Former Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sir James Mitchell says that Kingstown should support the opposition in Venezuela, where Juan Guaidó, president of the National Assembly, has declared himself the nation’s president.
“Our position here, whether we stand up with the United States, or we stand aside, our choice will be known historically,” the retired politician said on Boom FM on Wednesday.
“In my view, we have a lot of debt with Venezuela and we should bear in mind, if there is a change of government, the first thing we should be doing is lobbying to make sure we get rid of all the debts and get our debts from Venezuela written off,” he said.
“So if you do not stand up for somebody when they are suffering and they are depressed, then don’t expect that they will be kind towards you when they come into their kingdom,” Sir James further told listeners.
The former prime minister said that in supporting the US position and calling for fresh elections in Venezuela, he is showing his own consistency
“My record is clear. Remember I did not hesitate when there was confusion in St. Vincent to send the people back to the polls. So I am totally consistent. There is a problem like this in Venezuela, they should go to the polls and have it properly organised,” Sir James said, referring to the political unrest of 2000 during which he decided to call early elections.
Guaidó had received support from a number of international and regional capitals, including Washington, Bogota, and Brasilia.
However, SVG, and a number of other Caribbean and other nations, including Russia and China, has opposed the development and have called for non-interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs, in keeping the Charter of the United Nations and other hemispheric organisations.
Asked if recognising the interim president is illegal, Sir James, who is
founder of the main opposition New Democratic Party, said:
“Illegal in what sense? Illegal where? Illegal in Venezuela where there are no courts or illegal in terms of the United Nations standards?
“Governments have got to — we all belong to one world and we have to make sure that we all have a good and peaceful life and enjoy the benefits of our country.
“And the question is, on your conscience, should you care at all about your neighbour? Should you not care about the impact on you? Are we going to play big and ignore the position of the United States and look on the whole of Latin America?”
He noted that over 20 countries have recognised Guaidó as the interim president and they are all calling for fresh elections, adding that there are also demands for free and fair elections.
“You know what is my position. If there is that sort of upset, etc. and the people feel that they want a free and fair election, give it to them and let them face the government that they get. Where does the US stand and where are its friends?”
Maduro was inaugurated on Jan. 10 to a second term in office after winning an election in April 2018, which came eight months earlier than due, as a result of opposition demands.
Sir James said pretty much the whole of South America is on board with
Guaidó.
“The neighbouring countries of Venezuela — Columbia and Brazil — they are on board. All together, there are several in the Americas, Canada in North America, then there is Columbia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina, and Europe now has given notice that if they (Venezuela) don’t call elections within eight days, they are going to take their stance against Maduro. Spain has already recognised the interim change and Australia and Israel, I understand, yesterday came out in support of the United States.
“And the US has been calling on the world to stand up and be counted. And, in my view, we know what it is like after that statement at the OAS what happened in St. Vincent immediately after the speech at the OAS,” Sir James said referring to an U.S.-based resolution against which Kingstown voted last year.
“They’ve given special permission to certain countries in the Caribbean to get easier visa access and St. Vincent is one of them that was excluded. The question I want to ask Vincentians. Do they want to go and live in Russia or in China? Our linkage is in the United States.”
He, however, said that does not mean that SVG should do everything the United States says.
“I am saying we are linked and our diaspora, are they going to say that we should be anti-US when the US want to do something to improve our condition? What caused us all, our diaspora to migrate? It was a lack of opportunity and we have got to put that into the mixture.
“One has to be careful in taking a stance against your own country’s interest internationally,” the former prime minister said.
On Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sir Louis, responding to a question in Parliament from Opposition Leader and NDP President Godwin Friday, cited the charters of the United Nations and the OAS and said that voting against the Jan. 10 resolution was the right thing to do.
Sir James is 100 percent correct on this issue.
We in little SVG are not getting the real story about Venezuela from our government and its Marxist sychophants like Jomo Thomas and Renwick Rose.
Meanwhile, all of the supporters of the discredited and reviled Maduro regime conveniently fail to recognize that international bodies like the United Nations support the notion of the external “right to protect” citizens from the wicked actions of their own governments, using using armed intervention to do so as a last resort if necessary (see, for example, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsibility_to_protect#cite_note-89).
For a true picture of what is going on in Venezuala, please read the following: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/kelly-mcparland-canadas-ndp-sides-venezuelas-oppressor?video_autoplay=true.
