House pays tribute to Fidel

The House of Representatives also observed a minute’s silence to pay respects to the late Cuban leader who died on November 25.

In her tribute Annisette- George said, “I am sure many would recall that he took decisive actions and made contributions in the liberation struggles of Angola and Namibia and against the apartheid struggles in South Africa.” Having regard to how much of the world viewed Castro, she quoted the late former South African President Nelson Mandela who said, “One of the mistakes which people make, and political analysts, are that their enemies should be other people’s enemies” in response to scathing criticisms for accepting support from the Cuban government in the liberation of South Africa.

Describing Castro as one of iconic and controversial leaders of the 20th century, she said, there are varying opinions on his leadership style, many see him as a hero, but undoubted was his relentless commitment to the improvements and changes in his country Cuba and in the region.

Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis said on behalf of the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago that it was with deep gratitude that TT benefitted from many scholarships in the medical field including veterinary medicine among other areas.

She noted that former PNM political leader Patrick Manning was the beneficiary of the expertise of Cuban doctors and had travelled to Cuba on many occasions for treatment.

Other citizens of TT also benefitted from Cuba’s medical treatment, she said.

Declaring that Cuba will forever remain as a beacon for the people of the Caribbean, she said that despite an economic embargo imposed by the US on Cuba, and other difficulties, under Castro’s leadership he held his own in the Caribbean and in the wider world standing “as a symbol of fortitude and strength.

She noted, too, Canada’s continued relationship with Cuba.

In paying tribute, Opposition Chief Whip Ganga Singh noted that Castro was a son of a sugar farmer.

He recalled that as young politician he reacted to the dominance of his island by foreign capital interests and created history in 1959 by leading a small group of revolutionaries that seized power from dictator Fulgencia Batista, thereby becoming a hero for the Cuban masses and progressive people everywhere.

“Today the enduring legacy of this man who featured in some of the world’s most iconic dramas will no doubt live on in history as