Two years ago, we heard that Fidel Castro died of whatever.
Two years later, the dissidents are complaining that they didn’t get the political reform memo. This is from Briebart:
Speaking to Breitbart News, leaders of the Cuban counter-revolution – which, contrary to the Aspen Institute analysis, does exist — lament that any opportunity to ease the repression of dissident voices in the country appears to have passed without incident.Both Fidel Castro’s death and the substitution of Raúl Castro as the Revolution’s international envoy with loyalist Miguel Díaz-Canel in April have done little for political freedom in the country, they agree.“The situation in Cuba for dissidents remains very similar to that which we had during Fidel Castro’s life, and in some ways is even worse,” José Daniel Ferrer, the General Coordinator of one of Cuba’s largest dissident groups, the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU),” told Breitbart News.“The current dictator, Miguel Díaz-Canel … takes orders directly from Raúl Castro [and] leaves clear who truly wields power.”
So let me translate: the old boss dies, his brother appoints a successor and nothing changes in Cuba. Cue the Four Tops: “It’s the same old song”.
The good new for dissidents, and those of us outside who want real reforms, is that the Cuban economy is on unsustainable path.
In other words, there is no USSR out there to bail out the regime or European banks lending money to the regime. On the contrary, more and more countries are treating Cuba like a nation that can’t pay its debts, i.e. no cash no laundry!
Back in July, President Diaz-Canel lamented that the island’s economy is slowing down and the country faces a liquidity crisis. The economy grew 1.1% in 2018 after 1.6% the year before.
Castro is still dead but repression is alive and well.
PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
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