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EDITORIAL - JLP shifts stance on ties with Venezuela
published: Thursday | August 17, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
However much they may attempt to spin it, Bruce Golding, the Opposition Leader, has retreated from his previous position on Jamaica's burgeoning economic relationship with Venezuela. That is decent and mature.
Mr. Golding apparently forgot to tell his energyspokesman, Clive Mullings about the policy shift, with the resulting spectacle of Mr. Mullings raising doubts about the plan for Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PVDSA) to take a 49 per cent stake in the Petrojam oil refinery and the scramble by JLP spokesman Dwight Nelson to declare that there was no inconsistency between the positions of party leader and energy spokesman.
The truth is that we had found it demeaning of Mr. Golding when he suggested in mid-June that Jamaica was bartering its foreign policywith Venezuela "for a few barrels of <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">oil</SPAN>".
The JLP does not believe that Venezuela, under President Hugo Chavez, is worthy of the seat on the UN Security Council, for which it is vying with Guatemala. So deals, such as, the one for the expansion of Petrojam and PetroCaribe initiative, under which Caracas provides oil on a concessionary basis to Caribbean countries, was a vulgar purchase of Caribbean votes by Mr. Chavez. Moreover, the Opposition claimed to be fearful that by backing Venezuela for the Security Council seat, Jamaica would face a backlash from the United States.
The JLP has been forced to reassess its position on two counts. The first, and less consequential, is the fact that the Caribbean Community, as a group, has endorsed Venezuela's candidacy. Barbados, which is more likely to pursue a conservative foreign policy, and Trinidad and Tobago, which has commercial concerns over PetroCaribe, were unhesitant in their support. The Opposition, in effect, chose a bad foreign policy issue on which to hitch its star with its implied support of Guatemala, a country's whose recent actions have not been in the interest of the Caribbean.
The JLP's second mistake, which it is now seeking to correct, was its apparent rejection of economic opportunities for Jamaica. Its action was perceived as pettily political and bloody-minded. Who, in this period of rocketing oil prices, can sniff at a scheme that turns 40 per cent of the payment into long-term loans at one per cent interest, or over US$270 million in development <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: blue! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: blue 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">credit</SPAN> at a rate less than half what Jamaica could accomplish on t
published: Thursday | August 17, 2006 <DIV class=KonaBody>
However much they may attempt to spin it, Bruce Golding, the Opposition Leader, has retreated from his previous position on Jamaica's burgeoning economic relationship with Venezuela. That is decent and mature.
Mr. Golding apparently forgot to tell his energyspokesman, Clive Mullings about the policy shift, with the resulting spectacle of Mr. Mullings raising doubts about the plan for Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PVDSA) to take a 49 per cent stake in the Petrojam oil refinery and the scramble by JLP spokesman Dwight Nelson to declare that there was no inconsistency between the positions of party leader and energy spokesman.
The truth is that we had found it demeaning of Mr. Golding when he suggested in mid-June that Jamaica was bartering its foreign policywith Venezuela "for a few barrels of <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: blue! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">oil</SPAN>".
The JLP does not believe that Venezuela, under President Hugo Chavez, is worthy of the seat on the UN Security Council, for which it is vying with Guatemala. So deals, such as, the one for the expansion of Petrojam and PetroCaribe initiative, under which Caracas provides oil on a concessionary basis to Caribbean countries, was a vulgar purchase of Caribbean votes by Mr. Chavez. Moreover, the Opposition claimed to be fearful that by backing Venezuela for the Security Council seat, Jamaica would face a backlash from the United States.
The JLP has been forced to reassess its position on two counts. The first, and less consequential, is the fact that the Caribbean Community, as a group, has endorsed Venezuela's candidacy. Barbados, which is more likely to pursue a conservative foreign policy, and Trinidad and Tobago, which has commercial concerns over PetroCaribe, were unhesitant in their support. The Opposition, in effect, chose a bad foreign policy issue on which to hitch its star with its implied support of Guatemala, a country's whose recent actions have not been in the interest of the Caribbean.
The JLP's second mistake, which it is now seeking to correct, was its apparent rejection of economic opportunities for Jamaica. Its action was perceived as pettily political and bloody-minded. Who, in this period of rocketing oil prices, can sniff at a scheme that turns 40 per cent of the payment into long-term loans at one per cent interest, or over US$270 million in development <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: blue! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: blue 1px solid; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent">credit</SPAN> at a rate less than half what Jamaica could accomplish on t
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