Cuba's Communists launch crackdown

FinancialTimes ^ | 7/05/04 | Marc Frank

[freedom44]

Cuba's ruling Communist party has launched a far-reaching assault on "corruption and illegalities" that could lead to the expulsion of moderate members.

The campaign - yet to be reported by official government media - reflects the party's ideological retrenchment and underlines the extent to which the government has renounced its timid market-oriented reforms of the early 1990s.

Over the past two or three months members of the party's political bureau have been visiting local party branches to tell militants that they have one last chance to clean up their acts. The new focus on corruption has been accompanied by measures to strip state businesses of their limited operational autonomy and to scrap executive perks such as expense accounts.

A prominent voice in the anti-corruption effort has been Raul Castro, defence minister and apparently the man next in line to succeed his brother, Fidel Castro, as Cuba's president, according to party cadres who attended high-level national and provincial party meetings two months ago. The meetings were shown a video prepared as part of Raul Castro's anti-corruption drive.

"Raul was adamant that the revolution is threatened not just by the United States, but [by] corruption and liberal attitudes that give space for it to grow," said a mid-level party official who attended a secret gathering at central committee headquarters in May.

The official quoted Raul Castro as saying: "Corruption will always be with us, but we must keep it at our ankles and never allow it to rise to our necks."

According to a partial transcript of a separate meeting of top Communist party officials in Matanzas province, José Ramón Machado Ventura, a political bureau member, warned that Cuba was not only copying "capitalists' management technique, but [also] its methods and style".

Mr Machado, thought to be Raul Castro's right-hand man, criticised "those who have copied capitalist methods so well that they have become capitalists themselves". The Matanzas meeting was told that "liberalism, lack of control, and tolerance" are affecting the entire country. A report read at the same meeting cited 219 of a total 593 audits last year that showed that "[serious problems] of corruption continue increasing in various sectors, including tourism".

In the video, Raul Castro reportedly makes clear that tolerance is out and discipline in. The one-hour presentation shows the younger Castro talking to tourism officials about a corruption probe into the sector.

Viewers at selected screenings were not allowed to take notes or make recordings, but five people who have seen the video say that Mr Castro was forthright in urging a crackdown on liberal attitudes.

"He says that tourism is a tree that was born twisted," one party member said. "He insists that liberalism has led to a lack of respect for the party and government within tourism and other economic sectors, in turn creating space for corruption to blossom."

In the film, Mr Castro concedes that Ibrahim Ferradaz, the former tourism minister, and two of three deputy ministers were replaced because they were too friendly with junior officials and unable to control corruption.

"We are not militarising tourism, but I would not hesitate to do so if I had to," Mr Castro reportedly said. He was referring to the appointment of a top executive from the Gaviota group - the tourism company of Cuba's armed forces - as tourism minister, and of another to head Cubanacán, the largest of five state-run tourism corporations.

According to western diplomats and Cuba analysts, the campaign may also reflect the start of the inevitable post-Fidel Castro battle for control of the party. They argue that Raul Castro is using the campaign to knock out any competitors and avoid a power struggle when the day arrives that Fidel Castro can no longer lead.

"Raul and the military have taken over tourism, the country's most important sector, and his men control basic industry and many other positions," one European ambassador said.

[freedom44]

On of off Cuba Ping.

[FreeManWhoCan]

Thanks! Great post!

[headsonpikes]

I hope the crackdown erupts in violence, with lots of Canadian slave-tourists on hand to cheer their precious Cuban Revolution.

[aculeus]

Rauol is a nasty piece of work. Cuba may remain communist for decades following Fidel's death.

[FairOpinion]

"Raul and the military have taken over tourism, the country's most important sector, and his men control basic industry and many other positions," one European ambassador said.


==

This is not very encouraging.

[Pete98]

But they have free health care and that's all that really matters...

[Brilliant]

To me, it appears that Fidel is making plans for his own departure. He doesn't want any of those capitalist-sympathizers simply waiting for him to croak. And he doesn't want any celebrations in the street upon his death, so he's gonna make sure that anyone who might celebrate will be in jail on that day.

[FairOpinion]

The people in Cuba don't want communism, they don't have a choice.

Only the stupid people here think that socialized medicine is the answer.

[nuconvert]

"Raul and the military have taken over tourism"

Now there's an advertisement for a fun-loving vacation in Cuba!

[dr_who_2]

Digging their own grave. Very bad for Cubans in the short run. But good nevertheless.

[daviddennis]

I visited Cuba in December 2002. Cuban tourism does have an almost militarized feel to it, at least if you do it as the government wants you. I escaped into a casa, which is like a room for rent situation here. You pay about $15-35 a day to live in someone's private home. It's actually pretty fun, but the government hates it because it doesn't bring them revenues. They want you to pay $110 a night for their state-run hotels, and they want you to be dragged around in their government-run tour busses. They're pretty good at making everything look shiny, but not at showing people a good time. I never saw anyone in a Cuban tour bus smile. And don't fly the Cuban airline; it's decrepit to the point of embarassment.

Cuba is a great country with a warm and wonderful people. I really enjoyed my stay in Cuba, but it was very obvious that the only things that worked were the capitalist parts, such as the (largely unregulated) taxicabs and the more expensive luxury hotels. I went there because I wanted to learn about Communism, and, well, I did learn. I really felt bad for the Cubans, who I feel would really make a mark in the world if they could be freed from their oppressive system.

I'm not kidding about oppression; I saw police every few blocks, staring at people with gimlet eyes. My Cuban girlfriend (finding one is trivial if you have the slightest interest) feared them; fraternizing with tourists carried with it a three-year "reeducation" sentence.

It was a fascinating political lesson, that's for sure. I don't think anyone can get a real feel for it without seeing it for yourself. It's much worse than you think it is.

D

[No Surrender No Retreat]

Coming to America, if scary kerry is elected. Reno will probably be the AG, and we will be fair game.