It is not the blockade, it is the Socialism of the 21st Century
By: Hugo Marcelo Balderrama - 02/07/2023
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It is undeniable that Cuba occupies an important place in the recent history of Spanish America. Unfortunately, it is not about great contributions to the economy, progress, democracy or science, but to its role as a geostrategic springboard for the export of transnational crime, since the Castros turned the largest of the Antilles into a cave thieves and refuge for drug traffickers.
In his book, Cómo llegó la noche, Huber Matos, one of the historical commanders of the Sierra Maestra, recounts that during the guerrilla campaign, Fidel Castro allowed a peasant named Clemente Pérez to sell marijuana among the rebel troops themselves. In addition, at work there are testimonies of Raúl's abuses against families that produce rice and malanga. They never behaved like soldiers of honor, but like simple ruffians, gang members and thugs.
Once in power, the Castro brothers and Che Guevara, apart from betraying, imprisoning and disappearing their comrades in arms, sided with the tyranny of Moscow and its constant attacks on the liberties of the West. And for what reason did Nikita Krushchev support the initiatives of the Caribbean tyrant? By then, the military power of the United States was far superior to that of the USSR, for example, Washington had 45 intercontinental missiles and the USSR 4. In short, the US could, from its location, bomb Moscow. On the other hand, the USSR did not, ergo, need a neighboring country for that purpose, Cuba was that strategic partner.
But while Fidel was trying to turn Cuba into a branch of the Soviet empire, the Cuban economy was collapsing abruptly. In fact, by 1963, the once powerful sugar industry had reduced its productivity by 23%, the lowest since the 1930s. In other areas things were no different, the lines to get bread and other food began to lengthen. 4 in the morning.
What did the dictatorship do in the face of such a disaster?
The sensible thing to do would have been to lift the restrictions and let the price system work, as it was before, but that was something that totalitarian minds like Ernesto Guevara and Fidel Castro could not accept. Che created the “Volunteer Work” system. Basically, doctors, teachers, office workers and even housewives were forced to work overtime in sugar production. Note the paradox, the Latin American left tends to protest workers who are "exploited" by capital. However, it does not say anything about the exploitation and slavery to which millions of people are subjected by the Castro-Chavista dictatorships.
Now that more than six decades have passed since the capture of Cuba, things have only gotten worse. Let's see.
In October 2022, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights revealed that 64% of the island's inhabitants are in a food crisis, consuming only 30% of the required daily calories. It also shows us that more than half of Cuban households (51%) have problems buying even the most essential things to survive, but it improves a little for those who receive family remittances.
In basic services, things are just as bad, since 72% of Cuban homes suffer recurring cuts, even more than ten hours of power failure. Only 3% state that they have a continuous supply of electricity. In this regard, Yaxis Cires, director of the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights, explains the following:
For 64% of Cubans, the food crisis continues to be the main problem they face on the island, where since July 2021 there has been a marked trend of cases in which people deprive themselves of at least one meal. Since July 2020, there has been a marked trend that shows an increase in cases in which a family member stopped having breakfast, lunch or lunch. In the last year, the duration of the power cuts increased and went from six hours to a whole day, the government leaves us without electricity because it is interested in maintaining the supply to the tourist areas of Havana and Matanzas. For us, street Cubans, the arrival of tourists is a curse, since they feed our executioners with dollars.
Panegyrists of Castroism tend to attribute the appalling living conditions of Cubans to the US trade blockade. However, this is no more than a narrative, since the island has received investment and aid from a huge number of nations, including the US itself. For example, since 1988, Spanish hotel chains were pioneers in the development of Cuban tourism. They were followed by other companies and institutions in the financial sector, agribusiness and services.
On the other hand, in 2015, in full management of the right-wing Mariano Rajoy, the Ministry of Economy of Spain announced 40 million euros of public financing for projects of Spanish companies in Cuba. The agreement also included the cancellation of 201.5 million euros. Other business movements are also relevant in the franchise sector, with various Spanish chains interested in landing in the Cuban market. With all these movements, including the Iberia airline, which had canceled its flights to Havana in 2013, but restarted them almost daily in the summer of 2015, talking about a blockade is absurd.
Unfortunately, all that Spanish aid, which is added to the money obtained from the export of slave doctors to countries like Brazil, Mexico and Bolivia, has not served to improve the living conditions of Cubans, but rather for the dictatorship to extend its claws. criminals to almost the entire region.
It is very sad that the Cuban journalist and writer Carlos Alberto Montaner, one of the most emblematic and well-known faces of the opposition to the Castro regime, has died without seeing his beloved Cuba free from the clutches of the longest dictatorship in the region. In his honor, the battle for freedom must continue unabated.
Peace in your grave my admired Carlos Alberto.
«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».