Dominica’s Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit was awarded the Order of Jose Marti on Tuesday night, noting that the Cuban revolution is no longer one of guns but one of ideas, “which seeks to elevate the dominant principle of our world as the dignity of the human person.”
The Order of Joe Marti is named after the Cuban national hero, who became the symbol of Cuba’s struggle for independence, and Skerrit, who ended a two-day official visit, praised Havana for “holding fast to the ideas and ideals of Jose Martí, to the revolutionary spirit of Ché Guevarra and to the vigor and vision of Comrade El Presidente Fidel.
“Through the example of the Cuban people, the world has seen that size is no bar to excellence or global leadership; that determination is the greatest driver for success; and that the human spirit is indomitable in its quest for dignity and freedom,” Skerrit said, adding that “I sense that revolutionary spirit still in this land.”
He said the Cuban revolution has shown the world that despite the global contention of war and trial, there is reward in the desire for and pursuit of peace and that on the landscape of underdevelopment and poverty, nation-states can offer citizens equity and inclusion; that against bitter oppression, countries must stand on the side of social and economic justice.
Skerrit, who held talks with President Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez during his visit, said history will record that at every stage of the existence of independent Cuba, “you have remained true to your principles.
“When enlightenment and upliftment were necessary, the education and health care systems of Cuba provided gateways of universal access, that placed the person at the center of development and demonstrated how a society should care for its citizens.
Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said it cannot be denied that Cuba is “a light amongst nations, showing what can be accomplished when a people in a just cause do not let a blockade become a barrier to their success, when they remain rooted to their principles and the chief principle is the dignity of the person.
The Dominican prime minister said in the aftermath of almost every humanitarian crisis or natural disaster on the planet, Cuba is always amongst the first responders, offering tangible support in restoring normalcy.
The United States embargo against Cuba prevents American businesses, and businesses organized under US law or majority-owned by American citizens, from conducting trade with Cuban interests. It is the most enduring trade embargo in modern history.
CMC/
