Sometimes because Americans carry a big stick, they forget, or simply choose not to walk softly when it comes to dealing with countries and people that are seen to them to be insignificant. This perhaps is the position of the two Congress representatives who propose to call for sanctions against The Bahamas, if their wishes are not met expeditiously in having two detained Cuban nationals at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, handed over to the Americans.
The Bahamas’ man in Washington, Joshua Sears, gave just the right response when he said that sanctions against this country would be a losing situation for both countries, and would do much to impair the good relationship between The Bahamas and the United States, with particular respect to drug interdiction and migration. There is no question that The Bahamas has been responsive to the Americans in the execution of the extradition initiatives and over the years numerous Bahamian nationals and others have been extradited to face charges in the U.S.
Perhaps the U.S. Congressman, Connie Mack and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen are looking narrowly at The Bahamas being a small country and that if the U.S. wants the Cubans released to them, they should get them, case closed. In effect they are saying, give us what we want or face the consequences: We’ll take out our pre-clearance facilities; we’ll make it rough on your tourist industry; we’ll do this to you and we’ll do that. If you go against us, we’ll crush you.
They are waving their big stick in the face of The Bahamas in a most threatening manner, which cannot be appreciated by the citizens of this country.
This is certainly not being the good neighbour and friend that we say they are. This is definitely more in line with the big, strong and powerful bully taking unfair advantage of the small, independent neighbour, who dares to have a difference of opinion.
The Bahamas is a friend and trading partner of the United States as well as it enjoys diplomatic relations and treaty concessions with Cuba. It is unfair and it is wrong for The Bahamas to be put into a position of making a choice between those two countries, because they can’t talk to each other. The one choice The Bahamas has – the right choice – is to return the two Cuban nationals to Cuba. That is the agreement and if it is not honoured, The Bahamas will have a difficult time sitting around a negotiating table and holding its head up anywhere in this region, or in the world.
But Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell feels that “wiser counsel” (than the two congress representatives) would suggest that to bring economic pressure on The Bahamas would not be in the best interest of the south Florida communities which greatly benefit from the “mutually important bilateral relationship between us.”
It may not be an easy matter to resolve, however, it is incumbent upon Minister Mitchell and the government to ensure that the agreed conventions are adhered to and that what is right is done in the best interest of the Bahamian people.
Editorial from The Freeport News
