Paulwell and his US visa boast
I’M not aware that it is easy to get a United States visitor’s visa, especially after the one you had was cancelled under cloudy circumstances. But it seems that new People’s National Party Chairman Phillip Paulwell has the formula.
Paulwell said on radio last week — after his foolish decision to contest an election for party chairman when he is already a vice-president — that he had been invited by the United States Embassy in St Andrew to apply for a visa, but as far as I am aware that is not how the embassy operates, and I would not be surprised that if or when Paulwell reapplies, he is turned down.
This is a situation whereby a parliamentarian had his invitation to visit the US withdrawn by the American Government, one which had a domino effect, as the Canadians and the British also took back their entry passes based on an agreement between the three powerful nations.
A similar fate was suffered by Government Minister Daryl Vaz, his wife Ann-marie, both former US citizens; former Minister James Robertson; business leaders; and some police officers I know.
The US authorities do not just get up and cancel visas like that. There are always issues behind such decisions, but the US will not disclose them, as is that country’s right. My advice to Paulwell is to step cautiously on this one, stand in front of the mirror, think about what could have gone wrong, and try to set things right, if they can be corrected. I don’t think that the US Embassy should ever be taken for granted. Yet, maybe the former energy minister knows something that we all don’t. I wonder if Donald Trump got up one day and put through a call to the Excelsior man to say: ‘Phillip, dear old Phillip, I know of your plight, and like my former national security advisor, Mike Flynn, I am going to ‘pardon’ you too, although you may not be aware that you committed any offence, whatsoever.
“My buddy Phillip, although you have never yet played golf with me, I am going to ensure that you get that visa back, because when sleepy Joe gets in the White House he might ignore you. And don’t mind the fact that his vice-president has Jamaican roots. Don’t you see that she has never mentioned Jamaica in all her interviews? Don’t worry, buddy. I, the Don, will make sure you get that visa back, and you can come and be a part of my legal team if they decide to prosecute me, because I really don’t know what Rudy Giuliani is doing; he could not even win one of those election cases that I gave to him. So don’t lose hope, buddy, your friend Donald has your back.”
Who knows, there could be hope still for the PNP vice-president and chairman.