Dean Jonas
Former Member of Parliament and Minister of Government Dean Jonas has cautioned Caribbean leaders to resist knee-jerk reactions to the recent revocation of Grenada Finance Minister Dennis Cornwall’s U.S. visa, warning that the matter requires strategy rather than outrage.
Jonas, in a statement issued on Friday, described the decision as “A warning, not a war,” urging regional governments to view the development within a broader and more complex context.
While acknowledging that Washington’s action may be seen as heavy-handed, he stressed that some of the concerns prompting U.S. scrutiny have come from Cuban doctors and nurses themselves, not simply from political adversaries.
“Let’s pause before we paint this as a simple U.S. bully move” Jonas said. “Maybe it is a bullying move, but we must recognize a more complex truth: many of the complaints about payments, raised in Washington or at the regional US embassies, are coming not from adversaries, but from the Cuban doctors and nurses themselves.”
For decades, Cuban medical brigades have been integral to healthcare delivery across the Caribbean, including in Antigua and Barbuda. Their role has often been celebrated, but Jonas argued that issues raised by the medical professionals regarding withheld salaries and unfair treatment deserve serious attention. He said regional leaders must acknowledge these realities while maintaining solidarity with Cuba and safeguarding access to critical healthcare services.
Jonas cautioned against casting every U.S. move as imperialism or reacting emotionally to Washington’s policies. Instead, he advocated a diplomatic approach that allows the region to engage constructively with both Cuba and the United States. He stressed that solidarity should never come at the expense of human rights and that the region’s healthcare partnerships must also ensure fairness and transparency for the professionals involved.
“Yes, the U.S. may be leveraging visas as political pressure, but we must not fall into a trap of reactionary rhetoric,” Jonas said. “Let’s stand by our healthcare partnerships, with our heads and hearts firmly engaged, drawing the line between solidarity and pragmatism.”
I agree with Ambassador Jonas for the most part, but this is an issue that should have been dealt with collectively. CARICOM leaders already met on it, so the response should have been united, not scattered.
From what I understand, only The Bahamas and maybe Jamaica have made changes so far, paying Cuban doctors directly and leaving it to them to send money back home. For the rest, we really don’t know where their governments stand. That’s why the Grenada case looks like the first of its kind, but it could easily be the start of more to come.
We’ve mainly heard strong positions from Grenada’s Finance Minister, plus PM Gonsalves and PM Mottley. But Barbados isn’t even part of the Cuban medical programme, so their role is more supportive than anything else.
At the end of the day, Caribbean governments need to face this issue together. Instead, like too many things in the region, it feels like everyone is just looking out for themselves.
Jonas makes a fair point. Too often we jump to shouting ‘imperialism’ without looking at the real issues on the ground. If the Cuban doctors themselves are raising concerns, we can’t just brush that aside.
Yeah? But since when America cares about how Cuban doctors are being treated? Is pure bullying by America and trump. The Caribbean needs to get together and strategically plan for this. Personally, going to America should not be a priority . Caribbean governments should come up with a creative plan to reciprocate this move. Send a clear message that Caribbean governments and people will not be bullied. Isolate America become more self soficient and increase relations with everyone else directly except America.
Well said I am in agreement with your post. America Bullying the World since time immerioal.
This secondary sanctioning by the US, in addition to imperialism and bullying. They are using the visa issue to sanction countries that are breaking their sanctions against Cuba. They don’t care about Cuba and Cubans. They are trying to cripple the country with sanctions because they don’t like their system of government, which is the same as China, and the Caribbean countries via the Cuba medical programme is benefiting Cuba with desperate foreign exchange currency contrary to the US sanctioned-intent to cripple Cuba.
Most/all of the US policy with Cuba has been dictated by Cubans that were exiled by the communist, and live in the US now. Most of them have family and friends in Cuba still.
Actions taken by the current administration were directly asked for by Cubans.
Why are Caribbean peoples ok with forced labor?
A unified response from CARICOM, and all Caribbean leaders is an absolute requirement on this point, afer dialog eith the Caban Doctors and nurses. As stated by someone else, since when did America care about Cuban doctors and nurses? In my view they dont. Its about putting pressure on the Cuban administration,which they have had issues with for years. Mr Jonas, is right thought, there needs to be a well though out response.
I think Jonas is absolutely correct. This is a serious matter that should not be brushed aside or handled with knee-jerk reactions. The Caribbean has long been vulnerable to policies set outside our borders, and this visa revocation is just another reminder. We need our leaders to come together, speak with one voice, and protect the integrity of our institutions.
I think that Caribbean small island states should approach this visa issue pragmatically, as Mr. Jonas stated. This means being strategic and collaborative rather than confrontational, focusing on diplomacy to protect citizens and economies. It is important to remember that our nations rely on strong international relations and that a collective, dynamic approach can be more effective than individual, reactive measures.