EDITOR, The Tribune.
Under President John F Kennedy, the United States placed a crippling economic embargo on communist Cuba, then led by Fidel Castro, a rabid loyalist of the USSR, in 1962 – 15 years into the geopolitical tension between the two countries dubbed the Cold War, which began in 1947.
Under the United Bahamian Party and the shrewd Sir Stafford Sands, the architect of our tourism industry, The Bahamas capitalised on Cuba’s diplomatic fallout with the Americans.
Cuba’s economic languishing had coincided with the unprecedented era of prosperity in The Bahamas, owing to the millions of Americans vacationing here.
With his historic March 2016 visit to that Caribbean island nation, former President Barak Obama became the first US president to officially visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge did in 1928.
Obama’s visit occurred some eight months after his country had resumed diplomatic relations with Cuba – an historic move that had thousands of Bahamians nervous.
Former Secretary of State John Kerry’s raising of the US flag over the American embassy in August of 2015 was a symbolic gesture that the frosty relations between the United States and Cuba were thawing.
Had Obama had the unfettered authority to unilaterally repeal the decades-old embargo, I believe he would’ve done so without hesitation, despite Cuba’s atrocious record in human rights and its deeply entrenched communist system.
Unfortunately for Obama, that decision lies solely with Congress.
President Donald Trump did rescind some of the agreements Obama had made with former Cuban President Raul Castro in 2017.
For Bahamians monitoring the political maneuvering between Cuba and the United States, President-elect Joe Biden’s November 3 general election victory signals a potential restart of the normalisation process begun under Obama.
Bear in mind that Biden served as vice-president in the Obama administration. There’s ample reason to assume that Biden shares the same diplomatic viewpoints on Cuba as his former boss.
Bahamians who are celebrating Biden’s win obviously are not taking into consideration the potential negative implications of his assumed policy towards Cuba, which could entail loosening restrictions on travelling to that country for American vacationers.
Such a move could spell trouble for our tourism sector, as millions of Americans are anxious to see what a reopened Cuba has to offer.
I am not too certain that the Caribbean tourism industry is big enough to accommodate Cuba, while allowing other tourism destinations such as The Bahamas to continue flourishing as they have done since Kennedy’s 1962 announcement of a trade embargo against the Cubans.
KEVIN EVANS
Freeport, Grand Bahama,
December 6, 2020.
Comments
Porcupine 3 years, 11 months ago
Imagine arguing against relaxing the economic stranglehold of a whole country due to their political leanings, simply for the economic benefit of our own economics. Seriously? Can any aspect of that thinking be considered Christian? Any at all ?Apparently we can ignore the dozens of illegal wars and the bombing of innocent people the world over by the world's superpower because they contribute to our economy. What a sad, sad commentary on the state of our "Christian" thinking. Jesus help these charlatans.
GodSpeed 3 years, 11 months ago
Communists don't believe in Jesus.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Neither do American christians.
GodSpeed 3 years, 11 months ago
🤔 you must mean American Democrats
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 10 months ago
No. American republicans. The dumbest fake christians on the planet...
GodSpeed 3 years, 10 months ago
Maybe RINOs like the Bush Crime Family and McCain, may his soul burn in hell. But not the Conservative American people.
Democrats on the other hand like Obama and Biden are the fakest Christians there are. Obama even said on camera his "Muslim Faith"... https://youtu.be/bMUgNg7aD8M ...the interviewer had to correct him. What kind of Christian makes that mistake!
Biden is a pedo and sexual deviant... https://youtu.be/KQ-YjGmpO4Q ....but being a supposed "catholic" I guess that's not so surprising. Forget the Clintons, they're straight up Satanists.
tribanon 3 years, 10 months ago
Now don't get me started on the 'Bahamian kind' of Christian!
GodSpeed 3 years, 11 months ago
Bahamians who are celebrating Biden's win are brainwashed 🐑🐏🐑
tribanon 3 years, 10 months ago
Ain't that the truth. And to think they're looking forward to Minnis, with the help of his Communist Chinese friends, introducing election fraud in The Bahamas in a big way that ensures he remains as the Incompetent Authority for many many years to come.
GodSpeed 3 years, 10 months ago
Yes don't be surprised when they install some Dominion voting machines over here.
Proguing 3 years, 11 months ago
Biden’s plan of opening up Cuba to American tourists will divert millions of tourists away from The Bahamas. It will have a similar effect on this nation’s economy as the pandemic.
