Submitted by DAVID COMISSIONG, President, Clement Payne Movement
Selwin Hart, Ambassador to the OAS
Barbados’ newly appointed Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) – Selwin Hart – continues to embarrass our nation with his words and actions and should be immediately recalled from his Washington D.C based posting.
Mr. Hart committed a major diplomatic blunder when, on the 3rd of April 2017, he joined together with 16 other Ambassadors to the OAS to stage an outrageously unconstitutional and illegal meeting at OAS headquarters in Washington D.C: an illegal and unconstitutional meeting that was designed by a triumvirate of powerful nations – the USA, Canada and Mexico – to target, stigmatize and attack the legitimate Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Indeed, so outrageous were the actions of Mr. Hart and the other 16 rebel Ambassadors in staging the unconstitutional meeting in defiance of the Chairman of the Permanent Council of the OAS (the Ambassador of Bolivia) and the Vice Chair of the Council (the Ambassador of Haiti) and in passing an “illegal” anti-Venezuela Resolution, that the actions of Hart and his cohorts are being described by OAS officials and by veteran statesmen like Sir Ronald Sanders as “a coup d’etat following by a lynching” !
The people of Barbados should be made aware that when Hart and the 16 other rebel Ambassadors were holding their unconstitutional “rebel’ meeting on the afternoon of Monday 3rd April, the Chairman of the Permanent Council of the OAS – the Ambassador of Bolivia – stormed into the meeting and informed them that they had no authority to stage such a meeting and that the meeting constituted a “coup d’etat”.
In spite of this, Hart and his fellow rebel Ambassadors – no doubt emboldened by the fact that they were being led by the mighty USA – persisted with their illegal meeting and went on to propose and pass a Resolution that -in effect – indicted the democratic-socialist Administration of President Nicolas Maduro and set the stage for an OAS intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela.
The end result of the outrageous folly of Hart and his fellow rebel Ambassadors is that Venezuela has felt constrained to withdraw from membership of the OAS!
So, as a result of the actions of Ambassador Selwin Hart and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, our nation of Barbados has played an unprincipled role in causing Venezuela– a nation that we respect and have friendly and fraternal relations with – to be hounded out of an important regional multi-lateral organization.
As a citizen of Barbados, I consider this to be one of the lowest and most shameful episodes in our entire history of diplomacy as an independent nation.
Surely, the Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow – author of the motto “friends of all, satellites of none”- must be turning in anguish in his watery grave!
And to further compound matters, Ambassador Selwin Hart has shown no regret or remorse for his actions. Rather, in the on-line Nation Newspaper of 12th May 2017 Hart is quoted by the Nation’s USA – based correspondent – Tony Best – as speaking proudly and approvingly of the actions that he facilitated and engaged in on the 3rd of April 2017.
On behalf of the Clement Payne Movement I now hereby CALL upon Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxine McClean to recall Ambassador Hart from Washington D.C and to issue a public apology to the people of Barbados and to the Government and people of Venezuela for the unprincipled mis-behaviour of our Barbados Mission to the OAS on the 3rd of April 2017.
Nothing more than DAVID COMISSIONG garbage.
I wasted two seconds of my life reading this rubbish. It makes no sense at all.
Surely the issue here is whether Hart participated in the meeting with the signoff from the Foreign Affairs ministry?
Maduro screwed up from day one apparently, he went in knowing the challenges and was and is unable to function to prevent the horror that Venezuela has become….but….blindly taking sides to appease those who seek to dictate Venezuela’s oil wealth is also not the answer, when they are also known to turn on those who side with and support them..
The Government of Barbados could dismiss Hart and declare love and eternal respect for Venezuela. However that will not save those Venezuelan mothers dying in childbirth or Venezuelan babies dying from malnutrition or diptheria because of the economic hardships caused by the policies of the Maduro Government. The statistics showing an increase in infant and maternal mortality were published by none other than the Venezuelan Ministry of Health.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39866389
The response of Maduro to this sad news was to fire the Venezuelan Minister of Health.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-39896048
When evil idiots are put in charge of a country, no matter how large, how well endowed with natural resources, how well schooled its people, the only outcome is misery. Barbadians should take note.
As long as Maduro recognizes that he is largely to blame and held acountable for the Venezuela horror and do something about it instead of playig the dictator role, it should get better, he is the one making the country vulnerable to exploitation.
