Top things to know
- South Florida Caribbean News published a commentary criticizing the United Kingdom's post-colonial financial commitments to the Caribbean.
- The 2015 Commonwealth Infrastructure Fund of 300 million pounds never materialized, matching the amount spent on an unworkable airport in St. Helena.
- The abandoned fund would have financed a tourist steam train in Jamaica through historical areas like Clarendon parish.
A recent commentary published by South Florida Caribbean News argues that the United Kingdom’s post-colonial financial promises to Caribbean territories have largely failed, leaving behind a legacy of unfulfilled commitments. Pointing to the aborted 300 million pound Commonwealth Infrastructure Fund announced in 2015, the publication highlights how this financial backing never materialised for the region.
According to the analysis, the missing 300 million pounds matches the exact sum spent on a new but ultimately unworkable airport project in St. Helena, a tiny United Kingdom possession. In the Caribbean, the failed infrastructure fund was originally intended to finance projects such as a tourist steam train in Jamaica, which would have included stops at Frankfield and Suttons in Clarendon parish. Suttons is notably the site of one of Jamaica's oldest slave plantations.
The commentary draws a parallel between these unfulfilled pledges and broader themes of historical neglect, noting that the Commonwealth is facing a diminishing role while Caribbean governments actively pursue reparations. Such abandoned financial initiatives are described as part of a long list of broken promises from the mother country to its former possessions, which have seen many nations transition to republics over time.