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Fidel Castro defends Cuban Revolution against heightened U.S.
disruption
from the English edition of Granma newspaper
In the face of U.S. attempts to tighten a stranglehold on Cuba, Fidel
Castro
proclaimed the revolution’s defiance in his speech to a million people
gathered in Havana to celebrate International Workers Day on May 1.
On May 6, Bush announced a “new strategy” for overthrowing the
government of
the revolution. It was contained in a detailed 500-page document,
touted by
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roger
Noriega as
the first overall plan for transforming Cuba in accordance with U.S.
objectives.
Among other things, it stipulates that the “post-Castro” Cuba will have
to
establish a “market economy,” adhere to the International Monetary
Fund,
deregulate energy, and welcome foreign investment—in fact, pretty much
what
the U.S. occupation is trying to impose on conquered Iraq.
The most important immediate aspect of the newly announced plan seems
to be
to step up the international campaign against Cuba and in particular to
try
to poison its diplomatic relations with Latin American countries. The
major
blow dealt to Cuba in this regard is Mexico’s moves to break links, and
to a
lesser extent a similar move by the Peruvian government.
Fidel began his speech referring to a recent vote on a U.S.-sponsored
resolution in the UN Human Rights Commission to condemn Cuba for human
rights violations. Once again the resolution failed, but this time,
obviously, under strong U.S. pressure it got some more votes from Latin
American countries.
Castro noted that “as could be seen just a few days ago in Geneva, Cuba
and
20 other countries—some acting out of principle and others showing
amazing
courage—opposed the resolution and 10 abstained, thus maintaining their
dignity and self-respect. Only 22 of the 53 members of the commission,
including the United States, joined in this infamy.
“There were seven from Latin America, four of whom suffer from extreme
economic and social poverty, are highly dependent, and have governments
obliged to be totally servile. Nobody would consider them independent
states….
“Peru, the fifth Latin American government that voted with the United
States
against Cuba, provides an example of the degree of servility and
dependence
into which imperialism and its neoliberal globalization have led many
countries in Latin America, whom they ruin politically in the twinkling
of
an eye when they force them to do things which are like the kiss of
death
for them.
“The Peruvian head of state has seen his popularity drop to only 8
percent
in just a few months. I think that the people who support him could fit
in
just a small part of this crowded square.
It is absolutely impossible to tackle the colossal economic and social
problems affecting that country with such insignificant support. In
fact, he
does not govern, nor can he govern, anything; the transnationals and
the
oligarchies take care of that, until society explodes, as has already
begun
to happen in more than one country.”
Fidel particularly deplored the shift of Mexico toward the ranks of the
servile Latin America states joining the U.S.-directed anti-Cuba
chorus:
“In Mexico, a beloved, sister country to all Cubans, the National
Congress
asked their president to abstain from voting for the resolution
[condemning
Cuba], although President Bush had demanded that he do so. It is truly
painful to see the great prestige and influence Mexico earned in the
eyes of
Latin America and the world with its unimpeachable international
policy,
which stemmed from a genuine, far-reaching revolution, turn to ashes.
“Latin America’s solidarity with and support for Mexico and Mexico’s
for
Latin America are crucial. More than half of Mexico’s territory was
snatched
from it by its northern neighbor and great danger threatens what is
left.
The U.S.-Mexican border is to all intents and purposes no longer the
Rio
Bravo….
“The United States has gone much deeper into Mexico. That border is
today
the line of death, where about 500 Mexicans die every year. And all
because
of a brutal, ruthless principle: free passage for capital and goods;
persecution, exclusion and death for human beings. And yet, millions of
Mexicans take that risk. Today, the country obtains more income from
their
remittances than from oil exports, in spite of the high price of the
latter.
“Will such an inequitable and unfair situation really be solved by
voting
for anti-Cuban resolutions in Geneva, by accusing her of violating
human
rights?”
However, while the Cuban revolutionary leader had to take note of
yielding
to U.S. pressure by some Latin American countries, he could point to
the
growing revolt throughout the continent against the neoliberal economic
policies and subservience that the U.S. has been trying to impose.
“At this point in my speech, remembering our Venezuelan brother, I feel
like
crying out: Long live Venezuela!” (Applause and shouts of “Long may she
live”!) “Long live the Bolivarian revolutionary process!” (Applause and
shouts of “Long may it live”!) “Long live Chavez, the brave, brilliant
leader of Bolivar’s people!” (Applause and shouts of “Long may he
live”!)
Fidel summed up his argument on the human rights issue as follows:
“These
campaigns, run by the dominant superpower and backed up by the allies
who
join with the empire in exploiting the world, are nothing but a sham
and a
lie, a brazen political display resulting from the need to justify the
enormous inequalities which shall remain insurmountable until the
economic
system imposed on the world has disappeared. We do know about true
human
rights.
“I cannot understand how an opulent society like our neighbor’s dare to
speak of human rights, while 44 million people there have no right to
medical care, where millions of citizens live in ghettos and countless
beggars live under bridges; a society where there are millions of
illiterates and semi-illiterates, where there are millions and millions
of
unemployed and where prisons are filled with the children of the
poorest and
most deprived segments of the population.”
This article first appeared in the May 2004 issue of Socialist Action newspaper.
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