Time for “status quo” change in Cuba – Irfaan Ali

Last Updated on Saturday, 7 March 2026, 18:25 by Writer

Guyana’s President, Irfaan Ali on Saturday said there must be change in Cuba to bring about freedom and democracy.

“We all agree that the status quo cannot remain and we agree that there must be an attempt to have the status quo change and we all are aware that will take time to be implemented,” he said on the US news network, Fox News on whether there should be a total regime change on the Cuba communist-ruled Caribbean island.

Dr Ali was in Florida for the Shield of the Americas summit between US President Donald Trump and several Latin American and Caribbean leaders after which a proclamation was signed committing to countering cartel criminal activity.

The Guyanese leader categorically stated that there must a “transition” that allows Cubans to benefit from prosperity and democracy. “There must be dialogue but those changes must lead to the improvement of the people of Cuba. It must lead to better conditions for the people of Cuba, must lead to a society in which the rule of law, in which democracy, in which freedom is celebrated,” he said.

The President’s pronouncement, believed to be the first of its kind, came as Guyana and several other CARICOM member states continue to break away from the Cuban medical brigade programme after the US last year threatened to revoke the visas of government officials and their immediate family members.

The US believes that Cuban healthcare workers are being subjected to forced labour tantamount to people of trafficking.

CARICOM leaders ended their February 25 – 27 summit in St Kitts, saying that the regional bloc was cognisant of its very close relationship with both Cuba and the US, and mindful of the extent to which the Region could be negatively affected, “is willing to participate in any way that will redound to the benefit of the Cuban people, while maintaining regional stability.”

A Jamaica decision earlier this week to end its medical cooperation ​program with Cuba after they were unable to agree on the terms for a new arrangement has received stinging criticism from the Cuban government.

By its account, the Cuban government said Jamaica’s decision was “unilateral” and was at the behest of the Trump administration. “With this action, the government of Jamaica yields to the pressures of the United States government, which is unconcerned with the health needs of its Caribbean brothers,” the Cuban foreign ministry said, saying that with that decision Jamaicans were being deprived of quality health care.

“Faithful to the historic relations of brotherhood and solidarity that unite us with Jamaica, Cuba reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the Jamaican people, who can always count on Cuba’s disinterested cooperation,” the Cuban government added.

Guyana quietly scrapped the Cuban medical brigade programme and opted to employ Cuban health care professionals directly.

Both the then socialist People’s Progressive Party and the People’s National Congress had enjoyed very close fraternal ideological relations with Cuba and other then Soviet-backed states.