And just wait until he joins the Europeans in blacklisting us like Clinton and Obama did.
Biden is going to be worst for the Bahamas than any hurricane we have seen.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
Lol. You scared?
Sissy...
Proguing 3 years, 11 months ago
The Democratic party is the sissy's party, is that why you support it?
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 10 months ago
Uh huh. Obviously by sissy you mean homosexuals. I mean cowardice when I say sissy.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 11 months ago
It's written by Kevin. Like seriously. Who cares? Kevin aint exactly a rocket scientist. He's a trumpie. Lol...
joeblow 3 years, 11 months ago
... but you seem to be the equivalent of what you purport a "trumpie" would be with out being one!
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 10 months ago
Really? Lol. That's a good one...
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 10 months ago
You are, quite honestly, the biggest asshole on this forum. Reading your comments under the Canadian letters absolutely disgusts me as someone familiar with the very generous and kindhearted expat community here. They pay property taxes, ludicrous BPL bills, maintenance workers and landscapers to help dumbass Bahamians like you have a country that isn't a third world shithole like nearly everywhere else in the region. Bahamians like you deserve the poverty what is coming.
I don't agree with everything what Kevin writes, but he is entitled to his opinion. To insult his intelligence based on the mere fact that he supports one candidate versus another reflects very highly of your own.
tribanon 3 years, 10 months ago
Amen!
ScubaSteve 3 years, 11 months ago
This Editorial by Kevin was extremely "selfish" and un-Christian. Yes, if Cuba fully opens up to American tourists, some of the money will flow towards Cuba rather than the Bahamas. That is NO different than the money that flows to the T&C, Jamaica, Bermuda, and all of the other tourist destinations that we compete with at the moment. But the freedom and advancement of an entire society and people outweigh the potential decrease in tourist dollars. I want all people to live in a free society in peace and happiness -- and that is exactly what Cuba deserves. The fact that some Bahamians (e.g. Kevin) still want Cuba to remain a Communist dump of a country and still let their citizens suffer -- just so we can profit -- is a complete embarrassment and extremely narrow minded approach.
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 10 months ago
You are incredibly naive to put it lightly. I am sure that those US dollars will flow into the hands of the Cuban people and not their corrupt government officials.
JokeyJack 3 years, 10 months ago
You may want to visit Cuba and order a "hamburger" some time. The people will not benefit from any tourist income. All the change will do is allow the govt there to buy more machine guns and listening devices to use on their people.
ScullyUFO 3 years, 10 months ago
The answer to the issue of whether a Biden presidency will hurt the Bahamas because more Americans may vacation in Cuba is simple: be better at tourism than the Cubans.
The Bahamas has a head start. Being complacent about that is the enemy.
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 10 months ago
Exactly. Unfortunately out people are spoiled they want it without working for it. Of course we can offer a superior product. We just have to work harder at it.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 10 months ago
Exactly what I was thinking too
FrustratedBusinessman 3 years, 10 months ago
I am sorry, you are greatly oversimplifying the problem regarding the opening of Cuba to US travelers. The Bahamas is never going to be able to compete with Cuba.
We are an extremely costly travel destination and the economic reasons for that are not going to change anytime soon. Do you have any idea what the electric bills look like for the major hotels/resorts, the cost to import food and other necessities, and just the cost of doing business in general is like here? God forbid we ever started marketing our tourism product at Cuba prices, most Bahamian salaries would be a mere pittance of what they are now.
So many people here will let their orange man bad derangement override the welfare of their nation that it is saddening to see. Does anyone here legitimately think that either Trump or Biden gives a crap about Bahamians? Maybe Biden will give all of you refugee status when we turn into the next little Haiti lol.
ThisIsOurs 3 years, 10 months ago
"am not too certain that the Caribbean tourism industry is big enough to accommodate Cuba, while allowing other tourism destinations such as The Bahamas to continue flourishing as they have done since Kennedy’s 1962 announcement of a trade embargo against the Cubans."
foolishness...well in my opinion. Create an attractive enough product and people will come. That's where we've failed. Our strategy for the past 30 years has been, well, we right dere. Don't blame Biden and Cuba
proudloudandfnm 3 years, 10 months ago
Biden is POTUS. Get over your conspiracy theories. Time to deal with reality...
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