
No Surprises Here!
Speaking today in Barbados about Cuban human rights violations, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said that he will not be visiting Cuba and that the current and previous governments of Canada have often “expressed concerns about certain aspects of governance and human rights in Cuba.”
In contrast, Barbados Prime Minister Arthur expressed the opinion that the Cuban people chose the murder, torture and totalitarian rule. In response to Harper’s comments about human rights in Cuba, Owen Arthur delivered this message…
Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur responded by underlining Cuba’s right to choose its own path.
He said “civilized relationships” between civilized countries were not based on teaching lessons but on “respect for people’s sovereignty and non-interference and the right for people to pursue alternative paths to their development.”
… from News1130 (Canadian Press link here)
Prime Minister Owen Arthur previously staged a photograph holding hands with Fidel Castro – to show public support to the communist dictator who enslaved Cuba and jailed, tortured and murdered citizens for their political and religious beliefs for the last 47 years. Owen Arthur proudly received the Cuban Order Of Jose Marti and has taken Barbados ever closer to Cuba without any mention of human rights issues in that country.
Prime Minister Harper and his government continue to engage both China and Cuba in economic relationships, but that hasn’t prevented Harper from mentioning human rights abuses in those countries.
The Barbados PM on the other hand goes out of his way to remain silent about both Cuba’s and China’s murderous regimes.
Stephen Harper is obviously a realist, but he stands tall as a man who at the very least does not remain silent about the oppression of his fellow human beings.