The Cuban situation is a disaster

This article appeared in CNT July 1998 (written by Miguel Cancio, translation by Luis)

Cuban dictator Castro, once again plays the market with the cuban population and in particular with the political prisoners, but refuses to open Cuba up to the world, to decree an amnesty and to recognize democratic rights.

The last Congress of the Cuban Communist Party has kept the hard line, condemning "partycracy" and enshrining the dictatorial, orwellian (a commisar in every district, block, hotel, artistic group, delegation abroad ...) regime of the One Party. Since the socio-economic situation of Castro's dictatorship is a disaster, with the Pope or whomever, the castroist nomenklatura seeks to create an image, to make propaganda, to obtain foreign currency, to maintan itself in power. It has done so during 39 years Any impartial observer can verify that appeals for democracy to dictator Castro made by every head of government of Spain (including his friend Gonzalez. Felipism kept privileged lines with Castro's dictatorship, which still continue in the economics of the Island), by the Organization of American States, by the European Union etc, have never been followed by the dictatorship.

The economic situation is disastrous. With this headline Le Monde published a revealing article about Cuba, at the apogee of the Pope's trip to the Caribbean island. To contribute to more and better information and debate, based on trustworthy analysis about Cuba, we will give some of the data from this work, which speak for themselves. Facts that should be made known in Spain, Canada .... to stop so much self-serving manipulation around the castroist dictatorship.

1. "Imperialist" dollars from "the worms" save many cubans.
"A disaster". This expression used by many cubans, is without a doubt the most appropriate to characterize the economic situation of their country. Part of the 11 milloin cubans survive better than others, thanks to help from 2 million exiles -- almost 20% of the population settled mainly in the USA (mostly in Miami). Since July 1993, the date when cubans were authorized to have and use dollars for their economic exchanges in Cuba (before they were used just the same in the black market which controlled The total volume of cash shipments by emigrees reached 800 million dollars in 1997 (120 billion pesetas) according to the Economic Commission for Latin America. Independent economists value the total at more than one billion dollars. These money brings to Cuba more revenue than the net earnings from tourism (Cuba's first economic activity) and those from the sugar industry (Cuba's second economic activity).

2. Problems with tourism and sugar cane.
Tourism, whose growth has hovered around 20% a year since 1990, is the only sector that could turn around the present distribution of resources. But the authorities' objective, to increase the 1.2 million tourists to 2 million by the year 2000, creates numerous problems. This bet on quantity clashes with the sector's structure which functions as a colossal imports machine. Besides, the margin of profit obtained must be shared with foreign entities that have invested massively in this sector. A net dollar The sugar industry offers a good example of the proven inefficiency of the Cuban State's hold on the land. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the wrold's mean yield of sugar cane, from 1992 to 1994, was 60 tons per hectare. In Cuba, this number drops to 34 tons per hectare, even though this sector didn't suffer the income reductions imposed because of the special period. In the years 1995 and 1996, this sector received 600 million dollars (90 billion pesetas) to finance its activiti 3. There are no deep reforms in Cuba
Opening up to foreign investment and tourism, the legalization of the possession and use of dollars, the reopening of the agricultural free market, the authorizing independent merchants have been, likewise, measures created by the emergency situation. They don't seem to belong to a global plan. They do not lead the way to another system, but to satisfy the ends of the previous one, completely closed, set in motion under total dependency on the USSR in 1968 with the slogan "revolutionary offensive".

With the current conditions, it would take a 5% growth rate, at least for five years, to reach the level of 1989. Regarding the country's future, it is linked to a serious problem silenced by the Cuban State, the external debt. This increases yearly. In 1996 the commercial deficit reached 1.7 billion dollars (250 billion pesetas) an amount larger than the gross income from tourism that same year (1.3 billion dollars = 195 billion pesetas).

When it imports twice (in value) as much as it exports, Cuba increases her deficit. The accumulated debt reaches 10 billion dollars (1500 billion pesetas) in relation to western countries and the debt still owed Russia amounts to 24 billion dollars (3600 billion pesetas).

A factor distinguishes Cuba from other underdeveloped countries: the high level of qualification of her people (which already was so in comparaison with other Latin American countries and even with Spain in the 50's, to which it was superior in many respects). That should be an asset for the future, the day Cuba's general politics change. After this summary of the Le Monde's article, let's make some other points.

4. In Cuba the marxist-leninist nomenklatura exerts absolute government.
The Castrist nomenklatura (The Cuban Communist Party obtained all seats in the "elections" of 1998) continues to bet on defending to the end their marxist-leninist-stalinist privileges that the single party regime guarantees them . Which they don't want to give up, whose excelencies they continue to extoll... Which does not stop them from boasting expensive "capitalist" products (within and without Cuba), while the great majority of the people, without hopes for things ever changing, have to make great e Dictator Castro and his nomenklatura must stop holding the Cuban people hostage, stop using it as alibi, stop trading shamelessly with its sacrifices and great scarcities, and with the political prisoners! and must open Cuba to the world, decree political amnesty and let democracy in.

By the way, not too many call Castro a dictator nor his regime a dictatorship.

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