@ Ping Pong
Most countries on the face of this earth are led by evil idiots. The most glaring at present being the USA.
A ‘miserable outcome’ for the populations of countries in the past 5 decades, has correlated MUCH more closely to the attitude that the USA has taken towards those countries – for whatever reason….. than by the level of idiocy of their leaders.
Iraq was a country that demonstrated all of the economic attributes of a first world country, had no external debt, little crime, the highest educational standards etc…. yet few countries have been made to endure the misery that they have seen…
ditto Libya…
You recall that Reagan did as he liked in South America … causing misery that persist to this day…
Why would you expect any different in Venezuela – given the kind of information that continues to be leaked by wikileaks…?
Maduro is a damn bus driver. …. probably no more suitable for leadership than is our own local idiot…. but this, in and of itself, does NOT explain what has happened in Venezuela over the past 10 years … or even the mysterious death of the Hugo by ‘cancer’….
They (like Iraq and Libya) control huge reserves and have resisted attempts by the albino-centric bankers of this world to become traditional puppets of their global scheme….
They are thus labeled as the worse things since Hitler, and targeted for misery….
If there was direct correlation between misery and ‘leadership idiocy’, then Barbados would be a totally desolate desert even as we speak….
@Bush Tea
Here are the pertinent issues:
Is the Maduro government a democratically elected government? Has there always been tension in that country going as far as Perez? Have the problems in Venezuela not given rise to Chevez et al from the socialist ideology because of the Gulf between the haves and have note? Now made worse by protracted tanking oil prices?
Back to the issue: has Barbados succumbed to geopolitical pressure by attending this meeting as raised by Comissiong.
Stayed tune Bush Tea. Remember your own predictions of some years ago…
We are not at major cross purposes here Ping.
But…
Who said that governments were best ‘democratically’ elected? Is this not a cultural right of a people? What about America’s closest friends in Saudi Arabia?
Have there not ALWAYS been tensions between the greedy albino-centric barons of this world and ANY country with massive natural resources – particularly oil, who resisted their greed?
Have there not ALWAYS been tensions between the haves and the have-nots? …and always made worse when the ‘haves’ suffer great losses…?
As to the issue…. Barbados has NO leadership. If you were right, we should have had no toilet paper already….
Any shiite will rise to fill a vacuum, hence we have what we have at the OAS.
Barrow /Tom /Owen would NEVER have allowed themselves to be drawn into such idiocy….. McClean – yes!
The Empire has never stopped using the UN, OAS and other global networks to advance their might, hard or soft power, diplomatic, military, economic.
For them these are different tools in one toolbox.
Venezuela, for 20 years, has been so targeted.
With the propagandists like CNN, BBC and the other mainstreamists seeing nothing wrong with this. In fact, they preach the morality, rightness of the USA to dominate nations by any means necessary.
This is business as usual.
How can ‘democracy’ mean anything when empire seeks to continually circumvent what they pretend to promote.
The OAS ambassador from Barbados is not a fool. Further, he would have been instructed from Bridgetown as to how he must behave.
Barbados is more interested in pottage, at this time, than high ideals.
Certainly, the US government would not have put this putsch in motion unless the diplomatic forces were assembled and on side.
And Barbados has always been a foot soldier for empire, despite the sometimes rantings of people like Barrow.
Do we mean the Tom Adams who stood
with Regan to destroy the Grenada
Revolution? The picture of the Prime
Minister of Barbados at the airport
with a camera taking pictures of
American war planes on their way to
invade Grenada will never be forgotten by
progressive forces.
No wonder that Maurice Bishop said
he was singing for his supper.
@ William
The Tom Adams who was actually intelligent … if not anything else.
Perhaps so intelligent that he understood that unless he played that particular game he could be next after Bishop….
The nexus of evil is all pervasive….
Only BBE has the kind of power that can prevail over it…. No mere brass bowl man can.
Bushie
We often wondered where your BBE has been all this time
How long is tooooo long to wait on foolishness?
We have determined not to wait on a boy!
William: You said….Do we mean the Tom Adams who stood
with Regan to destroy the Grenada
Revolution?
It was not about the destroying the Grenada Revolution when Gairy was overthrown by Bishop and his NJM whilst out of the country, but was after Bishop was assassinated by Bernard Coard a member of his Government and his bandits that the US intervened. Please note: It was TWO Revolutions.
