Speculation about Cuba’s Future
Elio Delgado Legon
HAVANA TIMES — Pro-capitalist speculation and instructions from “saviors” of the Revolution are appearing in the pro-capitalist media on a regular basis. These “saviors” are proposing on changing, very gently, the current system of government in a transition period where capitalism will slowly be reinstated, without losing the Socialist system’s achievements up until today.
How naive! A capitalist system, in a poor and underdeveloped country, is never going to maintain a Socialist revolution’s social achievements. And much less in Cuba, where the terrorist mafia in Miami is anxious to get their hands on everything. On one occasion, when they thought the Revolution was about to collapse, they even asked for permission to have 72 hours to kill. What can you expect from such low-lives trying to restore capitalism in Cuba?
There are some people who propose creating a third path, somewhere between socialism and capitalism, taking the best of each of these systems. With regard to this issue, let’s take a look at an interview with the Cuban intellectual Enrique Ubieta which was published recently by several newspapers:
Ubienta said: “Capitalism isn’t a sum of negative and positive aspects, of elements that can be rescued or thrown out of the window: it’s a system, which was revolutionary at some point in time and isn’t anymore. It encompasses and enslaves everything: sophisticated technology, the most sophisticated wealth and the most absolute poverty. The elements that contribute towards greater efficiency in production are the same elements that alienate human labor. Those who create wealth for a select few, producing poverty for the millions, both nationwide and on an international level. Going after such a goal seems to be a lie to me: “the best of capitalism” doesn’t exist, as if this could be refined, as if a good capitalism were possible. There are very bad versions, like neoliberalism or fascism, but I don’t know of any good ones. Capitalism will always be savage.
“On the other hand, socialism, in contrast to capitalism, isn’t an organic creation, a reality has that already been built, but rather a path which doesn’t suddenly leave the system it’s trying to overcome behind. We have tried here and there, we have adopted new methods, we have made progress and gone back on ourselves, we got rid of what didn’t work, we fixed mistakes over and over again; a path towards another world, through this jungle, because capitalism is a hegemonic system. It is defined by its self-confessed, conscious intention to overcome capitalism.”
Some predict that the same thing will happen in Cuba like in the Soviet Union and that in the end, there will be a grab where the generals will become owners of hotels and other socialist companies.
In reality, all of these speculations are ultimately aimed at undermining the Cuban people’s trust in their leaders and creating a breeding ground so that what they predict comes to life.
However don’t get any hopes up pro-imperialist speculators. Cuba has already passed the greatest test in its history when in the early 1990s it lost almost all of its trade and the country was nearly brought to a standstill. The Cuban people didn’t lose their faith in us moving forward and endured the severity of a blockade which was strengthened to the max and the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, with whom we had most of our trade relations. This combination of events was called a “double blockade” by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro.
And the Cuban people weren’t wrong, the country moved forward and made progress, not as quickly as we wanted it to, mainly because of the blockade, but it hasn’t stopped us from creating the foundations for sustainable development.
“Some predict that the same thing will happen in Cuba like in the Soviet
Union and that in the end, there will be a grab where the generals will
become owners of hotels and other socialist companies”
They already do Elio, Trump has just banned financial transactions with the commercial arm of Cuba’s military. Hotels, travel companies and airlines. All of which are run by the military.
I only very rarely agree with Mr MacD. However, on this occasion I think shall copy what he often does by quoting myself (from above comment): ‘Ideological rigidity is surely now history. Modern Cuba is already a hybrid of socialism and capitalism. It would now be impossible to turn the clock back to an era of ideological rigidity.The fact is that Cuba’s successful future is reliant upon blending the best achievements of socialism/The Revolution with the inevitable influences of capitalism’.
Nothing too complicated to understand there huh?
Fidelistas like Elio are not interested in an exchange of diverse ideas and opinions. They exist in an echo chamber time-worn slogans and propaganda.
Here’s a modest suggestion. Marx never argued that there should never be markets and that there shouldn’t be competition with markets. If Cuba could move more rapidly in converting state entities into worker owned coops this could on one had preserve worker control of the means of production, while at the same time allowing market completion between various coops to spur innovation and creativity.
There will be some fallout if such a plan moves forward. Some coops will succeed, other may fail. What to do with those that fail present both legal and economic issues. The capital accumulation of successful coops will substantially increase wages for those workers. What does one do with government workers who cannot increase their wages through similar efforts will then be an issue.
The real question is how can the revolution infuse more dynamism and productivity into the economy along with higher wages in ways that don’t undermine basic socialist principles? One thing is clear. Old bureaucracies that employ ten people to do the work of five can is not the way of the future.
The triumphalist flourish of your comment is all very jolly and amusing.
But contrary to your statement, the flawed ‘socialist’ model in Cuba is far from being dead.
The ship of state is still very much afloat.
What is most disturbing is the looming peril of the neo-liberalist iceberg.
Hopefully Cuba will steer a path that avoids this threat to its violinists, cellists and the rest of it’s population.
Well Ruben, how do you explain the adoption of capitalism by communist systems in China and Vietnam?
But to analyse your second paragraph, you suggest that if the capitalists gain control in Cuba, they won’t require any labour or water?
Cuba suffered over 400 years of Spanish exploitation, but even the Spanish required labour, for much of that time by slavery, but then by indentured Chinese ‘coolies’. They also required water. for crops.
I’m getting a bit perturbed that I’ve never seen Elio respond to some of the questions asked via Havana Times. My question is, come up with a solution. Assuming you are right, the world has changed since Mr. Marx existed so can you give us some answers as to how the “revolution” can go forward+ ( My keyboard question mark isn’t working)
Elio, This is a wonderfully optimistic article.
There is nothing I admire more in life than unbridled optimism.
But c’mon! Have a look around you!!
Ideological rigidity is surely now history.
Modern Cuba is already a hybrid of socialism and capitalism.
It would now be impossible to turn the clock back to an era of ideological rigidity.
The fact is that Cuba’s successful future is reliant upon blending the best achievements of socialism/The Revolution with the inevitable influences of capitalism.
In my experience of 20-plus years hanging out in your splendid country this ‘blend’ is what I understand most people to prefer as both an optimistic and pragmatic way forward.
….and the string quartet continued to play on even as the lower decks of the [Titanic] were lost to the sea. Elio doesn’t get it and probably never will. Cuba is on an irreversible path towards capitalism. Cuban-style “Socialismo” is dead.
There could not be two types of systems in a country, its either communism, socialism, capitalism, if you have two, or three, or a merger of different ideas in political government, and private system the masses will destroy the other and will come after the parties that could effect the other party and eliminate them.
If the capitalist would gain control of Cuba, the people in Cuba would lose everything, their houses, jobs, properties given by the government, and be thrown out in to the street, because CAPITALISTS would gain power of everything with FRN’S Federal Reserve Note, promissory notes, U.S. Dollars, in which all things will belong to the CAPITALIST, and the Cuban people will be left without even water.