A test of sovereignty

Mar 02, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News- The United States, self-appointed arbiter of the world’s affairs, has once again slipped into its favorite pastime: the bullying of small nations. This time, the target is medical Cuba’s missions, a program born of necessity and solidarity, designed to bolster the fragile healthcare systems of developing countries.

For decades, Cuba has dispatched doctors, nurses, and medical personnel to developing countries. Guyana has benefited immensely from Cuban humanitarianism. Yet, under the heavy-handed decree of Washington, these very lifelines are now deemed unacceptable.

The United States, under the pretenses of combating human trafficking, is threatening travel sanctions against government officials of nations that accept Cuba’s medical assistance. The true target of this coercion is Venezuela, which has long been vilified in Washington’s playbook, but the collateral damage is wide-ranging, and Guyana now finds itself caught in the crosshairs. The question remains: will our leaders cower, or will they summon the resolve that history demands of them?

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, the man who rarely shies away from political theatrics, twisted and turned when confronted with a question on this issue, at his last press conference. Instead of issuing a clear and forceful rebuttal, he resorted to diplomatic evasion, mumbling about CARICOM’s intent to seek an audience with the Trump administration. While a regional approach is a pragmatic course of action, it is no substitute for national conviction. To rely on CARICOM’s collective voice is a convenient a shield behind which leaders often hide when they fear speaking truth to power. The issue at hand is a direct affront to Guyana’s sovereignty. And our leader leaders should have the courage to state clearly their rejection of the threats.

The history between Guyana and Cuba is not one of fleeting convenience but of principled alliance. It was Guyana, alongside Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, that broke the chains of diplomatic isolation and recognized Cuba in 1972. In doing so, the country stood defiantly against the dictates of the United States. That decision was not without cost. The infamous 1976 bombing of Cubana Flight 455, in which eleven Guyanese citizens perished, was a stark reminder of the consequences of defying imperial interests. Yet, despite the threats, despite the violence, Guyana did not waver. It stood firm with Cuba then, and it must do so now.

To yield to the United States’ demands would be a betrayal of historical proportions. It would dishonor the legacy of those who resisted coercion and sought to carve out an independent path for Guyana in the global arena. It would be a declaration that, after all these years, we remain little more than a pawn in the pond of powerful nations.

The practical necessity of Cuba’s medical missions cannot be overstated. Guyana’s healthcare system is not in a position to turn away the assistance of trained medical professionals. The government has announced ambitious plans to construct twelve new hospitals, an initiative that is laudable but hollow if not accompanied by a parallel strategy to staff them with qualified personnel. Where will these doctors and nurses come from? Is the government prepared to finance an exodus of Guyanese medical students to Western universities? Is it ready to absorb the financial burden of recruiting foreign professionals at exorbitant salaries? The reality is stark: Cuba has provided what no other country has, and to sever that lifeline at the behest of Washington would be an act of self-inflicted harm.

The United States’ moral outrage over Cuban medical missions is rich with hypocrisy. This is the same government that has perpetuated a six-decade-long economic embargo on Cuba, an act of collective punishment that has crippled an entire nation. It is the same government that routinely turns a blind eye to human rights abuses when committed by its allies but manufactures indignation when it serves its geopolitical interests. The same nation that lectures others on democracy and sovereignty while orchestrating coups and economic strangulation across the globe now demands that Guyana abandon a humanitarian partnership under the guise of moral righteousness.

Jagdeo and the Guyanese government must understand that sovereignty is not merely a slogan—it is a principle that demands action. To be sovereign is to decide, free from external coercion, what is in the best interest of the nation and its people. It is to recognize that allegiance is not owed to a distant superpower but to the citizens who depend on the policies crafted in Georgetown, not Washington. If the price of standing with Cuba is the imposition of travel sanctions on government officials, so be it. The inability to dine in New York or shop in Miami is a trivial sacrifice when measured against the fundamental right to self-determination.

Should the United States move forward with its threats, Guyana is not without recourse. Diplomatic relations, after all, are a two-way street. If Washington chooses to punish Guyanese officials for engaging in sovereign decision-making, then the presence of American diplomatic personnel in Georgetown must be re-evaluated. A nation cannot claim to respect its partners while simultaneously dictating their policies under the threat of sanction.

The time for equivocation is over. Guyana cannot afford to tiptoe around this issue with diplomatic niceties. The government must issue a direct and unequivocal statement rejecting the United States’ threats and affirming its commitment to Cuba’s medical missions. The principle at stake is far greater than any one administration—it is about the legacy of Guyana as a nation that refuses to be bullied into submission.

History is watching. The ghosts of Cubana Flight 455 are watching. The people who depend on Cuban doctors are watching. And in the end, the question that will be asked is not whether Guyana sought shelter in CARICOM but whether it had the courage to stand, alone, if necessary, in defense of its sovereignty. The answer, if we are to honor our past and secure our future, must be a resounding yes.

 

(A test of sovereignty)

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.) 

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• developing countries, Peeping Tom, sovereignty, world's affairs

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