Naparima MP Rodney Charles is today apologizing to the Government and People of Barbados for the unwarranted and insensitive public criticism by Minister Stuart Young of the principled, humanitarian, ethical – even Christian – kindness shown recently to Trinidadian citizens stranded in Barbados.
The MP, a former UN Ambassador in the Kamla Persad Bissessar-led PP Government, is the party’s shadow Foreign Minister in the present parliament.
“Instead of thanking Barbadians profusely for their kind heartedness and humanitarianism, Young in a very crass, uncalled for, and highly undiplomatic manner chided Barbadians for allegedly subverting our border policies,” Charles said in a news release.
“Young’s comments were unwarranted, undiplomatic, crude, insensitive, ‘dotish’ and unreflective of the gratitude which, most TT citizens have for the kindness displayed by the Barbados government.”
According to Charles, Barbados could have rendered the elderly citizens stateless but instead did the right thing in the circumstances.
Instead, Charles said that in a thinly disguised criticism of Barbados, Young publicly condemned countries, “which have failed to respect TTs border policy and who have permitted their good offices to be used by persons intent on compromising TTs current border measures.”
What Minister Young fails to recognize is that TT is the laughingstock of the region and the global community for the way both he and Rowley have treated our citizens, Charles said.
He said Minister Young is totally incapable of seeing the irony of him opening the country’s borders for EU citizens to leave while simultaneously closing the borders to kith and kin.
Charles said Minister Young must be forgiven for his youth, his lack of knowledge of the world of diplomacy, his “never see come see” sense of self-importance and his inability to empathize with the plight of ordinary citizens in distress.
“Barbados accept our sincerest apologies,” Charles added.
