While in opposition, just a few short months ago, the Free National Movement (FNM) suggested they would downgrade The Bahamas Embassy in Cuba to a representative office. The discussion at the time suggested an embassy there was a waste of money and a representative office would do just fine.
The position seems to have changed now that the FNM have regained control of the Government of The Bahamas.
When asked by your not so humble blogger at the recent Bahamas Chamber of Commerce meet the Minister Conference if The Bahamas would downgrade the embassy in Cuba, Mr. Brent Symonette, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs responded that the Embassy will remain open because:
…there are benefits to our relationship with Cuba; we have a tremendous number of Bahamians that go there…we have quite a number (of persons) incarcerated in Cuba and we have an increase in trade in Cuba. That necessitates keeping the embassy in Cuba. (The Tribune, Saturday, July 21, 2007.)
Well informed sources tell me that a representative office can conduct the same day to day business that the embassy does today. The only difference is an Embassy is of a higher "stature" in the scheme of things so it lends more credence to the government of the host country.
As I commented when I posed the question about downgrading the embassy; The Bahamas has a democratic history of over 250 years so why give credence to a dictator like Castro in his final hour? Our support should be for the people of Cuba when his regime falls and the country moves toward freedom and democracy. Not to help prop Castro up.
As Friederich von Hayek pointed out in his wonderful book, The Road To Serfdom, "Collectivism is Slavery". So by extension, our embassy provides tacit support for the tyrannical regime in Cuba.
I do think it is important to trade with Cuba as a way to help the Cuban people up from oppression at the hands of Castro and his henchmen that support his regime, like the outgoing Cuban Ambassador to The Bahamas Felix Wilson et al.
Mind you, I believe that trade should ensure the people get the dollars and not the Cuban regime. As I found out from the Cuban Foreign Minister when he visited the Chamber of Commerce to promote business in Cuba several years back, employers there do not pay their workers directly. They must pay the state and the state gives the workers their paltry salary. (I’m told accountant’s earn no more than $15 per month and a labourer $5 per month).
Unfortunately, many so called "progressives" in our society and region do not see the correlation between Castro’s failed economic policies and why so many people flee that country, at the risk of losing their lives. They think it’s great that the socialist dream continues in spite of the hardships the Cuban people have to bear. Unfortunately their ideology gets in the way of the reality on the ground in Cuba.
To spend $300,000 a year or more to have an embassy in Cuba, when a representative office will do, thereby lending tacit support to a tyrannical regime is unconscionable, and frankly it should be offensive to all freedom loving Bahamians.
Rick,
Will you please stop abusing the abusing the legacy of Hayeck!?!?
Hayeck would not support blatant blind nationalism, or, errant stupidity for the sake of a warped moral coded sound bytes, by the delusional and “dwindling” neo-con right; in fact, it tis this what he opposes emphatically throughout his career. And even THEY have deceny to stick to making money, rather than to re-interpert Hayeck. Quit mixing his economic theory, with your warped, follow fashion neo-con political ideal.
With this, the U.S. has embassies in Suadi-Arabia, a host of communist and socialist states like China and Vietnam, as well as a host of embassies in as many corrupt African regimes that are FAR WORSE than Cuba. All for the same reason, Symonette stated his thoughts on the Cuban embassy.
So, as much as your personal hatred is for Castro, which I think is shaped by your bourgeoisie fanaticism for the American right, gives you this less sense of common sense first for BAHAMIANS, rather than seeing anything of good useful purpose.
I think you need to simply let this one go. As you probably are not up on current international affairs and events, as they interplay or play historically as some of us are.
Bill
“Bill”
It’s spelled Hayek, but Hayek supported freedom, not Communism or Facism.
I would suggest you re-read his work and then come back for a reasoned discussion.
It is interesting how so many of us care little for the suffering of the Cuban people under the yoke of the Castro regime in this discussion. It’s all about preserving Castro’s image.
It’s almost funny that Castro was going to rescue his people from the tyrannical Bastista regime and now he is just as bad, if not worse.
