The recent commentary by former Prime Minister (PM) P.J. Patterson on the deepening crisis in Cuba is as morally resonant as it is politically uncomfortable for current Caribbean leaders, including PM Andrew Holness. It is not often that a retired Caribbean statesman speaks with such visible anguish. Rarer still is the spectacle of a former leader implicitly challenging the resolve of those who now occupy the seats of power. It’s a reminder that Caribbean leaders once possessed the backbone to defy pressure from external forces when principle demanded it.