Cuba’s Example has Infected the Rest of the Latin American Left

By Vicente Morin Aguado

HAVANA TIMES — After fighting a successful offensive to power, Latin America’s Left is now retreating. Cuba was always the leader of this movement and the region recognized it as its guiding beacon, but now it is languishing. Recent events unfolding (Nicaragua) point to a pathological infection which has spread from the Caribbean’s largest island.

The disease has a name: authoritarianism; a surname: complacency; and a nickname: covering up past and future mistakes, the perverse “Imperial conspiracy”. Ladies and gentlemen, the devil never sleeps.

“Nicaragua, the new prey,” was Juventud Rebelde’s frenzied cry on April 29th. In true paradoxical Cuban journalism fashion, columnist Marina Menendez doesn’t acknowledge the at least 40 fatalities in the country since April 18th when protests broke out. The National Police’s extreme repression has been well documented, as well as the support they gave to civilian pro-government forces.   

The government recognizes itself to be Leftist, therefore the Sandinista’s political suicide or treachery at killing civilians to then blame their adversaries comes to mind.

In his speech at a government rally on April 30th, Ortega lashed out at victims and blamed them: “Once again the sowers of hate have made a deep wound in the heart of the country and the country is mourning.”

None of this was published in Cuba although any sane observer would have no doubt in identifying the real killers. A wrong display of a sick Sandinismo, government, who students condemn and reject sitting down with at a bloody table and take part in a dialogue.

Poet Ernesto Cardenal, 93, who definitely can’t be labeled a hitman serving the US, has out rightly rejected such a dialogue and is demanding the government to leave power.

Daniel Ortega Saavedra is already acting outside the law because his successive reelections in 2011 and 2016 violate Article No. 147 of the National Constitution which prohibit consecutive reelection.   

Zoilamerica Ortega Murillo, the current vice-president’s rebellious daughter has plenty to say on the subject. 

“I believe that historic memory has been the trigger. The way in which the government handled this protest was the last piece of evidence we needed to believe we had a Somocismo [the form of government of former dictator Anastasio Somoza] without Somoza. What’s worse, it was all playing out behind a curtain of deceit, of manipulation, using the most sacred values of a country, like their Christian faith or the values that sustained that population group who were involved in the Sandinista Revolution…” 

If you want more about straitjacket decisions, it’s worth remembering that the interoceanic canal project practically means selling the country to Hong Kong’s huge HKND Group octopus for at least 50 years. There wasn’t a discussion with civil society and there wasn’t a referendum either, which is the government’s legitimate obligation in such important matters.

Nicaragua isn’t an unusual case when it comes to Leftist leaders clinging onto power in the region, ruling a democracy by putting down an iron fist, while the country’s corrupt political clientele get comfortable in their throne.

Nicolas Maduro is the perfect example of this behavior and he graduated in Social Sciences in Cuba, where he got infected for life. The “Eternal Comandante’s” successor doesn’t recognize how to slow down when it comes to power; he has just invented the Petro, a cryptocurrency with which he promises to save Venezuela.

If there are any doubts about the government’s deliberate use of this to scam the Venezuelan people during an election campaign, Bill Gates cleared these in an interview on CNBC on May 7th when he expressed his skepticism for cryptocurrencies:

As an asset class, you’re not producing anything (with bitcoins) and so you shouldn’t expect it to go up. It’s kind of a pure ‘greater fool theory’ type of investment. It’s like a bubble that is going to burst sooner or later.

The unquestionable power to impose bubbles has kept the Cuban Revolution afloat until today, the leader and founder of which was a real master in political illusions. Unfortunately for his protegees, they lack their godfather’s skill and audiences don’t respond in the same way.

The disease has spread. The Latin American Right are rubbing their hands together, filling themselves up with evil, buffeted by the White House’s meddling power. 

A rational thing to do would be to look for the root causes of this disease where it first appeared, clearing up the well-known phraseology which is plagued with common places and quotes taken out of context, without any direct cause and effect relationship being proved, which is what defines a conspiracy theory.

Maybe it’s too much to ask because Fidel Castro never gave in a bit when some courageous people suggested he self-criticize himself which, unfortunately, has to be public and en masse, like vaccinations, in order to take effect against the disease.

Vicente Morin Aguado: [email protected]