Trump is The Enemy of Jamaica

Jamaica is another Ukraine. Trump has robbed Jamaica of its sovereignty and rendered its political leaders, both JLP and PNP, helpless. I did not realize this. So,  I owe Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness an apology. I did not realize that US racist president Donald Trump had put the screws to him. I was perplexed and shocked when Holness chose Trump’s right wing puppet as president of Venezuela over the elected President  Nicolas Maduro, who had done so much for Jamaica. Holness had to do that treacherous dastardly deed to protect Jamaicans from Trump’s reprisals.

Wiih the Ukraine, Trump held up their military aid. In Jamaica, he retaliates by revoking the US visas of prominent Jamaicans, including cabinet ministers.

In 2016 a local company Symbiote Investments Limited, which trades as Caricel applied for a Mobile Carrier license. This would put it in competition with the other two mobile carriers in Jamaica, Cable and Wireless Communications and Digicel. After rigorous investigation the Jamaica cabinet approved  the license and Prime Minister Holness proudly announced this to Jamaica.  So, Symbiote Investments Ltd, became the first fully Jamaican-owned telecom company to be granted a local mobile spectrum license.

But, for some inexplicable reason, the Trump administration opposed this approval. As a US embassy official told the local Gleaner newspaper, "The US is adamant that Caricel is not fit and proper to operate a spectrum license and has made it clear to Jamaica that it will take action if the license is not revoked”. Then the US retaliated by revoking the visitor visas of six prominent Jamaicans. These included three attorneys of Caricel , and a family member of one of the attorneys.  The US refused to give any reasons for the revoking of the visas. After this Prime Minister Holness revoked the license.

In recent months, the Trump administration has yanked the noose he has put around Jamaica’s neck. Once again, without any explanation, he  has revoked the visas of several prominent Jamaicans. They include:

  • Daryl Vaz, a Government Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation
  • Phillip Paulwell - a vice-president of the opposition PNP and a former Minister of Mining, Science, Energy and Technology
  • Several members of the Jamaica Constabulary force

Now is there any doubt why Jamaica stabbed Venezuela’s elected president Nicolas Maduro in the back by recognizing the right wing US puppet instead? The sad realty is that Jamaica’s sovereignty is history. Prime Minister Holness does not even dare complain. Trump also made sure that the opposition is muzzled too as it deliberately revoked visas of prominent leaders of both JLP and PNP. This is an outrage! Will economic sanctions be next?

I was so naïve. I was under the notion that Jamaica was a sovereign country and that America was one of the good guys.  The racist  Trump now controls Jamaica foreign policy and more. At least Ukraine eventually got its military aid. Jamaica is doomed to obey Trump indefinitely. The extortion of Jamaica should be included in the impeachment hearings.

All this information is open knowledge and is available from the Jamaican newspapers.  See :

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20191102/us-clips-wings-vaz-paulwell-visas-revoked

and

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20170101/us-gets-tough-over-caricel-least-three-attorneys-among-six-jamaicans

Also check out an excellent article by Jamaica’s former ambassador to the UN, Curtis Ward:

https://thewardpost.com/trump-visa-sanctions-and-china-economic-engagement/

Our leaders hands are tied. It is up to Jamaican citizens and friends of Jamaica to rise up and throw off this yoke! Expose this outrage! Let us hope the US Black caucus and other influential friends, who care about justice, come to our aid. I wonder how many  countries  other than Ukraine and Jamaica have faced similar extortion from the Trump regime. I fear Trump is unimpeachable so much worse abuse lies ahead.

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About the Author
Michael Irving Phillips has kept abreast of Jamaican and the rest of the Caribbean by his one-man production of Hot Calaloo, a newsletter about Caribbean news and views. From April 1992 to December 1999, it was published monthly and was transferred to the web at hotcalaloo.com since then.

He was born in Jamaica and left home for Howard University in the US where he received MA (Education) and BS (Chemistry) degrees. Previous books includes :"A Jamaica Poor No More", "Boycott Money And Save Your Soul – Launching The Goodwill Revolution:, “Leave the Rat Race To The Rats” and “Poems for Husbands and Other Underdogs

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