Campbell Commentary - OPERATION VISA REVOCATION: Political Criminality v Foreign Policy Ideology

By Aubrey Campbell

NEW YORK, NY. Monday, November 12, 2019 --- Good day folks. We are into another week and inching ever closer to pausing for the cause, to give thanks for a beautiful life with all the bells and whistles of the yuletide season.

So, yes, there will be quite a bit to give thanks for, to celebrate, even as we remember those who fought for and paid the ultimate price for the freedoms that we enjoy today.

Lest we forget!

Last week, Jamaicans were greeted with the news that the US State Department has seen it fit to revoke the visas of two ranking politicians, with the promise of more to come.

And while the vexing matter of visa revocation is not new, what is new is how this particular case is being handled.

A couple of things need to be noted.

In this instance, politicians from both major political parties are ‘fingered’, making for a very interesting discourse, especially on the many social media platforms.

It is also interesting to note that the announcement was timed – by accident or design – to coincide with an official visit to China, by Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and a visit to Jamaica by ranking Trump Administration officials from the US Southern Command.

Talking about the flexing of diplomatic muscles.

And if that’s what the USA is doing, what does a sovereign state or should I say, a small island developing state like Jamaica, do?

How does it stand its ground against a big, bad schoolyard bully like the USA, now taking orders from an unapologetic, unpopular President?

How does it push back?

Imagine Jamaica trying to get its ‘mojo’ on, trying to enjoy the best of both worlds, USA/CHN, so to speak, with a culture predicated on mendicancy and corruption.

When you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything!

While I will leave the speculation of why the visas of Daryl Vaz (JLP) and Phillip Paulwell (PNP), were revoked, to the investigative journalists populating social media, US foreign policy continues to defy logic. Well, maybe not logic, but for me!

Just try to imagine the noise level if the visa revocation was on one side of the politics only! And so, that scenario now lends itself to a deeper introspection of what is the real motive of the USA, because as Dr. Basil Wilson noted, the withholding of information by the US government makes no sense.

As Provost of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Prof Wilson found it hard to explain the ‘secrecy’ of the information from/by the Federal government.

‘Guesting’ on The Power Hour show – WSNR, 620 AM, www.radio620am.com on Saturday, the learned gentleman opined that the withholding of the information by the ‘Feds’, left him to now contemplate the case on the grounds of criminality v ideology.

Bear in mind that Vaz is on record as saying that should he lose his appeal for reinstatement of his travel privileges, he will resign from the JLP, which currently forms the government, and not by a large majority!

And so, if it’s not criminality, is it that the US wants to tell sovereign Jamaica how to manage its affairs and who not to have a mutually beneficial relationship with?

Make no mistake, China is serious about its colonization of the Caribbean. Its economic footprint is unmistakable. We also know that the USA is no friend of Venezuela and Cuba, bedroom buddies of Jamaica, from way, way back when the $ was 5 to 1!

I grew up in an era of enlightened politics when democratic socialism was the order of the day and later when Venezuela reached out through Petrocaribe to light the darkness in the homes and on the streets, when energy cost threatens to plunge the region into economic ruin.

It’s just that like so many, enlightenment for me did not equate to brainwashing as some would have you believe.

So, it remains very interesting to hear what the PM knows and how the USA explain their stance on yet another troubling matter of politics!

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