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Hail up mi goodas people inna di nice clean Monday! Mi hope seh unuh have a blessed and ‘prosperidocious’ week!

Mi haffi tell unuh dat some foreign affairs deh pon mi mind dis week. Yeah man, we a talk bout the hataclaps down a Venezuela. Yes star, a real bangarang down deh so. Trouble deh deh!

Persons who follow international affairs will recall that since the death of President Hugo Chávez in 2013, Venezuela has not been the same. How could it be? Chávez, a former military superstar, was a powerful and charismatic leader who had imposed his personality on Venezuela upon becoming the country’s leader in 1999. Apparently, he had won over the people, or so it seemed. At any rate, it could be argued that there was some degree of stability.

But as man caan live forever, di big man fell victim to di wicked old cancer and went into the great beyond. His successor was Nicolás Maduro, who was Chávez’s vice-president and a former minister of foreign affairs. Maduro seems to have had a rocky ride from the get-go. Mi tink seh di people dem give him a likkle time fi sekkle in, but realising dat him nuh bling out like Chavez, dem disgruntled. And, as William Butler Yeats and Chinua Achebe famously wrote, tings start fi fall apart. The country was beset with economic woes, allegations of starvation, and violent protest after protest.

CLAIMS OF A RIGGED ELECTION

Everything came to a head recently when the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaido, declared himself the new leader of the country, arguing that the last elections were rigged, and, consequently, unlawful. With the backing of Donald Trump’s USA, things have escalated.

Countries are being called on to support either side. Mi deh yah a wonder weh Jamaica a go do? Some a seh Maduro was elected and the democratic process must be respected until any election has been set aside. Others seh a dictatorship, and Maduro control di court dem, and a mek him own law.

Jamaica has been long-time allies with Venezuela, and one wonders what is going to happen, especially with the recent statement by the Government of Jamaica that it intends to acquire Venezuela’s shares in Petrojam. The Government has been silent so far, while the Opposition (PNP) has urged caution in supporting Guaido.

As a matter of fact, some members of the Opposition have lamented that the posture by the Government is a slap in the face of Venezuela, with whom Jamaica has had a great and beneficial relationship over the years. Some other CARICOM member states have voted to support Maduro, while others have abstained.

Can what is happening in Venezuela happen inna di land of wood and water? What are the political and legal implications if dem mek Guaido go through?! Chavez mus a turn inna him grave fi see the bangarang weh a gwaan inna him beloved country, which was once on strong footing. Mi deh yah a wait wid bated breath fi see wah a go happen. Mi only wish dat tings resolve as quickly as possible so dat di Venezuelan people dem can enjoy some good life and come spend some foreign exchange a Jamaica. Mi hope tings resolve and work out fast, because we nuh want no tyrannical government or outsider fi bully off the people dem!

Mi gone go study. Unuh tek care!