Tell me Why
Long before the invasion, Tom Adams was the major critic of the Peoples Revolutionary Government. So he could not wait to join Reagan. He was therefore always opposed to the PRG. That is why Bishop had said that he was singing for his supper.
William Skinner were you in Grenada during Maurice Bishop regime? Was Bobby Clarke, Parris, Belle, MONALI or the Bajan radical socialist front there? Just asking. The last standing local die hard socialist appears to be Commisiong. We are wondering if Commissiong shouldn’t voluntarily undergo a mental check . He stops by court action Hyatt and in doing so dashes hopes for jobs for hundreds of poor city dwellers. Its not the behavior Fidel Castro, Nkrumah or Samora Machel would endorse. So why is he doing it? The Venezuelans in Barbados angrily protest the chaos in their country yet Commissiong is backing Maduro the man they blame . We dont get it Commie boy.
So why are city dwellers still poor after 10 prime ministers, dozens of government ministers and 50 years of political independence.
@ Pacha
Patience is one of the GREATEST of virtues…..
Commentator aka waiting
I was not there but I was HERE watching and Tom Adams and his opposition to the Grenada Revolution. I can’t speak for anybody else.
And let’s not forget all those lies and promises to end poverty made by thiose same 10 prime ministers and dozens of government ministers to generation after generation of those same poor people for 50 years…
…..so again I ask…..
So why are city dwellers still poor after 10 prime ministers, dozens of government ministers and 50 years of political independence.
David May 15, 2017 at 7:38 AM #
Here are the pertinent issues:
Is the Maduro government a democratically elected government? Has there always been tension in that country going as far as Perez? Have the problems in Venezuela not given rise to Chevez et al from the socialist ideology because of the Gulf between the haves and have note? Now made worse by protracted tanking oil prices?
Back to the issue: has Barbados succumbed to geopolitical pressure by attending this meeting as raised by Comissiong
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Well summed up…..unfortunately Maduro is not as adept as Chavez was at handling the onslaught of those who wish to take back venezuelas oil assets nor dealing with the alt-facts/fake news of the western press.
Venezuela’s corruption over decades long before Chavez is well documented and was usefull to those who controlled the oil industry.
@David Commissiong “The end result… is that Venezuela has felt constrained to withdraw from membership of the OAS…in causing Venezuela…to be hounded out of an important regional multi-lateral organization.”
So did Venezuela “withdraw” [your word] from the OAS?
Or was Venezuela “hounded” [your word] out of the OAS?
@Bush Tea May 15, 2017 at 7:26 AM “Most countries on the face of this earth are led by evil idiots. The most glaring at present being the USA.”
You are a real trouble maker ya know!
Lol…
@Bush Tea May 15, 2017 at 7:56 AM “What about America’s closest friends in Saudi Arabia?”
America and Saudi Arabia are not closest friends.
Why would you think so?
Do you think that the women on Bush Hill and their customers are closets friends too?
Saudia Arabia has oil (just like the women on Bush Hill)
America wants oil and has cash (just like the men who go to Bush Hill to make purchases)
Done deals.
Closest friendship has NOTHING to do with either deal.
@Vincent Haynes May 15, 2017 at 12:04 PM “Venezuela’s corruption over decades long before Chavez is well documented and was usefull to those who controlled the oil industry.”
Truth: As long as wealthy Venezuleans stashed their money in American and other first world banks, nobody gave an @ss what happens to women in labour and their dead babies.
David May 15, 2017 at 12:37 AM #
Comissiong seems to be pointing at the wrong target. Mr. Hart most likely carried out the wishes of the government he is representing. It caused one to wonder if an non-elected person should be foreign minister of the country. It reminds me of the time Barbados broke away from the other Caricom countries and abstained during the vote on the Palestinian resolution at the UN.
@Bajan in NY
You are in essence saying that Hart is a puppet with no option but to follow the dictate of a minister or anyone for that matter? He has the option to resign if asked to do something against his judgement or he can explain his action like other Ambassadors from other countries do routinely no?
https://knoema.com/atlas/Saudi-Arabia/topics/Demographics/Mortality/Infant-mortality-rate
In 1950 Saudi Arabia’s infant mortality rate was 220 dead Saudi babies for every 1,000 live births (about where Barbados’ was in 1937) nobody cared about the dead Saudi babies then neither.
