00:00Trinidad and Tobago is defending its decision to vote against a United Nations resolution today,
00:06calling for an end to the United States' economic embargo on Cuba.
00:10Prime Minister Kamala Pissar-Bissessa says the government's position is rooted in its commitment to democratic rights and freedoms,
00:17arguing that the Cuban people deserve the same liberties enjoyed by citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
00:24Trinidad and Tobago is defending its decision to vote against a United Nations resolution,
00:30calling for an end to the United States' economic embargo on Cuba.
00:35The resolution was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly,
00:39with 130 countries voting in favor, 17 against and 25 abstaining.
00:46But the latest vote saw a decline in support for the resolution compared with last year,
00:52when 165 countries voted in favor, 7 against and 12 abstained.
00:58Trinidad and Tobago was among the 17 countries opposing the resolution alongside the United States and Israel.
01:06It marks a significant break from this country's long-standing position.
01:10Since annual voting on the embargo began in 1992,
01:14Trinidad and Tobago had consistently supported calls for the United States to lift the restrictions, including last year.
01:22The shift also puts this country at odds with the traditional position of CARICOM,
01:27which has repeatedly called for an end to the embargo.
01:31While the General Assembly's resolution is not legally binding,
01:35the vote has renewed debate over the future of U.S.-Cuba relations and Trinidad and Tobago's diplomatic position.
01:43Prime Minister Kamala-Pasad-Basasa is defending the decision,
01:47saying the government's position is rooted in the importance of democratic rights and freedoms.
01:53She says, quote,
01:54At the same time, it would be hypocritical for any leader, whether past, present or future,
01:59to advocate for or defend a system that actively suppresses dissent,
02:05silences opposing views and denies its citizens the very freedoms that we cherish here at home.
02:11End quote.
02:11The Prime Minister repeated a statement she made at the last CARICOM heads of government conference,
02:17saying, quote,
02:18Our position is grounded in the belief that the people of Cuba deserve the same democratic rights,
02:24freedoms and opportunities that we enjoy here at home.
02:27End quote.
02:28She addressed those who supported the vote, saying, quote,
02:31It is troubling that some of the loudest defenders of the Cuban system would never willingly surrender their own freedoms
02:37to live under such a system, yet are prepared to defend it from the comfort of democratic societies,
02:44while ordinary Cubans have little choice in the matter.
02:48End quote.
02:49The government's position marks a departure from more than three decades of support for the annual resolution.
02:56Urvishita Wari-Ripnarein, TV6 News.
02:59Well, that story takes us to tonight's PeopleMeter.
03:02We ask, are you surprised that TNT voted against Cuba at the United Nations?
03:08To vote, text yes or no to the number 766-4886 or 7664-TV6.
03:14We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
03:20Former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley is strongly criticizing the government
03:24over Trinidad and Tobago's decision to vote against a United Nations resolution
03:29calling for an end to the United States' economic embargo on Cuba.
03:35Dr. Rowley invokes former President A.N.R. Robinson's 2001 warning
03:40about the exercise of power without moral or spiritual values,
03:44accusing the current administration of abandoning the principles of dignity, decency, and sovereignty.
03:51Dr. Rowley argues that the country's vote represents a departure from established principles of governance,
03:57accusing the government of seeking favor at the expense of national dignity and sovereignty.
04:03He also condemns the administration's position on the international stage, saying, quote,
04:08This is so shameful. This is a government that is decisively disconnected from the people
04:13they are supposed to represent and prefer instead to express their vile behavior
04:18in lockstep with what is being roundly rejected by the wider world.
04:23End quote.
