**important** PROGRESO WEEKLY/Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes on Cuba'

**important** PROGRESO WEEKLY/Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes on Cuba'
Posted by: "Walter Lippmann" walterlx@earthlink.net walterx
Date: Fri Aug 8, 2008 1:15 pm ((PDT))

PROGRESO WEEKLY
Aug 7 - 13, 2008

http://progreso-weekly.com/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=572&Itemid=1

Cuba’s reforms
By Saul Landau and Nelson Valdes

Cuban leaders have begun a reform process -- combining certain ministries,
opening up more farming possibilities and decentralizing certain functions.
They have not given clear signals as to what model will emerge. The
government appears determined to following the familiar path of pragmatic
and cautious approaches to problems that have arisen over five decades,
especially those aggravated because of the 1991 Soviet collapse. As the
October 2009 Communist Party Congress grows nearer, the results of
discussions throughout the country, the Party may add new wrinkles in Cuba’s
half century quest to build a just system. Do not expect Cuba to abandon
meaningful socialism.

Beginning with their 1959 revolutionary triumph, Cuban leaders have weaved a
unique approach to social change. Western media has ignored that Cuba’s
government has operated through consensus. Indeed, western reporters refer
to Castro’s dictatorship as if such a concept was axiomatic.

Rather, under Fidel -- a master of consensus politics -- a collective
leadership had to remove the old order and replace it with a just society,
a Herculean task that one man could not do alone! To make their own system,
Cubans faced the wrath of their former elites and the fury of a northern
neighbor. Fifty years later, U.S. officials still froth at the mouth at
Cuba’s audacious disobedience, Raul Castro and partners, including
significant numbers of younger people, address a new formidable adventure:
building sensible socialism on one island.

Raul acknowledged this on July 26, as he commemorated past successes and
referred to needs for more reforms. Perpetual U.S. aggression placed Cuba
into a national security mentality, but Cuban leaders can blame U.S.
hostility for only some of their problems. Moncada, Sierra and Underground
veterans can indeed boast of accomplishing their historic goals.

In 1959, after waging numerous wars and uprisings since the 1860s, Cubans
won independence. Cuba then defended its revolution against U.S.
belligerence while simultaneously establishing an egalitarian system based
on rights -- to eat, have housing, medical care, education, etc… As gravy
over their meat of success, Cubans danced -- and still do -- on the world
stage: liberators of parts of Africa, slayers of the Monroe Doctrine,
purveyors of emergency medical teams providing vital services to Pakistanis,
Hondurans and others who suffered from natural disasters. Cuban eye
specialists have saved the vision of countless third world people. Cuban
artists, athletes and scientists have etched their names on the honor roles
of talent throughout the world. And Fidel ranks as one of the 20th Century’s
great leaders. When he would enter international public spaces, even some of
his ideological opponents applauded -- because of the respect he gained by
courageously challenging U.S. dictates.

The U.S. media does not report on Cuba. It provides silly coverage of
peripheral issues such as posing the Cuba issue as Fidel v. Raul. The story
typifies rumor-based U.S. journalism on Cuba. Ironically, the “superior”
U.S. press dismisses Cuban media as non-objective.

In a July 31, 2008, New York Times story, reporter Marc Lacey assumed the
posture of cosmic knowledge. Lacy sneers at Fidel for having “left the
country in economic disarray.” Funny, when did the NY Times refer to U.S.
economic disarray as millions suffer pains of unemployment, or devastating
sub-prime mortgage madness; 50 million Americans lack access to health care
or safety nets! Nor does one find references to “disarray” in rare stories
about Honduras, sub Saharan Africa and other third world nations where
majorities lack food, education and health care.

Instead of expressing amazement over Cuba’s role in shaping history, and
affording millions of its citizens a chance to participate in events,
despite their daily hardships, Lacey focuses on “the odd dynamic” between
Raul and Fidel. Ahem! The two brothers have been partners in key decisions
since they attacked Moncada in July 1953. Moreover, in 2005, Fidel reminded
the Party to change all that needed change.

The Party has not changed enough, however, to satisfy disaffected Cubans,
those unimpressed by past accomplishments. “What do past glories have with
to do with the uncertainty of daily life?” they ask. Possessing quality
education, high skill levels and good health, they feel they deserve good
jobs. Indeed, their entire school experience from day care through
doctorates has taught them self esteem and stimulated them to expect the
best. But quality jobs are scarce on the island -- and in most third world
countries. Several Cubans in their 20s and 30s offered glazed looks to
references of the revolution’s accomplishments and replied: “I don’t see
much future for myself here.” Yes, a qualified Engineer can feel frustrated
making pizzas eight hours a day. Frustration can also lead some to become
oblivious to the outside conditions that affect their lives. Cuba exists
within the larger globalized corporate economy, possesses limited resources,
and remains victim of a seemingly eternal U.S. super embargo.

