Cubans need leeway to be in sync with world

[Bulldog]

Raul Castro, who has been running Cuba since his brother Fidel was sidelined by illness 19 months ago, gestures during a meeting of the National Assembly in Havana February 24, 2008. Photo/REUTERS

Cubans celebrated a half-a-century of revolution a few days ago. But the revolution’s maker, El Commandante Fidel Castro, couldn’t make it to the grand stand last Thursday.

If standing up to the United States is a measure of the revolution’s success, then Cuba excelled. If it’s improving the welfare of the citizenry, the revolution remains stale.

It wasn’t for lack of wanting that Mr Castro stayed home. At 82, he’s also ailing. Two-and-a-half-years ago, he turned the reins of power to his brother, Raul, 77, and last February the presidency – not Communist Party leadership. That sounds like a hereditary rule and counter-revolutionary.

Maybe the brothers deserve a lifetime leadership. They led a guerrilla movement that ousted President Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Actually, Mr Batista and entourage, including American Mafia bosses, fled. Critics accuse the former president and his supporters of carting US$700 million in fine art and cash.

Washington supported the decadent Batista administration. Cheered by bellicose exiles who fled the revolution, Washington failed to see that Mr Castro could be seduced, more accurately that in the then existing geopolitical sphere, it was to the interests of the US to accommodate him. That’s lack of diplomatic innovation.

Hence, all but one of 10 US presidents would spend 50 years trying to topple a government off Florida’s coast. First, the US imposed sanctions, then a bungled support of an invasion by Cuban exiles and machinations to isolate Cuba, very successful in Latin America. The CIA had galore bizarre assassination plots against Mr Castro.

In all fairness, Mr Castro introduced fundamental reforms. The country’s education and health care rivals those in some developed nations. The revolution didn’t consume its own a la the Russian. Cuba’s imprisonment of opponents was modest, around 15,000 in 1964. Moreover, the revolution ended political confusion. Notable, Cuba remained peaceful in an era of military dictatorships and violence in most of Latin America.

The downside is that Mr Castro turned Cuba into a Soviet Union’s surrogate. The much-praised Cuban support for “people’s struggles” only advanced the Soviet Union’s efforts against the United States for world domination. The Russians lost that round and began retooling. Cuba remains stuck in “Gringos this and that.”

Little of Soviet Union’s US$4-$5 billion annual handout to Cuba went to improving long-term well-being of the citizenry. The desperate measures Cubans have taken to escape the revolution testify to that.

For example, when in 1978, in order to burden the US, Mr. Castro said Cubans in love with the Gringos could go; even the mentally handicapped were among the 120,000 who took off. Some of them knew they might turn into meals for sharks in the Florida Straight, but went anyway.

Average monthly income in Cuba is US$20. The birth rate is 1.6 children per woman. Life expectancy is 77 years. No wonder Viagra is a hot commodity in the black market. Its reproductive value is dubious though. Only recently did President Raul Castro permit Cubans to buy cellphones, gadgets nomads in Africa have been using to raid each other for livestock.

There is no doubt US embargo hurt Cuba. In fact, some US laws on embargo hamper other countries dealings with Cuba.

Stifle innovation

On the other hand, Mr Castro’s obsession with the US seems to have stifled innovations to circumvent the embargo. After all, the US isn’t the world.

Cuba is currently enjoying unprecedented support in the world. Unfortunately, Comrade Raul remains obsessed with the US. During the celebrations, he warned the “enemy will never stop being aggressive…” That kind of thinking limits options.

What Cuban leadership needs, for now, isn’t jettisoning its political system. It needs to take off the anti-Gringos straight jacket and get about 11 million citizens in step with the rest of the world. A good model exists, China


 http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/-/1068/510432/-/seh604/-/

[Gambitt]

Average monthly income in Cuba is US$20.

This statement always drives me crazy.   Yes, Cubans make a lot less money than people in other countries, but they also can buy things a lot cheaper than the rest of the world.

Cubans might not have "the best" housing, but they don't have $25000.00 morgages either.
Thew Cuban health care system, rivals that of many deveoped countries. Another freebe
The libreta subsidises their food.

Okay here's an over simplifies comparison:

I make about $2400" per month (after the taxes that the Cubans don't pay).  Then there's the exorbitant costs for heat/hydro and more taxes GST etc. So lets take that down to about $1800.  Food bills at our house run another $150/wk so knock off another $600.  Down to $1200.  Then we pay rent.  Knock off another $800/month.  Down to $400.

400 bucks will buy me 40 packs of cigaretes.  In CUba 20 will get you 22 packs of Popular.
1 Bottle of Rye here is $40. 10 bottles.  CUba has thier $3 rum...  6 bottles

Yes, things are not perfect in CUba, but they aren't that great here either.

[Bulldog]

Remember this is an article from Africa, Kenya to be exact 

And it only says " Average monthly income in Cuba is US$20 " he doesn't use the word ONLY in that comment 

It's an article by CHEGE MBITIR.

I'm not sure what the average income is in Kenya, but wouldn't it be close to that ?  ( I just read it's around $400 per year)

I posted this because it's from a foreign source and found his slant to be interesting and untainted by anti or pro Cuba 

 

[mojitomiss_cuba]

cubans may indeed get free health care and subsidies from the gov't but:
what good does it do you if the drugs/scripts that are needed are not available?
the amount of food subsidy alloted to each family/household, from what I understand, is a) not sufficient to properly feed that family and b) the diet of which is seriously lacking in many items needed to maintain a healthy body (ie many vitamins/minerals are lacking).

No things aren't that great here either, but I'll stick to what I have rather than ever having to try and exist as it is in Cuba. We (the tourists in general) only see the resort/tourist workers who are the elite of Cuban hierarchy (next to the Pols of course), but get out in the countryside and areas who's lives are not enriched by tourist tips/donations and see how difficult life is.

Bulldog, thanks for posting the story. I found it a nice refreshing unbiased read about Cuba and the Castro brothers.

[Jammyisme]

I think the blog I have been posting from Yoani clearly illustrates life for Cubans today from her perspective. I think one of the shockers from our last trip to Cuba was that in Manzanilla we saw Cuban life at its rawest and it wasnt pretty. This wasnt the big city or a popular tourist resort.   IT was quite an eye opener.