The Tribune

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

AMID the ongoing political and civil crisis in Venezuela, the Bahamas government has reiterated its concern for the “deteriorating situation” in the South American country as well as its calls for the protection of the Venezuelan people.

However, these sentiments which were released yesterday in a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, were rejected by Progressive Liberal Party chairman Fred Mitchell who described the statement as “hypocritical”.

Mr Mitchell, who is the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, instead reiterated his stance that The Bahamas has generally stuck to a principle of non-interference.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is monitoring the deteriorating situation in Venezuela with concern,” the government’s statement noted.

“The government of The Bahamas calls upon the Venezuelan authorities to safeguard the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Venezuelan people.

“The government of The Bahamas expresses the hope that a peaceful resolution is realised in accordance with resolutions adopted by the Organisation of American States and the Inter-American Democratic Charter which all member states have accepted.”

Mr Mitchell, however, criticised these remarks. “The statement by the Bahamas government on Venezuela is hypocritical,” he said.

“This FNM government abandoned the country’s principle of non-interference in the affairs of other countries.

“Instead it helped to foment the disorder we now see, condemning the present Venezuelan government as illegitimate, yet it now calls on that same illegitimate government to keep order.

“Our government should always be an honest broker and not promote policies which foment disorder.

“The PLP says the Bahamas has no dog in the hunt and should have stuck to the non-interference principle.”

Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis has previously noted the Bahamas’ position on Venezuela has remained firm and in line with the OAS: that if the recent election in Venezuela was illegitimate, then the government is illegitimate.

This has differed from the official stance of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), which has stated Venezuelans must be allowed to “decide their own future” and called for “non-intervention” and “non-interference”.