By Khamarie Rodriguez

Copyright trinidadexpress

Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez says the only nuclear bomb dropped in the Caribbean has been on the brain of Trinidad and Tobago’s new Government.

Rodriguez posted to her Facebook page yesterday afternoon, in response to Minister in the Ministry of Housing Phillip Edward Alexander’s statements last week that the government of India would “nuke” Venezuela in defence of T&T.

“The only nuclear bomb dropped into the brain of this official’s newly-taken Government,” Rodriguez posted.

“Trinidad and Tobago should think of its people before they intend to attack Venezuela, and renounce their vassage (sic) to the US government that intends to steal our immense energy resources. They could not and will not with our determination to freedom and self-determination, widely exercised in our diplomacy of peace,” wrote Rodriguez.

Alexander in a social media message last Tuesday, said to the Venezuelan government, “Let me tell you this, you think America is the only problem? (Indian Prime Minister Narendra) Modi came here to show Trinidad and Tobago that one of the most powerful nations in the world has Trinidad in its hands, the diaspora,” he said.

Alexander referenced Modi’s visit to the country in July, and said that Trinidad and Tobago’s ethnic majority was East Indian.

“That will hurt you this morning, it will ‘bun’ you in your belly. Trinidad is part of the Indian diaspora. Trinidad has more people of East Indian descent than any other race. Let that ‘bun’ you in your navel. Oh god Phillip don’t say it. Let us pretend Trinidad is a black country.

“That is what the 1% want to tell you, to incite violence…They don’t want you to know that the largest group of people in Trinidad and Tobago are of East Indian descent…and Modi and India have us held gently in the palm of his hands and he will nuke Venezuela. You think it is Trump alone you are dealing with? Touch Trinidad Delcy, you have talk?” Alexander had said.

He later told the media that he had no information on Indian intervention in the event of military explanation. However he said the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Sean Sobers had made it clear that the country was not responding well to threats.

He said his statements made in the live video were hyperbolic, but that Trinidad and Tobago was “well protected”.

His statement came after repeated warnings from the Venezuelan government to the country, in the aftermath of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s promise of “unflinching access” to US forces in T&T territory in the event of a Venezuelan attack in Guyana.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro also last week said that Persad-Bissessar had gone crazy, and that her welcoming of the US’ military action and lethal strikes on Venezuelan vessels had read like a “declaration of war” against Venezuela.

Last Sunday, Venezuela’s Minister of Defence Vladimir Padrino Lopez issued a warning to the country that any attack on Venezuela launched on its territory would receive a response from its military.

Alexander: Rodriguez

‘not as bright’

Contacted by the Sunday Express yesterday, Alexander said that only the “uneducated” had taken the term “nuke” which he claims to have uttered figuratively in the said video, in a literal way.

Of the Venezuelan Vice-President, he said, ”Clearly Delcy Rodriguez is not as bright as we give her credit for, or maybe the nuances of the English language are lost on her.”

Responding in a WhatsApp message, Alexander said Rodriguez and her colleagues’ insistence on threatening the country as a result of the US’ presence in the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking was indicative of Venezuela’s fear.

He said he stood by the Prime Minister on her previous statements condemning drug trafficking, and welcoming US military action in the region.

“Trinidad and Tobago is small compared to them, but as our Minister of Foreign Affairs said, we do not respond to threats. Remember this all started with their Minister of Justice threatening to invade T&T in pursuit of alleged hostiles and our Prime Minister putting him in his place.

“I stood by her then and I stand by her now. Thugs and bullies have a lot of mouth when picking on people smaller than them. I’m searching global media for any signs of them using these same taunts to Donald Trump. But as we say in T&T, monkey know which tree to climb,” he said.

He added, “That will probably go over Delcy’s head as well. Our Prime Minister has repeatedly stated we are not aggressors but we won’t be bullied either. I stand with her on that.”