St Vincent Opposition recognising One China policy
KINGSTOWN, St Vincent- Vincentian social commentator Renwick Rose has noted what he called “the bold step” of the opposition New Democratic Party that has generated a lot of discussion here.
The NDP announced this week that it is making “a policy shift” to recognise the One China policy.
NDP Leader Arnhim Eustace has said that the Unity Labour Party government of Dr Ralph Gonsalves should “now come to this modern enlightened view in the interest of St Vincent and the Grenadines.”
Rose, who has not always been complimentary about the opposition here, however has hailed this new stance.
"It is good that Mr Eustace has taken that bold step, in that it opens the road for intelligent discussion on this and other important foreign policy issues,” he declared in an article this weekend in the weekly Searchlight newspaper, widely seen here as generally supporting government’s views on issues.
“Whatever the motives for the about-turn, at least we are now broadening perspectives,” Rose wrote.
“Of course, his critics will talk of the sudden change, but for me the issues are beyond that. Now that the NDP is recognising China, let’s cut the “communist” crap out; it poisoned our national discourse on much-needed constitutional change,” he declared.
Rose added: “If this step can lead to a modernising of our view of the world, then it will at least have made a positive contribution towards our own development."
Camillo Gonsalves, the senior minister tipped to take over from his father Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, has been critical of the timing of the NDP announcement, suggesting that it won’t be to the long term benefit of the country.
“The country would get a lousy ‘take it or leave it’ deal from China, because he (Eustace) committed to the switch before a deal was in place,” he wrote on his facebook page.
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