So thousands leave. The U.S. government, bound by Treaty to authorize 20,000
residence visas annually, delivers many fewer. Yet, neither the Clinton nor
Bush Administration tried to get it repealed. Thus smugglers -- not from the
island -- drool over their profits (about $15,000 per person) and some
Cubans die at sea. These human traffickers took some 6,000 persons to Mexico
between October 2007 and April 2008. Three thousand more landed in South
Florida between last October 2007 and July 2008. The Coast Guard intercepted
1,700 others before they reached the U.S. Such migration occurs because of
the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act, allowing Cubans -- and no one else -- to
enter the United States. This law undercuts the formal visa process, in
which consular officials vet the applicants.

After Washington imposed an embargo in 1962, Cuba issued libretas, ration
books in an attempt to assure equality of distribution and a safety net,
similar to British policy during World War II. During the “Special Period,”
the State lacked sufficient goods to meet its obligations and the U.S.
tightened the embargo to further squeeze Cuba’s economy. People began
hustling to obtain food. To do so, they broke the law by buying and selling
illegally and stealing from the state. Such a situation logically dampened
morale.

Cuba’s problems go beyond sagging commitment. This year, the government
announced a dramatic shortage of teachers -- 8,000 officially partly due to
insufficient salary incentives. Fidel, writing from his convalescence,
appealed to Cubans to understand such news in a proper context. "We don't
become discouraged by the news of enemies, who twist the meaning of our
words and present our self-criticism as tragedies," he wrote in Granma,
Cuba’s official newspaper. Compare Cuba’s education to systems in the United
States "and other rich countries,” he urged readers. “They have, yes, many
more automobiles, use more gasoline, consume many more drugs, buy more
costume jewelry and benefit from the looting of our people, as they have for
centuries."

Teacher shortages paled in comparison, however, to the performance of Cuban
agriculture. Last year the government had to import more than 70% of the
food offered through the libreta. Cuba now “exports” highly educated
graduates, a judicious means to offer educational and technical assistance
to needy countries and at times generate income as well.

Over the past two years, Cuba has begun to restructure its energy sector,
refurbishing its electrical grid and introducing energy saving programs from
light bulb replacement to obtain efficiency to producing solar energy and
increasing public awareness on the issue. Imaginative urban agriculture and
organic farming experiments have spread in an attempt to become more self
sufficient. Changes in land usage also respond to discouraging levels of
food production. The shift includes offering existing and perspective
farmers clear material incentives, while eliminating cumbersome bureaucratic
procedures.

Labor productivity, which should rank high given Cuba’s levels of education
and skill, had sunk to disappointing levels. Inside the Cuban labor
movement, healthy dialogue has begun to bring unions more into coincidence
with current grievances. This process began earlier when Fidel, in 1987,
referred to the prevailing “chapuceria” in the work place, sloppy and
unfinished work, which sapped economic and moral strength.

Fidel taught Cubans to understand their entitlements, which meant they had
the right to expect the state to meet these rights. Younger generations,
however, don’t seem to recognize the State’s severe material limitations,
nor are they impressed by Cuba’s egalitarian distribution of its less than
sufficient wealth. They complain because the government doesn’t meet their
childhood expectations. Cuban television rebroadcasts shows like Desperate
Housewives, so Cubans see Americans with plasma TVs; not daily scenes of
road rage and Americans going postal. TV and visiting Americans throw
extravagant consumerism in the face of some Cubans,

Raul has talked about educating people to Cuba’s real possibilities and
about decentralizing to increase efficiency and accountability. Raul --
meaning the majority inside the Party apparatus -- also called for diverse
opinions inside the Party to address what many perceived as a paucity of
dialogue. Communist Party leaders understand the need to build a sensible
socialism.

The United States remains a constant security threat, which places limits on
their imaginations. Indeed, Bush’s aggressive, impulsive shadow will loom
until January 2009. Cuban leaders will move slowly, prudently and with grass
roots participation. They don’t want to provide any excuse for a Bush
“surprise.”

Saul Landau is an Institute for Policy Studies fellow. Nelson Valdes is
Professor Emeritus at the University of New Mexico.