Sir James Mitchell, Former Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, expresses what is the view of all fair, democratic and right minded individuals everywhere. Only the perverse minded and undemocratic or selfish individuals, who wish to profit from the Venezuelan people’s sufferings, would continue to support such a repressive dictatorship as Nicolás Maduro.
According to a recent BBC news report, quoted below, beneficiaries have included Turkey, who have continued in buying vast quantities of Venezuelan Gold.
[The Turkish government is coming under renewed pressure to stop buying gold from Venezuela, the BBC has learned. A senior Western diplomatic source told the BBC that Turkey was now considered the main concern among the countries engaging in the trade.
They added that there are growing suspicions that gold exported to Turkey was ending up in Iran, which would violate US sanctions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backs Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is facing a growing political challenge.] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47092784
BACK AMERICA ILLEGITIMATE PUPPET GOVERNMENT FOR WHAT ??? !!!!………….THE USA ELECTIONS WAS COMPROMISED BY RUSSIA ACCORDING TO THE INVESTIGATORS . PROOF WAS FOUND . WHY IS TRUMP STILL IN POWER ????!!!.
AMERICA FOOD EMBARGO IS WHATS STARVING THE PEOPLE IN VENEZUELA . BECAUSE THE GOV WONT ALLOW THE USA TO STEAL THE RESOURCES AND OIL .
SUCH WICKED AND EVIL EMPIRE ………..STOP SPREAD PROPAGANDA TO HELP USA !!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS WICKED SYSTEM MUST FALL !!
What “American food embargo?” The food and medicine embargo has been put in place by the Maduro regime (see https://crossborder.fedex.com/us/assets/prohibited-restricted/venezuela/index.shtml) noy by the American government. Fake news can no longer be hidden in this Internet age. The USA has never stolen Venezuelan oil; it has only bought and continues to buy the majority of Venezuelan oil according to world prices.
The wicked and evil Venezuelan system will soon fall along with your fake news about it.
FAKE LIKE THE SOURCE YOU WANT TO TRY TO PROVIDE . SHOW YOUR PROOF AND EVIDENCE OF A STOLEN ELECTIONS ……HOW CAN THE COUNTRY IMPOSE AN ECONOMIC EMBARGO ON ITSELF YOU NINCUMPOOP !!
Here is a Quora report on daily life in Venezuela. What he reports could be validated by countless other stories:
“My wife and I have lived in venezeula approximately 9 mos a year for the past 4 years.
My wife and I moved here when the local currency was trading at the free market rate of 68 Bs to 1 USD. On Aug 15 2018 before the introduction of the new Bolivera the exchange was 9,987,500 Bs to 1 USD. Inflation is spiraling out of control. IMF published a report that indicates prices double every 18 days. I can attest that prices rise on a daily if not an hourly basis.
There are two Venezuelas. You are either very poor or very rich in Venezuela. The middle class is a very small population of the total (completely opposite to the US).
I see people on a daily basis eating from the garbage along the road.
The biggest problem is the security. After dark, Venezuela is like the wild wild west, armed robberies, kidnappings and homicides are the rule and not the exception. CNN reports that Venezuela is the most dangerous country in the world for the second straight year. LA Times reports a Homicide rate of 119 per 100,000 (compare that to the US with 5.35 per 100,000 for 2016).
The Socialist government is failing the people while the leaders steal the wealth and do business with the drug cartels.
1000’s of people flee Venezuela daily to escape the poverty and hardships. A report by the Guardian indicates on May 09 2018 – indicates that at lease one million people have entered Colombia from Venezuela since Maduro’s government has entered into a crisis last year. This figure does not include those fleeing to the US, Brazil, Peru, Spain and other countries.
By creating hardship for his people, Maduro is exporting Venezuelan citizens to other countries to send money back to their families in Venezuela, allowing the government to neglect its citizens at home. This process is going to start its second wave as I speak. Those who can leave are leaving, those who can’t will need the support of those who have left as the government will not help.
The infrastructure is failing, brownouts are a common occurrence, water is controlled by the military, food distribution is controlled by the military (imagine kickbacks and bribes just to get food).
I love the people of Venezuela, I love the country of Venezuela….however the Socialist Government has completely destroyed Venezuela, it will take at least three generations after Socialism to restore Venezuela back to what it was, The Saudi Arabia of Latin America.”
I lost all respect for Sir James, the man is like a roller coaster when it comes to foreign policy. Least we forget all the scands that plagued his time in power. His appearance on CNN without fully knowing the answers was dismal as it could ever be.
Mitchell, why don’t you go enjoy your retirement already?