Paulwell criticises gov’t over handling of US embargo on Cuba motion in Parliament

Leader of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives Phillip Paulwell has raised concerns about the Government's handling of the annual debate on the United States embargo against Cuba, accusing the administration of departing from Jamaica's longstanding position without properly informing the Opposition or the country.

In a letter dated Wednesday, October 28, to Leader of Government Business Floyd Green, Paulwell strongly protested the manner in which the motion was brought before the House on Tuesday, describing the process as improper and unparliamentary.

Paulwell said the Government's handling of the motion represented a departure from an established practice that had enjoyed bipartisan support for decades, under which Jamaica condemned the US embargo and called for it to be lifted.

According to him, he had contacted Green on Friday, October 23, to enquire whether the annual Cuban resolution, which was due to be considered by Parliament, would be taken at the October 27 sitting.

According to Paulwell, Green subsequently confirmed that the motion would be considered and indicated that the constituency debate might have to be interrupted to accommodate it, depending on the arrival time of the Cuban ambassador.

Paulwell said he made several enquiries on Tuesday about the written draft of the motion and when it would be presented but was told that it was not ready for circulation.

He said it was only when Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Alando Terrelonge rose to speak on the motion that members were informed that printed copies had not been circulated.

Opposition MP Angela Brown Burke also highlighted the irregularity during her contribution to the debate, Paulwell noted.

He said the motion was not tabled until 6:06 p.m., despite the normal practice of having such motions tabled seven days in advance.

Paulwell argued that the failure to circulate the document was deliberate and asserted that the Government intended to conceal its decision to fundamentally alter the motion's content.

He said the Opposition had no indication that the Government was abandoning the established position of condemning the embargo and calling for its removal.

According to Paulwell, the tenor and content of the debate suggested that both sides remained united in their opposition to the embargo, with Opposition members continuing to call for it to be lifted.

He said the Opposition only became aware of the motion's preamble and prayer when they were read by Terrelonge, adding that the Government's revised position was not sufficiently clear to participants in the debate.

“The handling of the matter was premeditated to avoid a policy debate, and to obfuscate,” Paulwell wrote.

He described the episode as unbecoming of a Government and said it further demonstrated what he considered an unprecedented manner in which the administration treated parliamentary affairs.

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