Cuba wants to hear from Raul Castro
Cuba wants to hear from Raul Castro
Propaganda fills airwaves as acting president (right) stays out of sight
By Gary Marx
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published August 4, 2006
HAVANA -- The mystery and anxiety over who is running Cuba deepened Thursday as the acting president, Raul Castro, stayed out of public view for a third consecutive day and the government released no new information about Fidel Castro's medical condition.
While Cuban authorities organized rallies and filled the airwaves with words and images of support for the Castros and the revolution, residents voiced concern that Raul Castro had not spoken to the nation since his brother ceded power following major surgery.
"He's got to show his face sooner or later," said one Havana resident, who asked for anonymity, fearing government reprisals. "No one can run the country from obscurity. He needs to explain what's going on."
The closest Raul Castro has come to addressing Cubans was on Thursday's front page of the Communist Party daily Granma, which reprinted two paragraphs of a July 1 speech in which he proclaimed the Communist Party would keep control of Cuba even if his brother no longer were president.
"Only the Communist Party, as an institution that brings together the revolutionary vanguard and is a sure guarantee of Cuban unity in all times, can be the worthy inheritor of the confidence deposited by the people in its leader," Raul Castro said. "The rest is pure speculation."
Though those words likely were meant to calm the Cuban people, they were unlikely to please President Bush, who urged Cubans to work for democratic change and pledged U.S. support.
"It has long been the hope of the United States to have a free, independent and democratic Cuba as a close friend and neighbor," Bush said in a statement.
Although Cuban authorities have tried to downplay speculation about Fidel Castro's condition, describing him as stable and in good spirits, at least one Havana-based diplomat questioned the upbeat assessment and said the 79-year-old leader remained gravely ill.
Castro's estranged sister, Juanita Castro of Miami, told CNN she had heard from people in Havana that her brother was "very sick" but had been released from intensive care.
Festival suspended
One possible indication of the seriousness of Castro's illness was the suspension of an annual celebration scheduled to begin Friday, an event that lures huge crowds to the Malecon, Havana's seaside boulevard.
Security around the nation also remains tight. Militant pro-government civilian groups have been mobilized and residents have been called to meetings of neighborhood block committees, government-organized watchdog groups aimed at monitoring dissent.
Army and security agents in civilian clothes have flooded Havana's streets.
There have been no reported anti-government demonstrations since Monday's announcement. Opposition leaders in Havana said dissidents remained under tight surveillance, but they knew of no arrests.
But Yamile Llanes, wife of an imprisoned activist from eastern Cuba, said in a telephone interview that a crowd of about 100 pro-government demonstrators shouted slogans and threw stones at her home Thursday.
On Monday, Castro delegated his top political and security posts to Raul Castro, who long has served as Cuba's defense minister.
A motive for appointment
Some experts suggest that Raul Castro's appointment as head of the Communist Party and acting president is meant to cement the loyalty of the Cuban armed forces, by far the nation's most powerful institution.
Aiding Raul Castro is a committee of veteran Communist Party officials, including Jose Ramon Balaguer, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and Esteban Lazo Hernandez.
Other officials assigned to key posts include economics czar Carlos Lage, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Francisco Soberon, head of Cuba's Central Bank.
Also crucial is National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon, the nation's most experienced diplomat. Though Fidel Castro did not mention Alarcon in his statement relinquishing power, Alarcon has been a spokesman for the ailing president, telling interviewers that he had met with Fidel Castro on Monday and Tuesday.
On Thursday, Cuba's state-run television broadcast a series of glowing man-on-the-street interviews about Raul Castro, an apparent attempt to build confidence among the populace. But some Cubans said they wanted to hear from the man himself.
"When is he going to talk?" asked one Havana resident.
----------
gmarx@tribune.com
Propaganda fills airwaves as acting president (right) stays out of sight
By Gary Marx
Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune
Published August 4, 2006
HAVANA -- The mystery and anxiety over who is running Cuba deepened Thursday as the acting president, Raul Castro, stayed out of public view for a third consecutive day and the government released no new information about Fidel Castro's medical condition.
While Cuban authorities organized rallies and filled the airwaves with words and images of support for the Castros and the revolution, residents voiced concern that Raul Castro had not spoken to the nation since his brother ceded power following major surgery.
"He's got to show his face sooner or later," said one Havana resident, who asked for anonymity, fearing government reprisals. "No one can run the country from obscurity. He needs to explain what's going on."
The closest Raul Castro has come to addressing Cubans was on Thursday's front page of the Communist Party daily Granma, which reprinted two paragraphs of a July 1 speech in which he proclaimed the Communist Party would keep control of Cuba even if his brother no longer were president.
"Only the Communist Party, as an institution that brings together the revolutionary vanguard and is a sure guarantee of Cuban unity in all times, can be the worthy inheritor of the confidence deposited by the people in its leader," Raul Castro said. "The rest is pure speculation."
Though those words likely were meant to calm the Cuban people, they were unlikely to please President Bush, who urged Cubans to work for democratic change and pledged U.S. support.
"It has long been the hope of the United States to have a free, independent and democratic Cuba as a close friend and neighbor," Bush said in a statement.
Although Cuban authorities have tried to downplay speculation about Fidel Castro's condition, describing him as stable and in good spirits, at least one Havana-based diplomat questioned the upbeat assessment and said the 79-year-old leader remained gravely ill.
Castro's estranged sister, Juanita Castro of Miami, told CNN she had heard from people in Havana that her brother was "very sick" but had been released from intensive care.
Festival suspended
One possible indication of the seriousness of Castro's illness was the suspension of an annual celebration scheduled to begin Friday, an event that lures huge crowds to the Malecon, Havana's seaside boulevard.
Security around the nation also remains tight. Militant pro-government civilian groups have been mobilized and residents have been called to meetings of neighborhood block committees, government-organized watchdog groups aimed at monitoring dissent.
Army and security agents in civilian clothes have flooded Havana's streets.
There have been no reported anti-government demonstrations since Monday's announcement. Opposition leaders in Havana said dissidents remained under tight surveillance, but they knew of no arrests.
But Yamile Llanes, wife of an imprisoned activist from eastern Cuba, said in a telephone interview that a crowd of about 100 pro-government demonstrators shouted slogans and threw stones at her home Thursday.
On Monday, Castro delegated his top political and security posts to Raul Castro, who long has served as Cuba's defense minister.
A motive for appointment
Some experts suggest that Raul Castro's appointment as head of the Communist Party and acting president is meant to cement the loyalty of the Cuban armed forces, by far the nation's most powerful institution.
Aiding Raul Castro is a committee of veteran Communist Party officials, including Jose Ramon Balaguer, Jose Ramon Machado Ventura and Esteban Lazo Hernandez.
Other officials assigned to key posts include economics czar Carlos Lage, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and Francisco Soberon, head of Cuba's Central Bank.
Also crucial is National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon, the nation's most experienced diplomat. Though Fidel Castro did not mention Alarcon in his statement relinquishing power, Alarcon has been a spokesman for the ailing president, telling interviewers that he had met with Fidel Castro on Monday and Tuesday.
On Thursday, Cuba's state-run television broadcast a series of glowing man-on-the-street interviews about Raul Castro, an apparent attempt to build confidence among the populace. But some Cubans said they wanted to hear from the man himself.
"When is he going to talk?" asked one Havana resident.
----------
gmarx@tribune.com
posted by Carlos T Mock at 10:29 AM
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