People who love money do NOT have any friends.
Mr. Hart had to absolutely be following the instructions of the CABINET of Barbados.
@ SS
Maybe not so
It might have been axiomatic, standard operating procedure – SOP
With a foreign minister like Maxine McClean involved we see no needs for cabinet intervention.
Comisiong position his gun, takes careful aim and blasts the wrong target, no wonder the saying “punished with laughter” is becoming all too popular. The Ambassador takes his cues from the Foreign Minister and by extension the PM and Cabinet thus when Comissiong appeals to McClean and Stuart they must laughing under their collective breaths.
In any event Maduro is dead man walking, the question is how many of his fellow citizens he will take with him.
@Sargeant
Does it matter if the finger points at Hart or the foreign affairs ministry?
@David
Just acknowledging that the target of his ire is the wrong individual/institution, calling for the Ambassador to be fired is folly when he is performing his duties as dictated by the Gov’t he represents.
@Sargeant
You have been infrequent of late hope all is well?
Didn’t believe Trump’s elevation would have affected you Canadiens.
@ Simple S
Do you think that the women on Bush Hill and their customers are closets friends too?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Most are ‘closet’ friends, but some like to flaunt it….
Bushie….You are a real trouble maker ya know!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not really.
Bushie is a nice fella…. but it is the damn whacker…
Um like to stir up shiite !! 🙂
Dismiss him for speaking the truth? Any moron can see that SOCIALISM does not work when you look at Venezuela and see the people marching against the Government. It is a tragedy when a wealthy country filled with oil has sunk to starvation levels for its people. All because uneducated thieves are ruining it. Mr Hart stick to your guns and try to fight for freeing Venezuela from the unscrupulous parasites. Of cource Commissong with his Communist and Socialist utterings would be against our Ambassador going against that pseudo govt.
@Bush Tea May 15, 2017 at 3:44 PM “Most are ‘closet’ friends.”
You know very well that I meant to write closest.
@Angela May 15, 2017 at 4:20 PM “Dismiss him for speaking the truth?”
Dear Angela: I have two questions for you and yours.
Firstly: Since 35 countries are members of the Organization of American States can you please explain why the 19 others members, that is the majority did not attend the meeting attended by the other 16?
Secondly: Are you certain that the United Staets did not exert pressure, maybe considerable pressure on the smaller member states of the OAS to get them to attend this meeting?
Think about it and then tek ya time answering.
Commentator aka waiting May 15, 2017 at 10:32 AM #
“We are wondering if Commissiong shouldn’t voluntarily undergo a mental check. He stops by court action Hyatt and in doing so dashes hopes for jobs for HUNDREDS of POOR CITY DWELLERS.”
@ Commentator aka waiting
The above excerpt from your contribution has to be included among the most ridiculous comments you have ever posted to BU. My friend, you are such an idiot.
How do you know if the Hyatt will hire people who are predominately “poor city dwellers?” You are essentially implying that ALL the jobs at Hyatt will be filled by people who reside in the surrounding environs of Bay Street and not those who reside in other parts of Barbados.
Are you also suggesting that Wyndham Sam Lord’s will only hire individuals who reside in St. Philip, or Sandals will hire people who reside in Maxwell, Christ Church?
Your comment is pure rhetorical political diatribe and shows you lack common sense. Then again, “COMMON SENSE” for many of you DLP yard-fowls ended the same day this inept DLP administration ordered the Central Bank to cease making “COMMON CENTS.”
Simple….ya know the As’s cant count right…lol
Artaxass you braying jackass. Isn’t it reasonable to expect most of the labour necessary for such a large project in Bridgetown to come from the city and its environs? Did you even graduate from Brumley, you yard fowl.
Pass this to Commissiong nobody in the Caribbean supports him.
Richard Lord. Trinidad Guardian
Published:
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Venezuelan nationals living in Port-of-Spain outside the United Nations High Commission where they presented a petition during the special meeting of the UNHCR, at Chancery Lane, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.
Venezuelans living in Port-of-Spain yesterday petitioned the United Nations High Commission for refugees on the alleged threat to democracy in the South American nation.
A letter was presented to a special meeting of the UNHCR , Chancery Lane, Port-of-Spain.
