CUBA:
Raúl Shares His Seat
with Fidel
By Dalia Acosta
HAVANA (IPS) - Raúl
Castro, one of the
leaders of the Cuban
revolution and a
lifelong communist, is
Cuba’s new president as
of Sunday. But he said
he would listen to the
views of Fidel, who he
described as "not
substitutable," as long
as his older brother is
around.
In his first speech as
Fidel’s successor, he
proposed to the National
Assembly (parliament)
that Fidel continue to
be consulted on matters
of great importance,
such as defence, foreign
policy and "the
socioeconomic
development of the
country."
The proposal was
immediately and
unanimously approved by
the 597 members of the
National Assembly who
met Sunday, less than a
week after the
81-year-old Fidel Castro
announced that he was
permanently stepping
down after nearly half a
century in power.
"There is only one
commander-in-chief of
the Cuban revolution.
Fidel is Fidel, and we
all know that. Fidel is
not substitutable, and
the people will continue
his work when he is no
longer with us
physically," said the
new president, who
reiterated his certainty
that only the Communist
Party can be "the worthy
heir of the confidence
that the people have
deposited in their
leader."
Fidel Castro "is the
same as he always has
been, with a clear mind
and a more than intact,
in fact strengthened,
capacity for analysis
and making forecasts,"
said Raúl Castro.
In a gesture that was
described as "rational"
and "dignified" by a
large part of the Cuban
population and analysts
both within and outside
of Cuba, Fidel Castro,
who remains the head of
the governing Communist
Party, said it would
amount to a betrayal of
his conscience to hold
onto responsibilities
that he was not in a
position to fulfil, for
health reasons.
Fidel Castro, who
temporarily ceded power
to Raúl on Jul. 31, 2006
as a result of emergency
intestinal surgery, said
that for months he had
been trying to prepare
the Cuban population for
the inevitable, by
sending out realistic
messages that did not
attempt to generate a
sense of optimism and
that gradually paved the
way for the decision
that he announced in a
message published on
Tuesday.
"My only wish is to
fight as a soldier in
the battlefield of
ideas. I will continue
writing under the
heading ‘Reflections
from Comrade Fidel’. It
will be just another
weapon in the arsenal
that you can count on.
Perhaps my voice will be
heard," he said in the
statement.
His voice will be heard,
as made clear by the
first decision adopted
by the members of the
legislature who were
elected on Jan. 20.
"We will not work
without him, we will
always work with him and
with his teachings. He
keeps an eye on us, and
gives us advice and
recommendations.
Wherever he is, he will
always be the
commander-in-chief," Dr.
Pura Concepción Avilés,
a lawmaker representing
the province of Holguín
who was elected to the
legislature for the
fourth time, told IPS.
Ricardo Alarcón, 70, was
reelected as president
of the National Assembly
on Sunday, and José
Ramón Machado, for years
the "organiser" of the
Communist Party, was
elected as first vice
president of the Council
of State and Council of
Ministers.
The election of Machado,
a 77-year-old doctor who
is identified with the
most orthodox faction
within the Cuban
leadership, laid to rest
widespread speculation
that vice president
Carlos Lage would be
reelected to that
position. However, Lage
will remain one of the
five vice presidents of
the Council of State.
The 56-year-old Lage,
who represents a younger
generation of leaders,
emerged from the ranks
of the Young Communist
League, was involved in
the process of economic
reforms adopted in Cuba
in the 1990s, and on
more than one occasion
headed the Cuban
delegation in meetings
of heads of state and
government.
The 76-year-old Raúl
Castro announced that
the creation of the new
Council of Ministers
would be decided after a
careful analysis of the
current system.
"Every decision and
resolution that is
adopted begins to age
the very next day.
Everything must be
renewed and renovated,
and at every moment, it
is necessary to do what
that moment requires,"
Jaime Crombet, who was
confirmed in his post as
vice president of the
National Assembly, told
IPS.
For his part, Eliades
Acosta, head of the
cultural department of
the Communist Party
Central Committee, said
that since Marxists
believe that the
economic base determines
the superstructure, the
top priority of the new
government must be the
economy.
"Vigorous action will be
taken. What the people
expect from the
revolution is precisely
that: that it will solve
a series of pending
problems," he told IPS.
Although he did not
specify the changes that
lie ahead, President
Raúl Castro said the
dual currency system is
being studied. But, he
warned, any decision to
that respect must avoid
"traumatic effects and
incongruencies" and must
take into account the
current wage system,
retail prices, free
services and subsidised
products and services.
"Moving forward in a
coherent, sound,
well-thought-out manner
until wages recover
their role is a
strategic objective
today," he said.
He also said that the
excess of prohibitions
and regulations that
were heavily questioned
by Cubans in the open
debates held since Raúl
Castro, in a Jul. 26,
2007 speech, urged the
public to openly voice
their criticisms of
Cuban society, were
being evaluated.
After urging Cubans "to
never believe that what
we have done is
perfect," the new
president said that some
of the prohibitions
would begin to be
eliminated as soon as
possible, because in
some cases their only
objective was to prevent
the emergence of social
inequalities.
However, the "total
suppression of other
regulations will take
longer," because they
will require
comprehensive
assessments and changes
in Cuban legislation. In
addition, he said,
measures taken against
Havana by its long-time
foe, the U.S.
government, play a role
in some of the bans and
restrictions.
Raúl Castro reiterated
several ideas that he
has expressed for years:
that "improvisation"
that can bring
"considerable negative
consequences" must be
avoided, and that it is
necessary to "plan well"
in order to avoid
"spending more" than the
government has and to
work "with order and
discipline."
"We must not fear
discrepancies in a
society like ours, in
which, by its very
essence, there are no
antagonistic
contradictions," said
the new president. The
"right to express
oneself" should be
guaranteed by law," he
added. "We will not stop
listening," he promised. |