Because the US has an Embassy in all the places you name does not mean we should have them there.
If you are concerned about human rights as you suggest (your moniker is the peoples champion isn’t it) you should want no more than a representative office in Cuba or China etc so we can trade if they have products our consumers want.
And just as important, we should speak out about their human rights abuses.
As Bahamians, we pride ourselves by being free and democratic, why shouldn’t we want the same for our brothers and sisters in the region?
(We now have to monitor the comments to our blog, so there might be a delay before you see them. They will not be posted until we review them.
The comment below has been edited by Rick Lowe, the author of the original post.
Our aim is to have a reasoned discussion and to add to the debate, but let’s try to be sensible.
Humour is fine. Nastiness will not be tolerated.)
Rick,
I apologize for not running a spell check. Since the direct spelling is so important to you in understanding concepts, from here on in, I will do so in order for you to understand common, logical, sense and sensibilities. With this, don’t ask ME to have a reasoned discussion, when all you have is ill regard for our international affairs or concerns.
Hayek supported liberalization of the markets and economies first and foremost. He did not support fascism nor was he a conservative. Also, he did not support any countries efforts to ostracize itself from another.
Look, I am a republican, but this stupid neo-con garbage has got to stop. It is a silly ideal. It creates more enemies, because it looks for more enemies to create. It should stay out of things it does not understand. Katrina, showed the U.S. that it has more problems to deal with than Iraq.
Cuba has not infringed on our rights, and we enjoy a relationship built on peace through diplomacy; regardless the regime, for OUR benefit.
And the free-market ideals you talk about, cannot be materialized if you shut the door on the people who YOU happen to not like. Free market means everyone and everything. Period.
p.s.
I ran a spell check for you. I suggest you run a grammar check for yourself.
“errant stupidity for the sake of a warped moral coded sound bytes” and Rick’s “personal hatred for Castro is shaped by his bourgeois fanatacism for the American right” Look Ma, I used some big words and I insulted some people, I think!
I can’t remember when I have read such rubbish.
Unclench your fists, take the chip off your shoulder Bill and try to reason with some dignity and common sense.
Hey “Bill”,
For the fun of it, try this quiz:
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html
I am Libertarian. Not conservative or new liberal.
I’m from the Mises/Hayek/Rothbard/Friedman school.
The free market from my perspective is not propping up a tyrannical regime.
I do not suggest we stop relations with Cuba. Maybe you misunderstand my point that we should just downgrade the embassy?
For the record, we had a very serious incident with Cuba when they downed our defence force vessel and buzzed a settlement in one of islands (the name of the island escapes me at the moment).
One final point. Cuba is not a free market. One cannot own property there and private property is a first principle with a free market.
Rick, The jury is out on libertarians for me. I mean, they are neo-con’s in sheep clothing from what I can tell. The only thing different from the conservatives and libertarians, from my perspective, is the fact that they don’t have the religious right in tow behind them. Other than that, they are merely conservatives who don’t give a flap doodle about development, just the market bottom line. This may serve as appropriate for the moment, but, a lot more than that is needed to shape ideals and the future. You have to know what truly you believe in and why. With this, sorry if I mischaracterized your being a conservative. Onto to the other matter, downgrading the embassy only LIES to yourself. Either you are concerned about the Bahamian interests in Cuba, or you are not. Full Stop. Second. Yes, we HAD an incident with Cuba, but, so did every other country in the western hemisphere to some extent; whether it is good or bad. We have moved past that and made an attempt to bridge the gap, or so to speak. Last, Cuba not being a private free market for Cubans, or for a select few does not mean we don’t, or, should not have interests in Cuba. You confuse the Cuban plight, with out interests as it needs be.
Took the quiz, and it is what I thought it would be. Centre Right (with a little bit of state regulation)…as loaded as the quiz was. LOL….
In any event, it cuts the issues to ok to some extent.
The bill and Rick show……..phew, I wouldn’t wanna get in that hot pan.
But Rick, I have a response for you……..coming soon!