NO PENALTY THREAT

Former United States Ambassador to Jamaica Luis G. Moreno has dismissed as “silly” suggestions that Jamaica could face penalties from the US over Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness’ remarks on Cuba’s humanitarian crisis earlier this week.

“I think that’s silly. I don’t think anyone would go for that,” Moreno told The Gleaner yesterday.

His comments follow a warning from Republican Congressman Carlos Giménez, who declared that “Jamaica will face the consequences!” after Holness addressed the 50th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Government of CARICOM in St Kitts and Nevis on Tuesday. In his speech, Holness cautioned that the worsening humanitarian situation in Cuba could become a regional issue and urged that it be approached with clarity and courage.

Responding on Thursday to a post Holness shared on X featuring his conference address, Giménez, who represents Florida’s 28th congressional district, sharply criticised the Jamaican leader.

“I harshly condemn this and find it lamentable that the JLP would cover up for the moribund dictatorship in #Cuba, when the Castro regime repeatedly intervened in #Jamaica’s politics to exacerbate partisan tensions and undermine the JLP!” he posted, referring to the ruling Jamaica Labour Party, which Holness leads.

Giménez, born in Havana, Cuba, in 1954, immigrated to the United States as a child after his family was forced to flee the island following the communist takeover led by Fidel Castro. Raised in a prosperous landowning family, they lost their lands and assets as a result of the agrarian reforms and nationalisation policies implemented during the Cuban Revolution.

After settling in Miami’s Little Havana, he went on to build a career in public service and now serves as the only Cuban-born member of the US Congress.

But Moreno, who served in Jamaica under the Barack Obama administration from 2015 to 2017, stated that Giménez is “kind of a one-issue guy”, who is “understandably, incredibly anti-Castro”.

While acknowledging that he has at times been surprised by actions taken by the administration of Donald Trump, Moreno said he does not foresee political fallout for Jamaica stemming from Holness’ remarks.

In fact, Moreno told The Gleaner that he believed Holness’ statement was balanced and pragmatic.

“The fact is he emphasised how he believed in democracy, how he believed in open, free marketplace was very positive. I thought the fact that he agrees with the Mexican approach on humanitarian assistance was something realistic and I think was unavoidable,” he said.

Mexico has been sending major humanitarian aid to Cuba as the island struggles with fuel shortages and widespread blackouts.

In his address, Holness reaffirmed Jamaica’s support for democracy, human rights, open-market economies, and political accountability.

“We do not believe that long-term stability can exist where economic freedom is constrained and political participation is limited. Sustainable prosperity requires openness to ideas, to enterprise, to investment, and to the will of the people,” he said.

He declared that now is a time for “responsible statecraft” and that Jamaica supports constructive dialogue between Cuba and the United States aimed at de-escalation, reform, and stability.

In January, the US imposed a fuel blockade on Cuba, forcing the island to cut its workweek, limiting school hours to daylight, and reducing public services. The United Nations warned of impending humanitarian collapse on the island, home to more than 10 million people, if its energy needs remained unmet, noting that hospitals and water systems were failing.

On Wednesday, the same day that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed leaders at the CARICOM conference, the US Treasury Department announced that it would allow companies to sell and export oil, gas, and Venezuelan-origin fuel to Cuba.

But it said the authorisation was not for direct sale to the Cuban government and will be limited to private-sector entities for humanitarian purposes.

Meanwhile, Holness, in his address, also highlighted that Cuba, for decades, served the region through its nurses and doctors.

However, Moreno contended that these programmes by the Cuban government were not done out of the “goodness of their heart” but “came with a cost”.

“I think that they were expecting to get something out of it, including intelligence,” he said.

Despite this, he reiterated that Holness’ address was fair.

“I think that his statement overall was realistic, open, and honest. From my point of view, I thought it was a pretty positive statement,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com