MSJ to PM: Tread carefully with sovereignty in haste to secure jabs

THE Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) is warning the Prime Minister against compromising this country’s sovereignty in his haste to secure covid19 vaccines

MSJ chairman Gregory Fernandez said he took note of a report in the Sunday Newsday that Dr Rowley, as chairman of Caricom, had written to the US President Joe Biden seeking a supply of the vaccine for the region.

On Sunday, at an MSJ media conference, Fernandez said he noted, in particular, the suggestion by Rowley that the US should view the Caribbean as an extension of itself.

He said it had other political implications if Rowley was promoting the position of the Caribbean and the Caribbean Sea as being an extension of America.

“I am hopeful that in the desperation to address the vaccine situation, Government remains careful in its political position with big powers in terms of negotiating access.

“We don’t want to compromise Trinidad and Tobago’s position,which has been with us since Independence – non-alignment interference of big powers in our region.

“What we are hearing now is about vaccine diplomacy, and all the implications of that, because while the government was beating its chest and saying it was doing a good job, we were not looking at our rear, which is why we are now in this position.”

Rowley expressed uncertainty about when vaccines would arrive in TT and the quantity, given the global rush by big countries to secure the vaccines.

Fernandez said, “Government has more or less botched the whole question of access to vaccines. They have not done a good job and they need to be careful in their approach going forward.”

He said Rowley being Caricom chair, and  TT one of the more influential members, “We should have done more to secure vaccines for Caricom countries.

“We are way behind, and there are implications for the opening of the economy. Government was beating its chest for handling the pandemic but it did not keep its eyes on the ball with respect to the vaccines.

“This has left us in an unfortunate situation with a diplomatic incident because of a desperate attempt to get vaccine stocks at this time.”

Last Thursday, Rowley said he was never told of a vaccine gift to Caricom from India.

Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne is reportedly trying to quell any diplomatic tension between TT and India. Fernandez said with Europe hit by a third wave of the virus and India, its second wave, the latter  may have to hold back on its generosity, leaving TT and other third-world countries in a difficult position.