Cuba Reshuffled the Deck, the Same Cards Came Out on Top
HAVANA TIMES – Billed as a major change in the way Cuba is governed, the internal restructuring that took place on October 10th amounted to new titles with the same faces. The 580 legislators voted virtually unanimously in favor of all the proposed candidacies.
Raul Castro, as the head of the Communist Party of Cuba, remains the most powerful person on the Island and his position was not up for a change. He says he will remain as the leader until 2021.
Miguel Diaz Canel will now be called president instead of president of the Council of State and Ministers.
Estaban Lazo remains as the president of the National Assembly and also picks up a second position as president of the Council of State.
Salvador Valdes Mesa will now be the lone vice president, instead of being the first vice president among six vice presidents that existed before.
A prime minister still to be appointed by Diaz Canel will head the Council of Ministers.
Meanwhile, the Cuban population continues to confront the crisis dubbed “temporary” by Diaz Canel, that brings back memories of the severely hard times of the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the other Eastern European socialist countries.
The Communist Party and government blame any and all difficulties and shortages of fuel and basic products on the United States and its embargo. However, economists both within the country and abroad point to ineffective reforms as playing a big role in not getting the country moving forward, independent of the embargo.
Nothing changes loyal communists only.
No new ideas, no other political parties, same failed policies.
Nothing good comes out of it.
My son and I went to cuba last year. I have read and heard about the economy. I was shocked by what I saw. We are so lucky in Canada with our fresh water and options to gain a better way of life. My son was 13 and it really opened his eyes as to how lucky he is to have the life we have. We are poor in Canadian standards. I work 80 hrs every 2 weeks and we are poor. Buy discount foods, buy our clothes at the thrift shop. But we are rich in comparison. It was a shock but I think we should see this county as an example and I think they are a good example of how we as a nation should be and we could all be equals as humans. We are all human and should be treated the same.
Jobs for the boys but no change or improvements in the standard of living for the real Cuban people then?
.. I’d like to think of the difficulties, miseries and poverty, the Cuban people endured BEFORE the revolution ?
And if the father’s were ABLE to endure THAT black period, their descendants, who endured the difficulties of the 90’s, can and WILL .. ENDURE this one ;
in the hope that the EXPECTED CHANGE (?) of the American administration, will come SOON ENOUGH, and brings with it a change to the WORLD OVER, including Cuba, for in my opinion, whatever comes CANNOT be worse than what it is NOW !?
You have made a good point. The Corporate State is running things now. Lets hope it does not completely revert to a 20th Century Fascism whereby it seems the people are getting rewarded but only short term. Democracy is better.
Dear José, it just so happens that although Havana Times does run some articles on other countries, we concentrate on Cuba, Nicaragua and to a lesser extent other Latin American countries. The short article at hand just refers to the news event of Cuba changing the titles of several of its leaders. Nothing more, nothing less.
I don’t know exactly what the author is aiming for with this article. Cuba has been run in this way for 60 years. You can be for or against that, it does not matter now.
The question is why the author is so critical of Cuba when it is the case in many countries. Think of China, North Korea, Russia, Vietnam, Syria, Arab countries, Iran, South American states, but also in ‘democratic’ Turkey and various former Soviet republics. Even in a so-called democratic country like the US, the president is constantly busy gathering people around him who talk his talk and walk his walk. Everyone else is endlessly mocked on Twitter and made life difficult. In the ‘enlightened’ Europe, there are even countries in the EU that are no longer so concerned about the rules of a democracy.
No, it is very one-sided to turn all your attention to Cuba. Write a piece about the disappearance of democracy in general.
As a Canadian I do Not Like To Point the Finger as to the Creator of Cuba,s Difficulty,s , We Do Wish A Brighter Future Will Soon Come Your Way for the People.