See the chair, Fidel Castro’s chair? See how empty the chair is? Raul Castro, seated right, now has the nerve to criticize his brother’s workers’ paradice.
Anita Snow writes about a new honesty in Cuba, “Raul Castro Speaks About Cuba Food Woes:”
HAVANA — Acting president Raul Castro complained to lawmakers about inefficiencies in the island’s economy, telling them in comments made public Saturday that there is no excuse for the transportation and food production problems that anger many Cubans.
One, it can be inferred from the article, that Fidel Castro is dead. Raul Castro would not be criticizing the basic Cuban economy if Fidel Castro were still alive with the potential to return to power.
Two, the Cuban economy does not work because central planned economies have never worked. An economy which can not feed its own population is a failure. See the former Soviet Union. See North Korea.
Tags: BitsBlog, Economics, International affairs, Old line socialists
December 23rd, 2006 at 16:23
Clearly, you’re correct on the first part ; if Fidel Castro isn’t already sticking up a refrigerator someplace, he will be shortly. In either event he’s not coming back to power.
But what this also is, as an attempt by Raul to placate the masses. He knows with Castro gone, they’re not going to put up with the nonsense that they did under Castro. Raul, after all, is merely the dumb kid brother. With Castro gone, they’re going to start paying attention to how hungry they’ve been, how screwed up things are in that country, and so on. And then Chile, they’re going to come after role. He knows this. So he’s got to start making the correct noises now to try and save his backside.
Raul is in serious trouble. As to how much, I can see some argument both ways, here, but my read is that there is some desperation in this move. this is going to bear some very close watching over the next weeks and possibly months.