Refusal to discuss reparation is not disinterest, says Cameron
BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron says his refusal to entertain discussions on reparation — an issue many Jamaicans hoped would have been addressed in his one-day visit — is not to be equated with disinterest in the country, and by extension the Caribbean.
He called it an “important debate”, but insisted there is more to gain from focusing on Britain’s efforts to stamp out the slave trade and strengthening the relationship between the former colony and her coloniser.
“My view is that as we look into the past we should think of all of the aspects of the past and at least the actions that Britain took for many decades to wipe slavery off the high seas and off the face of our planet,” Cameron said after laying a wreath at National Heroes Circle on Wednesday in memory of the Jamaican veterans who fought in the first World War.
“I think, frankly, that while Britain and the Caribbean and Jamaica had a very strong relationships we underplayed it. There has been an almost benign neglect and I’m here to say no more of that,” Cameron told a group of journalists.
“That is why…this should be part of a new partnership between Britain and the Caribbean,” he continued.
He dismissed claims that the recently announced £300-million infrastructure fund was a ploy to quell the outcry for reparation throughout the Caribbean and said that the investment has “nothing to do with that issue”.
According to Cameron, Jamaica and Britain both want the same things — growth, jobs and prosperity — all of which he believes can be achieved by working together.
He called the fund a down payment on the new relationship he anticipates going forward.
“What Britain brings to the Caribbean is not like other countries. These are not tied loans, they’re not soft loans, they’re not dependent on working with British companies. This is a £300-million fund based on grants available for Caribbean countries to spend on the infrastructure that they want,” the British prime minister explained. He stressed that the countries have not maintained strong enough relations over the years.
When asked to describe the relationship he hoped to develop, Cameron said: “It’s a relationship obviously based on our ties of history and language and culture. The fact that 900,000 people of Caribbean origin live in Britain, [and] 200,000 British citizens live in the Caribbean, the ties between us are so great.”
He conceded that Jamaica has a lot of other countries with which it could partner, but declared that “Britain is back” and willing to become the country’s partner of choice. This, he said, is demonstrated by investments in climate change and infrastructure — two avenues “to help build our economies and prosperity”.
“My message is very clear, Britain wants to reinvigorate and turbocharge that relationship and that’s why I’m here,” Cameron outlined.
During his one-day visit, Cameron announced that the British Government will help fund the construction of a prison here, where Jamaicans incarcerated in England will complete their sentences.
He also announced that the £300-million fund is to provide grants to Caribbean countries for infrastructure projects to enhance the movement of cargo, as well as to finance climate change programmes in the region.