The world is still trying to come to grips with the fact that, in spite of what many believed and even what the polls said, Republican candidate Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America after defeating his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in last Monday’s election.
It is no secret that the recent election was one of the most bitter and divisive US election campaigns in the history of that country. Trump campaigned on a narrow, divisive anti-immigrant and American nationalistic agenda and it was bought by a majority of American voters. As happened in Britain over the Brexit vote, many citizens were fed up with the current establishment and thought that it would be good to push for a change in the status quo.
In sealing the victory that stunned the world, Mr Trump won what are called the key battleground states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, as well as Wisconsin gaining an overall total of 276 Electoral College votes in his race for the Whitehouse.
Many Guyanese kept a close watch on the US election, as there is a close connection with that country considering the fact that at least every family here has a relative or a close friend in that country. Given Trump’s rhetoric on the campaign trail – from his description of Mexicans to his attitude towards Muslims and minorities; it is fair to say that the majority of Caribbean citizens residing in the US perceived Trump to be prejudiced and divisive. For this reason, many of them, including thousands of Guyanese residing there had hoped for a Clinton victory.
They thought that a Clinton presidency would better represent their interests, chief of which is the issue of immigration. It is well known that many Caribbean nationals, including Guyanese are among the millions of illegal immigrants living in the US and they were anxiously waiting for the day when they could have their status regularised. Based on what Clinton had promised, this would have been a central part of her immigration policy; that is to offer a path to citizenship for those illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria. Now that the Republicans have regained control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, this may just be wishful thinking.
It is therefore natural for immigrants to be anxious about what the future holds for them in relation to their immigration status, especially considering the many threats Trump made to deport illegal immigrants. Many are fearful that immigration amnesty will be taken off the table.
Chancellor of the University of the West Indies (UWI), Sir Hilary Beckles was quoted by the regional media as saying that the Caribbean should be prepared for returning nationals and other migrants, adding that Trump’s philosophies and policies could lead to a demographic change in the Caribbean overtime.
He was also quoted by regional media as saying that Trump’s victory will have an effect on the global recession, predicting it will “have an adverse impact on the global economy”. For Sir Hilary, World trade has always been driven by certain kinds of multi-lateral and bi-lateral ideologies and philosophies. He believes that the assertion of these value systems in the current space will have an adverse impact on global trade; and this is something the region should be prepared for.
That said, it is too soon to predict what a Trump presidency would mean for the other key areas of regional and international cooperation; such as trade, AID, security, climate change etc. Many countries in the region, including Guyana, have had good relations with the US for many years and regional leaders are optimistic that this would continue under the Trump Administration.
Certainly, regional heads will be looking carefully in the coming months to see how the new Administration proceeds in dealing with the many complex issues affecting the world, more so the Caricom region itself. The hope is that the new administration would place a renewed focus on creating and building opportunities for partnership and cooperation between the region and the US since maintaining economic growth and development for the benefit of the peoples of the Hemisphere is very crucial.
