Prominent lawyer and commentator Jomo Thomas has issued a blistering critique of CARICOM’s response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Cuba, labelling the collective regional aid pledges as “a damn shame” and an “abdication of the responsibility of leadership”.
Speaking on his radio program “Plain Talk,” Thomas argued that the Caribbean region is failing a “sister people” who are currently being “choked into submission” by a tightened United States embargo.
Thomas highlighted the disparity between the scale of Cuba’s suffering and the financial commitments made by regional governments following the CARICOM summit in St. Kitts earlier this year. He noted that while St. Vincent and the Grenadines pledged $100,000 USD, other nations like Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis have committed only $50,000 USD each.
“It means all of CARICOM combined is prepared to give Cuba less than a million US dollars in humanitarian assistance,” Thomas said, pointing out that Cuba is a nation of 11 million people. He further alleged that even these modest sums have yet to be delivered, noting that “none of them have said that the money has been given”.
A central theme of Thomas’s address was the historical “debt” the Caribbean owes to the Cuban revolutionary government. He reminded listeners that the region has benefited from “hundreds of millions of dollars” in Cuban assistance over decades, ranging from medical scholarships to emergency disaster relief.
Thomas specifically recalled the 1979 volcanic eruption in St. Vincent, noting that despite the island not yet being independent, a Cuban vessel arrived with aid within a single week. He also cited Cuba’s immense sacrifice in Southern Africa, where 22,000 Cubans died fighting to end apartheid in Namibia and Angola—an effort Nelson Mandela once said saved his life.
In contrast to this history of generosity, Thomas criticized the local “middle class” professionals who received free Cuban scholarships but have failed to contribute significantly to relief efforts. He noted that the St. Vincent Cuba Friendship Society has raised less than $20,000 EC to date.
The situation in Cuba is “grave,” according to Thomas, with the economy in a “go slow” since last October due to a lack of fuel and foreign exchange. He described a dire scene where children are at risk due to lack of electricity for medical operations and food is increasingly scarce.
Thomas proposed that each of the 14 CARICOM nations should commit at least $1 million USD, totaling a $14 million relief package. He urged governments to bypass collective CARICOM bureaucratic delays and deliver aid directly to Havana.
“Go to the bank, get the money, send one of our officials… it doesn’t have to be a top-level official,” Thomas suggested, arguing that the fear of U.S. repercussions—what he termed “toying up to the American administration”—is compromising regional sovereignty.
Thomas warned that regional silence and inaction make CARICOM “complicit” in what he described as a “fascistic” attempt by the U.S. to destroy the Cuban revolution.
“Revolutionary experiments don’t fail,” Thomas asserted. “They are smeared. They are assaulted. They are strangled. And then they are defeated. We should not allow that to happen to Cuba”. He called on Caribbean citizens to “draw the line” and demand their leaders “let Cuba breathe”.