Advice to turn to Latin America

Head of the CLEMENT PAYNE MOVEMENT, David Comissiong (right), placing a wreath in front of a bust of Simon Bolivar in the grounds of the Venezuelan Embassy on the birthday of the South American liberator, assisted by Rosita Broome (left), general secretary of the People’s Empowerment Party, and Edson Crawford of the Clement Payne Movement. (Picture by Gercine Carter.)

By Gercine Carter | Wed, July 25, 2012 - 12:09 AM

With the current “deep malaise” facing “North Atlantic capitalist societies”, Barbados has been advised to look to Latin America for assistance with its development.

“We have a vested interest in Latin America under Chavez,” said president of the Clement Payne Movement, David Comissiong, as he addressed a Press conference yesterday, called to express solidarity with the Venezuelan leader as he faces re-election.

Comissiong said Chavez had been in the vanguard of a movement to reverse the social and economic fortunes of South and Latin America, and was using the region’s resources to develop it and to help it “to come into its own”.

He said Chavez had defied the traditional big capitalist powers and embarked on several initiatives to improve the living standards and education of Venezuelans, yet he continued to be derided.

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Posted by Thora Jones 10 months, 4 weeks ago: Is he talking about the Hugo Chavez who is sending fuel to the Syrian government to use to fuel tanks and other equipment that will be used to slaughter the Syrian people?

Thank goodness few people show up to Mr. Comissiong's "events."

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Posted by Tony Webster 10 months, 4 weeks ago: Given a choice, I would prefer to instead look to Brazil as an "economic partner", and a similarly-minded model of democracy. King Chavez' brand of democracy can be readily understood when one stands on one's head: when he is not too busy amending the constitution to his liking, he hands-out a few hundred thousand AK-47's to "his people", to "defend his country against the ravenous USA's imminent attack". .My guess is that these will be very dificult indeed to retrieve and properly secure, when something more recognisable as a modern society/ government/ economy, has emerged from these "troubling times" -in Venezuela! Passing strange, that we are now being encouraged to look to Venezuela, when these many years past, we were used to the heaping of praise on the "Cuban model". Whatever has happened to this? Anything to do with Raul's policy decision to jettision the failed socialist model, and to dismiss 500,000 public-service workers? I prefer to say, "Well done Cde. General Raul, you have actually "liberated" 500, 000 persons to create a better life for themselves". Well done, indeed.

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Posted by Pan Wallie 10 months, 4 weeks ago: 'We' who? Mr Commissiong? Some trade, like oil would be useful, I suppose but adopting some policies under the guise of development makes me quiver, for radicalism is not always the best way to get by. I don't know Mr Chavez needed solidarity, he seemed so sure of himself at the conference with President Obama. Just my opinion.

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Posted by J. Payne 10 months, 4 weeks ago: As interesting as the CARICOM experiment was. Barbados' future development hinges probably on becoming a member of the South American union. Through membership in that bloc Barbados might be able to get further development assistance from a friends in Chile, Brazil and Venezuela. Furthermore there's good sense in looking in that direction considering the largest country in CARICOM Guyana has already become an associate member of the bloc as has Suriname. Barbados is only limiting itself by not expanding diplomatic integration with that bloc esp. since it has a G8 country in it which can lobby on Barbados behalf whereas CARICOM has NONE. South America is the way forward. CARICOM is the stagnant way to the last century.