Their way

When Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi is scanning the globe for role models, he’s surely not looking at Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak or Tunisia’s Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali or even Yemen’s soon-to-be ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

More likely Gadhafi is looking at Fidel Castro and the Cuban leader’s remarkable staying power, despite a US blockade and international sanctions, and despite the collapse of its staunch ally the Soviet Union and the communist system. Castro’s half-century reign shows that one can defy Uncle Sam – and survive.

Cuba’s ambassador in Manila, Juan Carlos Arencibia Corrales, bristles at descriptions of his country as a former Soviet satellite.

“We did not copy the Soviet socialist system,” Corrales huffed. “We created our own socialist system. Cuba has been able to assist its people.”

Corrales, who has been in Manila for less than six months, visited The STAR last week for a getting-to-know-you chat, on a day that coincided with the 50^th anniversary of the Bay of Pigs – an invasion that Castro’s forces repulsed in less than 72 hours. My guess is the visit was also triggered in part by a series of opinion articles published elsewhere, coinciding with the 50^th anniversary, which were critical of Castro’s Cuba.

I wouldn’t have noticed the articles because (going by Corrales’ complaint) they expressed the same views I have read about Cuba since I became interested in news and current affairs. The only articles I have read about Cuba are critical of Castro or portray a nation that is stuck in the rut of a discredited ideology. It’s a safe guess that most Filipinos have the same image of Cuba.

The only Cubans I have met before Corrales were those in Florida. I don’t think any of them was pro-Castro – whether Fidel or his seemingly more moderate younger brother and successor Raul.

There are an estimated 1.5 million Cubans in the United States, very anti-Castro, very active politically in US affairs.

Corrales believes that political clout means there will be no significant change in Washington’s stance toward Havana even under Barack Obama’s watch.

That US policy, Corrales told us, has always been “two-track: military and ideological.” He said that while Obama might seem to be softening on Havana, his government continues to pursue “ideological subversion” in Cuba.

“Always they have this campaign of misinformation about Cuba,” Corrales said.

I told him they could follow in the footsteps of China and use modern communication and information technology to give their side of the story to the world. But even using the Internet is a problem, Corrales said, because Cuba lacked the IT infrastructure and the US blockade prevented the installation of needed underground cables.

Corrales said Havana in fact is ready to talk with Washington, but only on equal terms, as two sovereign states.

“We don’t have a problem with the American people,” Corrales told us.

Their problem, he said, is that Washington’s principal objective in Cuba has remained unchanged since the Bay of Pigs: to replace the government, even by force, and “to destroy the revolution.”

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To this day the US objective, as perceived by Havana, has not been attained. Fidel has handed over power to his brother, who recently proposed term limits – two terms of five years each – for top Cuban leaders including himself.

As noteworthy as that proposal are several reforms approved last week by the Communist Party congress – the first since October 1997 – that smack of… is that capitalism? Among them: Cubans can now obtain bank loans, and buy and sell cars and homes.

Corrales stressed that his country was not embracing the free market like China. Maybe if the Cubans did, they wouldn’t have to lay off a million jobs in state enterprises in the coming years.

A prominent Filipino industrialist once recounted a meeting with Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, who said communism would always stunt productivity because it didn’t matter if a worker was more capable and toiled harder than another; both would get the same pay and benefits from the state. Lee was not discussing Cuba.

But the Cubans take pride in emphasizing that they’re doing things their way. Education and health care are free and universal, and in these there will be no changes. Local elections are held every five years, Corrales noted. The country is a popular tourist destination, with two million visiting last year from all over the world except the United States.

Corrales pointed out that their Communist Party leaders have been in power for a long time “because the people decided that they have to stay.”

“They say that we are a threat to the security of the US,” he said. “They lie… we spread good cooperation with the world.”

He recalled that both his country and the Philippines were invaded by Spain at around the same period (Cuba in 1492) and revolted also at around the same time. Both were ceded by Spain to the United States under the Treaty of Paris.

The two countries parted ways in choosing their allies, with Filipinos embracing Uncle Sam, Hollywood and exuberant democracy, and Cubans under Castro turning to communism.

Cuba is still waiting to get back Guantanamo, now home to a maximum-security US detention facility. Taken from Cuba in 1901, the US should have handed back the 117,000-square-meter island in 2001, Corrales said. Instead the US continues to deposit $2,000 a month in a US bank as “rent” for the island. Cuba has refused to collect the money.

Filipinos and Cubans have a low awareness of each other. Corrales counts only 20 Cuban expatriates in the Philippines. He encourages Filipinos to visit his country; the fee for a tourist visa is $50 and it is ready in 72 hours.

Havana is also rolling out incentives to lure more foreign investment.

“Cuba is a friend to the world,” Corrales told us.

It would be interesting to see if the world will get that message, even with Fidel Castro still thumbing his nose at Uncle Sam.