The petition claimed that the Venezuelan Judicial Branch has subverted the constitutional order by suppressing de facto the Legislative Branch.
It also claimed that the “Executive Branch, with the complicity of the Ombudsman, violates in a continued way the human right of peaceful and disarmed gatherings and the personal liberty of the Venezuelans.”
And in the wake of moves by the Venezuelan Government to remove the country from membership of the Organisation of American States (OAS(), the petition said: “The international platforms seem to be narrowing its spectrum of action, thus it is imperative that international actors raise their voices towards these emerging issues that hinders the democracy in Venezuela and in the whole region”
The letter said: “We respectfully reiterate our petition and we require your official statement according this situation.”
@David
Still around and observing, spent a month in Bim received my driving permit in 10 mins in Oistins which put the lie to many of the comments I read online (could have been in 5 mins if the clerk didn’t have to walk to another station to retrieve the form) will return later this the year.
Trump? Not worried! When he makes America great again, he’ll turn his attention to Canada.
Good to see you are about!
Regarding your renewal, timing is everything.The Oistins office was closed for many weeks. In fairness to the MTW the service has improved in recent weeks.
Trump is in trouble. It has been reported….
President Trump revealed highly classified information to the Russian foreign minister and ambassador in a White House meeting last week, according to current and former U.S. officials, who said Trump’s disclosures jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State.
@ Sargeant,
Hope you enjoyed your vacation.
@ Commentator
You are correct; I did not graduate from Brumley.
However, are you actually trying to convince intelligent individuals that because the Hyatt will be built in the city, it would be “reasonable to expect most of the” artisans, labourers, steel benders, equipment operators, truck drivers, time keepers and site supervisors will be recruited predominately from the “city and its environs?”
If that’s the case, then it would also be “reasonable to expect most of the” building materials for the project will be bought from the “LIQUIDATION CENTER” and furniture will be bought from “MASSY PIER HEAD.”
Based on the SIMPLICITY of your “logic,” it is obvious that you did not graduate from kindergarten and you have not failed to disappoint us in proving that you are indeed the original “braying jackass.”
But what can we expect from a political yard-fowl.
It is reasonable (conceivable) to expect the minister of foreign affairs Maxine McClean to issue a clarification statement?
@David, There is no need for her to issue a statement, clarificatory or otherwise, She and the Cabinet might say, in the words of Pontius Pilate, “Quod scrips, scripsi (What I have written), I have written, or to be more apposite, quod elegimus, elegimus! (how we have voted, we have voted).
The sovereign state of Barbados does not not have to explain an act of State to anyone!
Come now Jeff!
@ David
Really? Senator McClean is unlikely to issue a clarification given that this matter does not appear as sexy or sensational as Jamaicans making accusations about infelicitous practices by Immigration, Police, or the last debacle in which she allowed the PM to mis-speak on Barbadians being affected by Trump’s ban. Afterall, it was the goodly Senator who had shared with the PM without checking the validity of the source and information.
@ Jeff
I may largely agree with you on the surface; however, there comes a time when people power can and do make demands. But, I note the shadows in the agency of exercising state sovereignty.
It is interesting the national conversation being encouraged in oil rich T&T. Looks like a parallel with Venezuela.
http://www.guardian.co.tt/business/2017-05-14/idb-economist-energy-sector-recovery-unlikely-near-term
Caricom working….
“The JMMB Group, a Jamaica-based financial firm with 220 000 clients in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic, is still advising its clients to sell their Barbados holdings. In its most recent investor update released last month, JMMB also said Barbados might have to turn to the International Monetary Fund.”
http://www.nationnews.com/nationnews/news/96768/barbados-woods#sthash.sfCvr3zi.dpuf
All this claptrap about Commies, and Communism is a big able joke. China is governed by the Communist Party of China–yes the same China that funding Wyndham at Sam Lords.
@enuff
JAs must bray.
Somewhere I read that if Maduro were displaced , there is no one in opposition to run things … that may be true , a lot of them are Political prisoners .. a tried and true Cuban method of maintaining control of their power over the Country. Leopoldo Lopez is the major opponent in a military jail because he dared to lead a street protest that ended up to be deadly because of Government oppression. So Comissong and Ralph Gonsalves , two of the few remaining Castro and Chavez supporters in the Region can spout all the crap they want about “intervention” …. the Cubans have already done this .