese visitors to The Bahamas. He suggested on-arrival visas for Chinese who already hold visas to gateway countries.
“We look forward to many more Chinese tourists,” he said.
“We will have discussions with your embassy to see to the extent to which we can arrange for Chinese visitors who have entry visa to the United States, Canada and the European Union, to be able to also come to The Bahamas and be issued a visa on arrival instead of having to go to our embassy in Beijing.”
Wang told Ingraham that as the wealth of China increases and favorable travel conditions are created by The Bahamas, Chinese tourist visits to The Bahamas will increase.
“In the past the Chinese did not have enough income to afford overseas trips,” he said. “Now with growing salaries and more economic welfare, they are capable of going outside for tours. If we create favorable conditions for them I am sure that more and more Chinese will come over.”
Ingraham also suggested that both countries could also benefit from the opening of crawfish exports from The Bahamas to China.
Ingraham thanked the delegation again for the gift of the National Stadium and the continued cooperation with projects such as Baha Mar and the Airport Gateway Project.
Before the Chinese visited the prime minister, they met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Brent Symonette and Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest at the Police Headquarter’s Command Center to talk about the similarities and differences between both countries’ border controls, especially as it relates to illegal migration, smuggling and poaching.
The delegation’s last stop yesterday was to the headquarters of the Free National Movement (FNM) where Wang and his delegation met with FNM chairman Carl Bethel.
Wang shared some history of the CPC with Bethel and spoke about his party’s upcoming five-year plan for China — the 12th five-year plan in the country’s history — which Bethel said The Bahamas could learn from. Wang said China is attempting to slow its economy’s growth from 10 percent per year to seven percent per year.
Bethel told Wang that The Bahamas has a lot to learn from China’s 5,000-year history and its rise to a global superpower.
“There is much that we in The Bahamas can learn from the wisdom and experience of the Chinese people and government,” Bethel said.
“I am particularly impressed with the success of your planning through your five-year plans and I do believe a greater attention to national planning would certainly be a great benefit to The Bahamas — not just every year a budget, but to have a vision over a longer term.”
Jun 11, 2011
thenassauguardian
Who is Wang Lequan?
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