by Wesley Kirton
SOUTH FLORIDA – I want to extend to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team a warm welcome to Guyana and to the CARICOM region in general. I live in former Senator Rubio’s constituency in Florida and have had the honor of interacting with him and his staff over the years, more recently as Co-chair of the Legislative Week Planning Committee for Caribbean American Heritage Month celebrations organized by the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) in June..
As a Guyanese/Caribbean American it is much appreciated that the new Secretary of State is visiting the region very early in his tenure. It is my sincere hope that he and his team will appreciate the complexities of the realities of Guyana and the rest of CARICOM and seek to ensure that US policies do not adversely impact the shared values of the Caribbean and American people. A kinder gentler approach is needed on the part of the Trump Administration towards these long-standing allies of America–the member states of CARICOM.
This kinder gentler approach should take account of the indispensable contribution of the Cuban Medical Brigade to the people of the Caribbean, thousands of whose lives are saved each year through the service of an exceptionally high standard of the Cuban doctors and nurses. The Cubans often fill the gaps left by taxpayer trained local doctors and nurses who migrate to the US and serve with distinction in medical facilities across America, especially along the Eastern seaboard.
It should also take into account the invaluable contribution America’s Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA) makes to creating and maintaining employment for thousands of workers in the region, and to the sustainability of small businesses and farmers in CARICOM. This one-way free trade agreement (which already has some restrictions) should be maintained if not improved. Reconsideration should also be given to the Cover Over program which puts Caribbean rum exports to the US at a disadvantage.
While the economies of Guyana and Suriname are projected to improve monumentally as a result of their nascent oil and gas industries, the CARICOM region as a whole requires extra regional assistance in areas such as human resource development, information technology and infrastructure. The Chinese are marching ahead with such assistance. USAID needs to be restored and the levels increased if the Chinese are not to emerge as the major ally of the CARICOM region.
On the issue of the acceptance of deportees from third countries, please spare the Caribbean of the risks and burden associated therewith. A majority of these countries depend on tourism and would face the risks of escalating crime brought about by the criminals my US Government claims to be deporting. The CARICOM countries are already struggling to address crime and gun violence. No guns are manufactured in the Caribbean.
CARICOM on Venezuela
Now on Venezuela which for the Caribbean is a complex issue. CARICOM continues to publicly support Guyana in its repudiation of Venezuela’s baseless claim while some of its member states rely on oil from Venezuela through its PetroCaribe program. Sanctions on these countries would hurt them significantly.
Guyana needs their ongoing genuine support on the Venezuelan claim and responses to threats of military action against Guyana. All Guyanese at home and abroad welcome the expressed firm commitment of the US in support of Guyana on this issue.
However, there are still lingering thoughts as to whether America would ‘put boots on the ground’or bomb the hell out of Venezuela should Maduro exercise a military option thereby threatening the oil and gas assets in Guyana. While I personally have no doubt about America’s commitment in this connection, I hope the need never arises and better sense would prevail on the part of Maduro.
In the context of the dependence on Venezuelan oil by some CARICOM states, I support the view expressed at the recent State Department briefing that these countries could look to Guyana for their oil and gas supplies. But Guyana will need market prices for its oil, which, if I understand correctly, is not paid for Venezuelan oil. So here is where President Trump could help craft a deal.
America needs Guyana’s oil and wants to help CARICOM member states. For the sake of security in the region and its own, the US can encourage a revisit of the Exxon contract. This means looking at the contract again, not renegotiating it. A kinder approach would be to adjust royalties from two percent to ten percent.
The US can set aside 500 million dollars each year for 25 years. This money would go to a regional oil fund. The fund would help Guyana’s oil exports to CARICOM countries. This would ensure affordable energy and stable societies. In this way, all of Guyana’s oil would be sold to America and the CARICOM region.
Such a deal would be a lasting impactful legacy of the presidency of the great Donald J. Trump.
And America does not have to make these countries states of the USA. They are America’s true friends that would often provide 15 votes in international fora.
