Shame on EU, UK, Canada and the US
THE EDITOR: Open letter to the ambassadors and high commissioners to TT of the EU, Canada, the UK and the US.
I’m just one person and what I say will make no difference to you but here goes anyway.
Shame on you and the countries you represent. Shame on the pharmaceutical companies that operate within your borders. Not a peep from any of you about vaccine inequity, not a finger lifted to do anything about it.
You’ve gobbled up doses, jumped the queue to take from the Covax facility that was meant to help developing countries (I’m looking at you Canada), restricted the export of raw materials that the developing world could actually use to manufacture more vaccines, and upheld patents so big pharma can profit even after they were funded by your own taxpayers to create the vaccine (how do they sleep at night?).
You’ve given nothing to help countries you’ve all exploited for centuries. When the US decided to give away excess vaccines who did they give them to? Canada, which already had six vaccine doses for each of its citizens in hand! Mr Biden, we had such high hopes…
The only countries that have tried to help the Caribbean are China and India. Bravo and very real thanks to them. If I were a diplomat I’d be looking at the fact that when China seeks support on the world stage, our nations and our people will not forget. If I were a multinational operating in the region I’d be lobbying my government to do the right thing. But none of us are holding our breath.
Meanwhile you’ve created an absolute spectacle squabbling amongst yourselves.
I really, really sympathise with Prime Minister Rowley. If I had to deal with you I’d probably spit in your faces. He’s a better human than I. How do you look him in the eye? You should hang your heads in shame.
But then it strikes me, maybe you’re actually just not all that bright. As long as the world outside your borders remains at risk, you will continue to be at risk from variants, so in the end all that greed? It will get you absolutely nowhere.
An empty threat I know but, God help me, when those borders open up you won’t be able to pay me enough to spend my tourist dollars with you.
K MORTON
via e-mail
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