Does Raul Castro Have a Viable Plan for Cuba?

Does Raul Castro Have a Viable Plan for Cuba?
January 16, 2017
By Osmel Ramirez Alvarez

HAVANA TIMES — It has been very rare for any leader in any country in
the world to be in power for such a long period of time, like Raul
Castro has had, to try and convert their projects into reality. It's
been over a decade if we add the two years of his interim government
(2006-2008); and we still haven't even seen the tip of the "progress
iceberg" in the never-ending ocean of Cuban poverty.

I have no doubt that he wanted to change the Cuban system so as to get a
better socio-economic result. In that vein, he began an encouraging
public debate, although it was far too controlled. Then came the
Communist Party "Guidelines" stating that we should do what we've always
been doing, but in different words so it would seem like something new.
Later came the Conceptualization of the Cuban socialist model and the
Development Plan through 2030.

Pages and pages, a lot of bla-bla-bla, and nothing substantial that
shows that there will be any real change: not in mentality, or in the
country's institutions, or in the economy or in people's rights.

Let's use a part of Marxist jargon to analyze his management. In
political matters, he hasn't shown even the slightest interest in
changing or rectifying the situation. And that's where his great failure
stems from, because he's been denying Marxist dialectics and his own
principles. The economy is the foundation of everything, but it's also
the cultural expression of social progress in the time we're living.

Not even today's historic moment is the same as that in 1959 and Cubans
aren't who they used to be either. By having an out-of-date approach to
what our times dictate and by following the same ideas and methods of
times long past, our leaders have shown that they are dogmatic and not
dialectic; in other words, they don't understand anything about our
objective reality.

He pressed party cadres, at all levels, to change their mentality; and
asked whoever didn't feel like they could that they resign so as not to
block the path towards change. He publicly said this on various
occasions at different meetings. However, by not making changes in the
system's bureaucratic institutions or democratizing them or giving space
to Cuba's true agents of change (the pacific and democratic opposition,
even within the socialist ideal itself) he effectively nipped his plan
for change in the bud.

Fidel said it in his Concept of the Revolution, unfortunately as a side
note: "sense of historic moment"; "change what needs to be changed."
These are the basic ingredients which Raul's project and leadership as
the head of the Cuban government for the last decade has been missing
and the main cause for his failure. Incredibly enough it's his own
slogans, his own political propaganda: they are in his handbook but in
practice the results are just not there.

The famous Guidelines, which are no longer even referred to, made it
clear in its own name ("political, economic and social") that they had
been defaced, because they didn't even include "politics". And in this
respect there is an unbreakable and irrefutable trinity between the
economic-political-social which is connected and can't be separated
without committing Raul's own mistake in wanting to transform dirt into
gold.

If there are problems in the "economic-social" spheres then it's
impossible that "politics" are working well; it's the complete opposite,
it's the manifestation that something essential is going extremely
badly. And there isn't a single point in the Guidelines or in the
Conceptualization or in the Development Plan that recognizes the fact
that the Cuban political system has some major flaws and doesn't respond
to the people's needs and rights and is responsible for the country's
economic and social failure. Therefore, it is nothing more than "the
same dog, even wearing the same collar," just polished so that it gives
the mistaken idea that it is something new and that it will work
differently.

The Plan for 2030 will not bear any fruits even in 2300 because nothing
vital has been changed. It's fine that they are investing in tourism, in
a Free Zone like Mariel and in water works so as to push agricultural
production. Of course these are great engines for economic progress!
However, none of this will do a lot of good if the fierce and inviolable
domestic blockade which represents the Cuban system remains in place:
State-run, centralized, paralyzed and therefore unable to mobilize
productive forces. As I've stressed in the very title of my article
published here on Havana Times "The old Chevrolet needs to be urgently
fixed".

Raul's development plan for Cuba is unviable and he doesn't seem to
realize it or at least lacks the modesty to recognize it. If Raul and
his government were smart they would ask the peaceful opposition for
help to encourage real change towards a more democratic system, without
social turmoil: which keeps the revolution's achievements and opens up
the way to a new economic, political and social model, which Cuba
desperately needs.

However his plan, while wanting to chase after progress and ensure the
Cuban people's wellbeing (why should we doubt that?), doesn't put these
at the very top of the agenda, like it should. Class interests come
beforehand: of the privileged political elite, used to tyranny,
authoritarianism, and that's why they're afraid of democracy.

It's time now for the opposition to show and struggle for a "truly"
alternative plan, which captivates and meets our suffering and fearful
people's expectations: the country is shouting out for this and I
sincerely believe that this is the right time.

Source: Does Raul Castro Have a Viable Plan for Cuba? - Havana Times.org
- http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=123191