JFM: That is a very large question. But
first of all you must realize that the majority
of the people in the United States neither
know nor care about any particular island in
the Caribbean. The Caribbean is a vague
area for holidays. But insofar as US foreign
policy is concerned, I would hope that first
of all the US has good diplomatic represen-
tation in this area so that it can get people to
understand what our problems are. I at-
tended a symposium on the Caribbean
Basin plan at which I discovered that the
mayor of Miami was particularly concerned
because his vision of the Caribbean-prob-
ably quite right, after Mariel and Haiti-was
that there are millions of people out there,
anxious and willing to land in Miami at the
drop of a hat. The only wayto stop that trend
from developing is to make sure that people
can live fulfilling lives in the Caribbean. And
we need US assistance in this regard. The
United States is a very powerful country,
and it appalls us what the US can do and the
opportunities that are being missed. It is not
for me to tell the US they shouldn't spend all
their money in El Salvador, as they are
doing, but certainly if they spent those mil-
lions in the Caribbean, I would think that the
Caribbean would be a much safer place. It
seems the US only becomes concerned
with expenditures in the area when an ex-
plosive scene develops, which, of course, is
too late when all the underlying currents are
surfacing. But as a politician, and as a politi-
cian of the center looking for change, the
kind of problem I face is really the attitude of
the US to parties of change. Again, as 1 said
in my CBI presentation, the parties in the
Caribbean which are the natural allies of the
US are those parties seeking change-not
those which are trying to maintain the sta-
tus quo of overpopulation, unemployment,
bribery and corruption, imposing so-called
stability on a starving people. These parties
are not serving the long-term interests of
the Caribbean or the United States. You
have to understand that there are other non-
communist parties which are prepared to
work for orderly progress in the region. Ijust
wish that people would try to understand
the problems we face. I am being long-
winded on this, but in a way the attitude of
the US, whereby it casts out any political
party that is not safe by its own definition (in
other words they squeeze the center) is the
same attitude, ironically, of the commu-
nists. They do not want to see parties in
power that will bring about reform. So in
the long run, the attitude of the extreme
right of the US is similar to the extreme left
in the Caribbean. With different instruments
you are playing the same tune. The US
should realize that it is in its own best inter-
est to support the center. Playing it "safe,"
supporting the devil, you are supporting
what the people despise.
 GBS: You were prime minister for a time
in the early 1970s. What are your chances


of recapturing that position?
 JFM: I am not a prophet. I am working
towards winning the next election and I am
fortunate that we have a good team of
young people and experienced people in
various disciplines working in the party.
When I look back on the problems we had
in the last election-the eruption of the
Soufriere volcano and all the AID funds that
came in and which were used as bribes-
well, all those disasters had an impact on
the election. If we can contain the bribery


and make sure there are no covert actions
intending to finance bribery; if we can have
a free and fair election, well, then 1 think that
our chances are quite good.
 GBS: What if you lose?
 JFM: One day, like Schweitzer, I hope to
find peace beyond all understanding. O

Gary Brana-Shute teaches anthropology at
The College of Charleston in Charleston, S.C.
He has worked widely in Suriname and the
Anglophone Caribbean.


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WINDWARD ISLANDS