Dear Editor,
It is now official, Donald Trump is president-elect of the United States of America.
I, like many people in the US and across the world, am still trying to fathom the idea of a Trump presidency after eight years of Barack Obama.
I can vividly remember the feeling of euphoria I felt here in Jamaica when Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States. He became the first African-American president of a notoriously racially charged society. At the time of his election, many people around the world had a feeling of hope, not just about the future of America but the world and the many issues we face together.
In those moments I couldn’t help but be a bit jealous of not being able to cast a vote in the creation of such a historic achievement. Alas, many like myself could only appreciate that moment vicariously through the emotions that pressed against our hearts and cheered on the people of the US for giving the world such a statesman.
But now, it’s 2016 and Donald Trump will be the next president. I certainly do not share similar feelings to those of 2008 and 2012. In fact, I, like many I suppose, do not envy the US now.
However, the US election was important for the world. On issues of trade, climate change, immigration and criminal justice, the president-elect’s rhetoric during the campaign was disheartening. These pronouncements could have significant impact on Jamaica, believe it or not. Any significant shock that Donald Trump’s policies will have on the global economy will put at risk our economic recovery programme. And how Trump handles immigration, specifically deportations, will certainly affect Jamaica. Additionally, our friends to the north, in Cuba, may have to wait a bit while longer for that embargo to be lifted.
But the biggest threat to Jamaica and the world is Trump’s stance on climate change. Trump has proposed eliminating US funding to fight climate change for developing countries, eliminating the Obama Administration’s limitations on power station emissions, coal production, offshore drilling, and possibly abandoning the Paris agreement. These are real and present threats to the future survival of not just Jamaica, but the human species.
We must not sit and wait to see these effects, we must be proactive and, once and for all, fix our own country so that our people can feel secure in their homes. We must use this event to summon a national movement towards economic independence, removing ourselves from the wide economic influence of the US.
We have to realise that we are in a vulnerable position and it will take the mobilisation of the entire nation to secure our own future.
Kevonne Martin
Kingston 19
kevonnejmartin@hotmail.com
It is now official, Donald Trump is president-elect of the United States of America.
I, like many people in the US and across the world, am still trying to fathom the idea of a Trump presidency after eight years of Barack Obama.
I can vividly remember the feeling of euphoria I felt here in Jamaica when Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States. He became the first African-American president of a notoriously racially charged society. At the time of his election, many people around the world had a feeling of hope, not just about the future of America but the world and the many issues we face together.
In those moments I couldn’t help but be a bit jealous of not being able to cast a vote in the creation of such a historic achievement. Alas, many like myself could only appreciate that moment vicariously through the emotions that pressed against our hearts and cheered on the people of the US for giving the world such a statesman.
But now, it’s 2016 and Donald Trump will be the next president. I certainly do not share similar feelings to those of 2008 and 2012. In fact, I, like many I suppose, do not envy the US now.
However, the US election was important for the world. On issues of trade, climate change, immigration and criminal justice, the president-elect’s rhetoric during the campaign was disheartening. These pronouncements could have significant impact on Jamaica, believe it or not. Any significant shock that Donald Trump’s policies will have on the global economy will put at risk our economic recovery programme. And how Trump handles immigration, specifically deportations, will certainly affect Jamaica. Additionally, our friends to the north, in Cuba, may have to wait a bit while longer for that embargo to be lifted.
But the biggest threat to Jamaica and the world is Trump’s stance on climate change. Trump has proposed eliminating US funding to fight climate change for developing countries, eliminating the Obama Administration’s limitations on power station emissions, coal production, offshore drilling, and possibly abandoning the Paris agreement. These are real and present threats to the future survival of not just Jamaica, but the human species.
We must not sit and wait to see these effects, we must be proactive and, once and for all, fix our own country so that our people can feel secure in their homes. We must use this event to summon a national movement towards economic independence, removing ourselves from the wide economic influence of the US.
We have to realise that we are in a vulnerable position and it will take the mobilisation of the entire nation to secure our own future.
Kevonne Martin
Kingston 19
kevonnejmartin@hotmail.com