🇧🇿 NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE EDITORIAL | Sunday Feature

By: Omar Silva, Editor/Publisher

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

As U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio prepares to touch down in Kingston and tour the Caribbean’s oil-rich shores, an unmistakable message is echoing across CARICOM capitals—from Bridgetown to Belmopan: the Caribbean is not for sale, and neither are our principles.

Rubio, a political hardliner on Latin American affairs and a staunch opponent of Cuba, arrives with a mission: to reaffirm Washington’s influence in the hemisphere while pressuring nations to abandon the Cuban medical brigades that have, for decades, brought healing hands and humanitarian relief to our region. But CARICOM leaders are not flinching.

The United States recently announced a sweeping threat—the cancellation of U.S. visas for public officials and their families who support, contract, or otherwise benefit from the services of the Cuban health brigades. Their justification? The program, they argue, amounts to state-sponsored forced labor. But to the people of the Caribbean, and to any fair-minded observer, this claim falls flat against reality.

A Regional Lifeline, Not a Political Pawn

From hurricane-ravaged islands to remote inland villages, Cuban doctors have been a lifeline. In Belize, they serve rural communities, staff under-resourced clinics, and support our public hospitals with specialized skills we sorely lack. They do not operate in chains. They are not coerced. They are professionals—proud, qualified, and essential.

Let us call it plainly: the U.S. campaign against Cuban doctors is not about human rights. It is about political leverage. It is part of a larger geopolitical agenda that seeks to punish Cuba, isolate its government, and dismantle its soft-power diplomacy across the Global South. But in that campaign, the real casualties are the poor and vulnerable, who will suffer if these medical missions are disrupted.

CARICOM Stands Tall

In a moment that history will remember, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines said what so many Caribbean leaders know in their hearts: “They can take my visa. I will not let my people die for the sake of American approval.”

His words struck a chord across the region.

Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley, a seasoned stateswoman and current CARICOM Chair, backed him up with moral clarity: no visa is worth betraying the region’s gratitude and dependency on Cuban humanitarianism.

And in Belize, though spoken with more restraint, Minister of Health Kevin Bernard also took a stand, affirming that Cuban doctors in Belize are paid directly, not through Havana, and that they perform a critical, dignified service. While careful not to provoke U.S. ire, Bernard made it clear that Belize remains grateful for the Cuban contribution to our health system—and that his loyalty lies with the people of this country, not a visa stamp.

Small Nations, Big Values

Let us not be mistaken: these are not just diplomatic footnotes. They are defining tests of sovereignty and self-respect. In an age where small nations are often bullied into silence by global powers and their strategic interests, CARICOM is sending a defiant signal: Caribbean unity and human dignity will not be compromised.

These leaders are defending more than Cuba. They are defending the principle that public health is not a pawn in political games. They are defending the idea that we, too, have the right to choose our partners, define our needs, and shape our destinies.

And Belize, with its proud history of principled foreign policy, must not blink.

The Belizean People Deserve Clarity and Conviction

Minister Bernard’s statements are commendable, but the time may soon come for Prime Minister John Briceño himself to speak with equal conviction. Will Belize allow external threats to dictate who we consider friends? Will we retreat from the values of solidarity, gratitude, and mutual cooperation that have guided our region for decades?

The answer must be a resounding no.

Let us be clear: visas are privileges, not shackles. Our commitment to public health, to international cooperation, and to the sovereign choices of our people cannot and must not be held hostage by any foreign government.

We Belizeans know hardship. We know scarcity. We know what it means to make do with little and give thanks for every helping hand. The Cuban doctors among us have earned not just our respect, but our protection. To cast them aside to appease the whims of Washington would not only be morally wrong—it would be a betrayal of our Caribbean conscience.

Final Word: Tell the U.S. to Keep Its Visas

The United States is our neighbor. It is a powerful ally and an important partner. But partnership must never mean subservience.

In the name of regional unity, public health, and sovereign dignity, the National Perspective joins the voices of CARICOM leaders and proudly proclaims:

“If your friendship comes with threats, and your diplomacy comes with demands to abandon our healers—then keep your visas. We will keep our values.”

The future of our region depends not on the permission of great powers, but on the strength of our convictions. Let Belize stand among the nations that chose principle over privilege—and stood with Cuba when it mattered most.