IPS-English POLITICS: Taiwan Casts Shadow on Caribbean Polls
 
Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:29:25 -0800

 
Peter Ischyrion

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Jan 9  (IPS)  - When Taiwan is mentioned in
the Caribbean these days, it often conjures an image of closed-door
negotiations -- especially with political opposition figures -- aimed
at reversing the ostracism that has befallen the Asian country on
the world stage.

Haiti, Belize, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis and
St. Lucia are the only five Caribbean states within the 15-member
Caribbean Community (Caricom) grouping that have maintained ties with
Taipei, while the others have adhered to the ”One China” policy enunciated
by Beijing.

Dominica and Grenada are the latest Caribbean nations to switch their
alliances to Beijing. Antigua and Barbuda, the first Eastern Caribbean
nation to have established diplomatic relations with China, says it
has no intention of reversing the decision. 

The island's Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer says he regards China
as a ”developing nation” that understands the problems of Third World
states like his. 

However, in recent years, the leaders of St. Vincent and the Grenadines
and St. Kitts-Nevis have used the annual General Assembly of the United
Nations to put forward an unsuccessful case for formal recognition
of Taiwan. 

Late last year, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said that Taiwan's
renewed bid for membership in the world body was ”legally impossible”,
and noted that a key committee of the General Assembly had rejected,
for the 15th time, the latest lobbying effort by the breakaway Chinese
province. 

”What, therefore, are the objective factors to justify five Caricom
states in being so keen to be in Taiwan's little corner, rather than
joining the mainstream of international diplomacy by forging principled
relationships with China?” asked veteran Caribbean journalist Rickey
Singh. 

Taiwan has figured prominently in the politics of many Caribbean
islands, the latest being St. Lucia, where the ruling United Workers
Party (UWP) broke off diplomatic relations with China and reestablished
ties with Taipei after a 10-year hiatus. 

The UWP had always denied allegations by the administration of Kenny
Anthony, of the St. Lucia Labour Party (SLP), that it received backing
from Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province, for the campaign
for the Dec. 11, 2006 general elections. 

The SLP had claimed that the UWP was meeting secretly with Taiwanese
officials in neighbouring St. Vincent and the Grenadines, charges
that were vehemently denied by the late St. Lucian leader Sir John
Compton. 

But less than four months after his stunning victory in the elections,
the Compton administration waved goodbye to Beijing and opened its
arms to Taipei, even though the internal rumblings that followed the
move resulted in the dismissal of foreign minister Rufus Bousquet.


In Belize, where the electorate will vote on Feb. 7 for a new government,
Dean Barrow, the leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party
(UDP), has already made it clear that a UDP government will ”maintain
and strengthen relations” with Taiwan. 

But Taiwan's bid to establish diplomatic ties with Caribbean islands
has not been as straightforward in Barbados as in St. Lucia and Belize.


Prime Minister Owen Arthur, whose ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP)
is seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in the Jan. 15
general elections, has accused Taipei of secretly meeting with opposition
figures to finance their campaign. 

Barbados established diplomatic relations with Beijing more than
30 years ago and Arthur said the main opposition Democratic Labour
Party (DLP) was getting Taiwanese funding in a bid to switch allegiance
following the polls. 

Arthur claimed that meetings with Taiwanese diplomats were taking
place in the neighbouring Caribbean island of St. Kitts.

”Tonight as I speak to you our Barbados is for sale over a bowl of
soup... it is for sale over a bowl of wonton soup,” Arthur told supporters,
giving the details of flight numbers and passengers travelling to
St. Kitts from St. Lucia. 

He asserted the ruling party had been reliably informed that a critical
series of meetings were held over the last few days in neighbouring
Caribbean islands between friends of the DLP and government representatives
from Taiwan, which is not recognised by the government of Barbados.


”There was one this weekend to formalise the arrangement for Taiwan
to be able to fund the rest of the campaign of the DLP,” said Arthur,
who claimed that in the case of St. Lucia, ”there were large, large
financial considerations involved and Taiwan, a rogue state, feels
they can walk around the world buying countries.” 

Arthur's allegations have found support from former DLP leader Clyde
Mascoll, who is now a candidate for the ruling party seeking to regain
control of the 30-seat Parliament. 

Mascoll told reporters that he had reason to believe Arthur, adding
that ”when I was leader of the opposition, I was approached to consider
visiting St. Vincent, and I got the impression that the Taiwanese
wanted to get my position with respect to whether the opposition supports
the relationship between Republic of China or the Taiwanese.”

”I made it quite clear that on this matter that the opposition was
seeing eye-to-eye with government with respect to where our loyalties
are,” he said. ”I cannot say that they were seeking to buy me, but
what I can say is that I was in no position to sell Barbados and I
remain firmly committed to the view that foreign policy is something
that has to be taken seriously.” 

The DLP has scoffed at the allegations, describing them as a ”red
herring” to divert voters' attention from the main issues facing the
country, including the high cost of living. 

”This election is not about China or Taiwan. I repeat for the umpteenth
time that this Democratic Labour Party has not benefited in any way
from a single contribution from either China or Taiwan. This election
is about governance and the manner in which we want as a people to
be governed,” said DLP leader David Thompson. 

Thompson noted that the issue of diplomatic relations vis-a-vis China
and Taiwan had featured in every general election campaign in the
Caribbean in the last eight years, but when all was said and done
the issue had no material impact on the voting patterns of the electorate.


”In the final analysis the relations of these two countries are abstract
and irrelevant to the average voter,” Thompson said.

Taiwan has also sought to distance itself from Arthur's allegations.
”It is ridiculous,” said Joseph Chang, counsellor at the Taiwanese
Embassy in St. Kitts-Nevis. ”We don't know anything about this. It
is groundless.”

Barbados has always prided itself on free and fair elections and
the Organisation of American States (OAS) says it does not believe
the Jan. 15 polls would be problematic. 

OAS Deputy General Secretary Albert Ramdin said the island has a
long democratic tradition and the hemispheric body expects members
of the electorate to be able to exercise their franchise free of fear
and intimidation.  

”We are proud to see regular elections as a feature of any country
and Barbados is certainly no exception in that. Barbados is a model
for it and an example in the world as one of the oldest democracies
in the hemisphere,” the OAS official said. 



*****
+ CENTRAL AMERICA:  Taiwan on the Prowl for Diplomatic Support (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39016)
+ POLITICS-ST. LUCIA:  Is it China or Taiwan? (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=37161)
+ CARIBBEAN:  China, Taiwan Fight for Hearts and Minds (http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=38431)


(END/IPS/CA/AP/IP/PI/KS/08)


 
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