Cuban Revolution bigger than Fidel

So Fidel has been central to Cuban political life for more than five decades and therefore any absence by him - on account of illness or death - is bound to be of significance, to Cubans, to those who support the Revolution and to its implacable enemies. What makes his absence due to major intestinal surgery all the more dramatic is that he has always been in very good health. Fidel is not just a physically fit person but also one who has tremendous willpower. I have seen him sit through conferences for hours on end, without ever appearing to lose concentration, far less doze off.

I was last in Havana in 2005, and visited that city twice within a two month period in order to attend two Conferences, one on the FTAA and one on acts of terrorism conducted by or with the support of the US (for example the bombing of the Cubana airline in 1973 off the coast of Barbados). At these Conferences, plenary sessions would normally run for several hours at a time, with the evening session often finishing after 7 pm. It is, for even the most disciplined, quite difficult to listen to various speakers for hours at a time and many conference participants often get up and go outside the plenary hall for a “stretch legs” or a cup of coffee or to use the restroom. Not Fidel. He would listen very intently throughout, sometimes intervening to ask a question or to try to clarify a fact. And then after several days of the Conference still have the stamina to deliver a “short” closing address of three or four hours! And all this at the age of 78!

Now, the casual observer may believe that Fidel had little else to do during the three or four days of the Conference, but nothing could be further from the truth. He would have several meetings either late at night or early in the morning thus extending his work-day to 18 plus hours. And this is his norm. Friends of mine have confided that at times officials with whom he is meeting get quite exhausted long before the “old man” does. It must therefore be something of a shock to many that he is actually so ill that he required surgery and will be out of action for some time. And this, even though he has visibly aged, becoming frailer, especially after his bad fall a year ago.

His present state of health has prompted celebrations in the Cuban American community in Miami in the belief that Fidel is on his death-bed and with it the Revolution. George Bush has also weighed in with a statement about the US being prepared to help Cubans to bring about a regime change. This is not the first time that these elements were in their glee, only to be disappointed by reality. It should be recalled that in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the US State Department and the counter-revolutionary forces in the US were of the strong view that the Cuban economy had become so weakened by the loss of trade with the USSR that the resulting economic pressures on Cuban citizens would cause them to revolt.

So strong was this belief that the US Congress passed amendments (the Toricelli Act and the Helms-Burton amendments) to the decades old blockade of Cuba, which amendments strengthened the blockade. There were some Cuban-Americans who were actually planning parties to be held in Cuba to mark their “triumphant return,” such was their optimism - really lack of understanding of the nature of the Cuban Revolution. The reality is that the economy today has completely recovered from the loss of trade with the USSR. Further, with domestic oil production on the rise, with greater domestic food output and a more diversified economy (tourism, nickel, cigars, pharmaceuticals and services such as health-care provision), the Cuban economy is in fact much stronger than it was at the end of the ‘80’s with its over-reliance on sugar.

And so, more than ten years after these forces were predicting the collapse (it was supposed to happen in a matter of months), with Fidel’s illness, they are once more expecting the end of the Revolution. What they don’t seem to understand is that, as dominant a personality as Fidel has undoubtedly been, the Cuban Revolution is not just about its leader. There can be little challenge to the tremendous achievements by Cuba since 1959 in the area of education. This means much more than the “simple” eradication of illiteracy.

I say “simple” because though a seemingly basic objective, literacy for all escapes many countries and even today in Trinidad and Tobago we are producing many more persons who are functionally illiterate than officialdom cares to admit.

But back to Cuba. Its education has resulted in, what is now called, “human capital” way beyond that which exists in the rest of the Caribbean. Cuba engages in very serious Research and Development, something that has yet to happen in this petro-dollar rich country. This R and D is in all disciplines — science and technology, the social sciences, sport and culture. And the results are there to be seen. Yes, Cuba outperforms the rest of the region in sport, but this is not all. They have a developed pharmaceutical industry which has produced some very highly regarded medicines. The spaces for artistic and creative expression are much greater than here in this country, with Cuba having developed film and publishing industries, quite apart from large numbers of performing and visual artists in several genres. All this is widely known and applauded even by Cuba’s critics.

I am therefore always surprised by the fact that these critics seem not to think that Cuba’s institutions are also not managed and led by the highest quality people! The fact is that the Cuban Revolution could not have survived these 47 years purely on the basis of Fidel’s ability and vision. It has survived because of the large number of very capable, skilled, intelligent and yes, committed, people who are at all levels of Cuban society. I have had the opportunity to have met a cross-section of these people — in the diplomatic service, in Government Ministries, in mass organisations like the trade unions, women’s organisation, farmers’ organisation, solidarity groups as well as religious NGOs and community leaders — as well as party officials. I also know ordinary Cuban citizens and people in the arts.

Throughout all my interactions I have been impressed by the fact that Cubans have been educated to think! And to take action! They are not dependent - waiting for someone to decide or do something.