Words alone do not keep the lights on

Mar 18, 2026 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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(Kaieteur News) – Cuba, a country, already burdened by years of economic strain is now being pushed closer to the edge. With fuel supplies choked off and its fragile energy grid collapsing, the island has been plunged into darkness, literally and figuratively. Entire communities are without electricity. Hospitals struggle. Food spoils. Daily life, already difficult, has become an exhausting exercise in survival.

This is not an abstract geopolitical dispute. It is a humanitarian crisis. Around the world, there are signs that others understand the urgency. Countries like Brazil, Mexico, Spain and China have begun mobilizing humanitarian support. Brazil is sending food and Mexico is sending food and medical supplies but not fuel for fear of American retaliation. Spain is sending token aid through the United Nations.

China has already sent substantial aid including 60,000 tons of rice, US$80 million for electrical equipment, and thousands of solar power systems. Additionally, China is investing in solar parks, providing solar kits for homes. These are not acts of charity alone; they are acts of recognition that when a nation collapses under pressure, the consequences ripple far beyond its borders.

The Caribbean knows this better than most. At its recent summit, the Caribbean Community acknowledged the gravity of the situation. Its statement was careful, diplomatic, and measured, but its meaning was clear: the region cannot afford to ignore what is happening in Cuba. The leaders spoke of a “growing humanitarian crisis” and expressed a willingness to act in ways that would benefit the Cuban people while maintaining regional stability.

Fine words. Necessary words. But words alone do not keep the lights on.

So far, the region’s response has been slow—painfully slow. And here in Guyana, the silence is even more striking. This is a country that has shown, not too long ago, that it can act decisively when disaster strikes. When a volcano erupted in St. Vincent, assistance was mobilized. When Jamaica was battered by a hurricane, support followed. There was urgency. There was compassion. There was leadership.

Why not now?

Cuba’s crisis may not come with dramatic images of ash clouds or floodwaters, but its effects are just as devastating. A prolonged nation-wide blackout is a slow-burning emergency that touches every aspect of life. And if it is allowed to worsen, it will not remain contained. Desperation travels. It moves across borders. It arrives on distant shores. Guyana will not be immune. Already, there are concerns about increased migration flows to countries like Guyana where it is believed that we have close to 20,000 Cuban immigrants, with more to come should the situation in Cuba get worse. But beyond the practical implications lies a deeper question: what kind of nation does Guyana want to be in this moment? One that watches quietly from the sidelines, or one that acts in the spirit of regional solidarity that it so often proclaims?

More than one hundred citizens have already taken a step in the right direction by petitioning the President of Guyana. That effort should not end in a letter quietly filed away. It must grow. It must be seen. It must be heard.

Peaceful public demonstration has always been one of the most powerful tools available to ordinary people. It signals that an issue matters. Those who have signed that petition should now take the next step: come out, stand together, and demand action. Not confrontation, but conscience. The call is simple: mobilize humanitarian aid for Cuba. Not tomorrow. Not after another round of meetings. Now.

There are practical ways to help. Solar panels, for example, could provide immediate relief to homes struggling with blackouts. Medical supplies, fuel assistance, technical expertise—none of these are beyond Guyana’s reach, especially at a time when the country is benefiting from newfound oil wealth. The resources exist. What is needed is the will.

And then there is the matter of history—of memory. The old guard of the PPP would do well to remember the legacy of Cheddi Jagan, a leader who understood the importance of standing with Cuba. A peaceful picketing exercise at Babu Jaan on Sunday, March 29, when the party honours Cheddi Jagan, would not be an act of defiance; it would be an act of remembrance. A reminder that solidarity is not something to be spoken of only in speeches, but something to be lived.

Because right now, it is hard to escape the impression that this government has grown hesitant and overly cautious in the face of external pressure, reluctant to act where it once would have led. Statements are issued. Positions are noted. But action is absent. And in moments like these, absence speaks loudly. Cuba does not need sympathy alone. It needs support. And Guyana, if it is to remain true to its own ideals, must decide whether it will be part of the solution or content to remain a cowardly observer as that country struggles in the dark.

(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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• Cuba, Food spoils, Peeping Tom, Words alone

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