Lights and shadows in the Republic

By: Pedro Corzo - 29/05/2025

Guest columnist.
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The Castro totalitarian system has caused the Cuban nation deep and widespread prejudices, including the neglect of our most significant national events, including May 20th, the day we proclaimed our national independence.

It's reasonable to assume that national holidays are of no importance to some people. However, these terms are fundamental pillars of every nation's history, which is why we Cuban exiles devoutly remember October 10, February 24, and the aforementioned May 20, among other important dates.

On May 20, Cuba formally celebrated its 123rd anniversary as a Republic, although we have only been a republic for 57 years, having lost the Republic more than 66 years ago when Fidel Castro and his followers laid the groundwork for imposing a totalitarian regime in our country.

Destroying republican values ​​and eliminating democratic coexistence was a quickly achieved objective, which demonstrated how little rooted these concepts were among many of our fellow citizens.

A few days ago, we recalled that the National Congress hosted a livestock fair a few months after the triumph of the insurrection, without such an atrocity prompting strong and categorical protests from the citizenry, while other outrages occurred throughout the country for which shame should be felt.

It's true that we weren't living in paradise. There were many injustices in our country, and certain social and political changes were necessary, along with the replacement of a significant portion of the national leadership. However, we were among the countries with the best social and economic indicators in all of Latin America.

It's fair to acknowledge that, although we were far from being a model state, we enjoyed advantages and progress that most countries in the hemisphere lacked.

In just over five and a half decades, by 1958, we had twelve universities, three of which were public. Unfortunately, only 77.9% of Cubans could read and write. However, we ranked third in Latin America, after Argentina and Uruguay, in this capacity.

We suffered from severe political and administrative corruption and criminal gangs posing as political figures to justify their numerous murders. What's worse, many of these criminals were in the employ of some of the country's most prominent politicians and also some university professors.

We faced numerous problems, yet more had been resolved than we had been confronted, although from my perspective, the military coup of March 10, 1952, which disrupted the constitutional rhythm, led to an imbalance that seriously affected the nation and facilitated the emergence of totalitarianism in our country.

It is true that the 1940 Constitution was reinstated in 1955. However, the political climate and coexistence were never the same again despite economic progress.

In the period prior to the triumph of the insurrection, the economic and social situation was clearly improving.

Dr. Salvador Vila, in his book, Cuba, Zenith and Eclipse, states, “Many of us were unaware of the extent of our development compared to the rest of Latin America and the world, and it is important to recognize this and remember it with pride.”

We enjoyed broad economic freedoms and significant social mobility. Foreign investment was significant, and labor laws were significantly positive, although not fully enforced.

The 1940 Constitution, drafted in a public assembly by all the country's political forces, including the communists, established the division of public powers and their independence, along with social and economic prerogatives far more advanced than most other legislation in the hemisphere.

Minimum wages, set by joint committees of employers and workers. Deductions from workers' wages or salaries were prohibited; workers' salaries had to be paid in cash, not goods; mandatory social security, including disability and old-age benefits; the right to retirement based on seniority and a death pension, Cuba being the first country in the world to grant this right to agricultural workers.

The Castro totalitarian experiment has turned out to be a resounding failure. Cubans are currently in much worse economic, political, and moral conditions than they were on January 1, 1959.

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».