St Lucia: Changes to Venezuela visas should go through parliament, says ex-minister

A former foreign minister of St Lucia has called for a parliamentary debate following the prime minister’s announcement that visa restrictions might be imposed on Venezuelans travelling to the country.

Alva Baptiste, speaking at a St Lucia Labour Party press conference yesterday morning, advised caution.

“It is something that I believe the government should take to the parliament and let’s have an honest debate about what should be done in this particular case,” he said.

The matter should not be decided casually, he added.

Drugs and weapons

“If in fact the government is continuing to struggle to maintain law and order in Venezuela – we have seen an increase in the production of drugs coming out of Colombia – people are short of cash and therefore people are bringing drugs and bringing arms to sell in Saint Lucia and other Caribbean Islands,” he said.

But Alva Baptiste raised concerns that the government – and in particular the prime minister – was making rash decisions without exploring different avenues.

He stated that Venezuela isn’t the only nation dealing with violence and drugs – and that it was unlikely that the same restrictions would be handed down to CARICOM member states.