Published: Sunday | March 20, 2022 – Jamaica Gleaner
Caricom heads of government meeting in Belize could not have been clearer about the ‘perfect storm’ that is about to strike the Caribbean.
Speaking at a post-summit press conference, John Briceño and Mia Mottley, the prime ministers of Belize and Barbados, respectively, both stressed the importance of a unified response to the multiplicity of global economic challenges facing the region. The emphasis now, they suggested, must be on actions that result in self-reliance and resilience.
In San Pedro, Caricom heads agreed that the region urgently needed to implement measures intended to create self-sufficiency in food production and energy, deliver an effective and viable Caricom Single Market and Economy, and more aggressively seek out the funding required to drive regional economic recovery. Continue reading
HAITI — Many culprits are to blame for Haiti’s long history of suffering – by Mohamed Hamaludin
Heartbreaking news coming out of Haiti paints a picture of a nation engulfed by gang violence “which has placed the capital in a state of siege,” the United Nations said in early May, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. The horror includes “beheadings, chopping and burning of bodies and the killing of minors accused of being informants for a rival gang.” Children as young as 10 are subjected to sexual violence, including gang rape. Doctors Without Borders closed its 15-year-old hospital.
The gangs “operate like de facto governments, with their own courts, ‘police stations and residential fees for everything from electricity to school permits,” The New York Times reported. The 11,000-member National Police is much too small for a country of 11 million; experts say at least 30,000 officers are needed.
The seeds of this tragedy were, however, planted long ago and there are much more significant culprits to blame than just thugs with guns and no regard for life. France and the United States top the list, along with at least two rapacious foreign banks, sundry despots, corrupt officials and catastrophic natural disasters. Continue reading →
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