The Cabinet of the Bahamas informally voted to support Cuba’s bid to join the new Human Rights Council, but agreed to keep the decision secret, according to well-placed sources.
While it cannot be known how the vote was actually cast at the UN, it was claimed last night that Cabinet ministers held a vote recently and the outcome was in favour of casting the country’s ballot in support of Cuba.
The Tribune attempted to learn how the Bahamas voted from Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell yesterday afternoon, however Mr Mitchell was said by his staff to be out of the country.
A number of officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office were also contacted, but claimed they could not comment on the vote.
One Foreign Affairs spokesman said that The Tribune should ask the ministry’s permanent secretary Dr Patricia Rodgers, however she was said to be in a meeting. Other government spokespersons were unavailable for comment.
Contrary to the hopes of local US officials, Cuba secured a seat on the newly established Human Rights Council at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday.
The US and Cuba have both voiced their wishes that the Bahamas would support their respective interests during the voting process. US officials stated that they hoped that countries with “questionable human rights records” – such as Cuba – would receive no votes.
In the meantime, Cuba says that the US is hardly in a position to pass judgment on other countries.
As the voting process was carried out through secret ballots, it is not known in whose favour the Bahamas voted during yesterday’s meeting in New York, and reportedly UN officials have asked respective countries to not reveal how they had voted.
Despite this pleasure for the outcome, Cuban Ambassador Felix Wilson-Hernandez said that yesterday’s vote cannot be regarded as a “victory” for his country.
“Personally we cannot be regarding this in the ways of a victory. Victory is when you beat someone, then you are victorious. What has happened is that is only the recognition of Cuba’s position all along these years on the true human rights of the people. If you are going to speak in terms of victory, it is a victory against those who did not want Cuba to be a member of the council.
“But internationally the UN has recognised that it is a recognition of Cuba’s position being kept all along these years on the true human rights, viewed as the right of the people to be alive, to have education, to have health care, and all the social benefits derived from the position of the government. Not only the Cuban government, but the governments of the third world, of the developing countries, that won their right to be recognised by the big super powers which only recognise the rights of those that represent the countries against which they are fighting,” he said.
Mr Wilson-Hernandez said that governments such as the US and other super powers only recognised the rights viewed by them as the right to overthrow governments that they don’t like.
“I don’t know how the Bahamas voted – I don’t know. But whichever vote they cast was the vote that they decided to support the countries that they viewed as respectful or going in line with the position that the Bahamas keeps,” he said.
Calls to the US Embassy for a response to Cuba’s inclusion on the UN Human Rights Council were not returned up to press time.
By PACO NUNEZ and PAUL TURNQUEST, The Tribune
