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Sunday, August 05, 2007

Speaking with the Cuban Libertarian Movement

Cuba 2007: Speaking with the Cuban Libertarian Movement (MLC)
by Cuban Libertarian Movement - MLC Friday, Aug 3 2007, 12:54pm
movimientolibertariocubano@gmail.com
central america / caribbean / anarchist movement / interview

Interview by the Russian newspaper SITUATION from libertarian
collective Autonomous Action regarding the current political picture in
the island.

- Fidel Castro is in his last throes. Who do you think will rule in Cuba
after his death?

º Fidel Castro is not dead yet, but even if he reappears, his role as
leader of the revolution and chief of government is over. Raul has for
now inherited the dictatorship but with his brother's disappearance it's
unlikely he can exert power for long. Many factors indicate the opposite.

- Do you think Fidel is a dictator, yes or no?

º Somebody who's been in power for almost half a century, violently
crushing any opposition may be considered as much of a dictator as Stalin.

- What was Fidel's policy with respect to other left movements
(anarchists, Trotskyites, etc.)?

º In regards to the Trotskyites this question belongs to those who
continue to romantically believe in Lev Davidovich. Some Cubans from
that sect went into exile due to the repression following the death of
Che Guevara. Anarchists were persecuted from the very beginning when
some of our comrades were expelled from the unions, afterwards death,
prison or exile was the medicine prescribed by the government against
the Cuban anarchists.

- Brother Raúl doesn't look like a strong politician, is that so?

º He doesn't just seem weak, he is weak. He inherited the rank of chief
of the Cuban army and Castro's successor in 1959 as he was the only
person the dictator could trust. He's always been accustomed to taking
orders from his brother and when his brother is gone he will not have
the power he now has. For now he has delegated some sort of committee
that in reality runs the government due to his brother's incapacity.
With the dictator gone, Raul will be left alone in a country that
crumbles slowly and urgently demands political, social and economic
change. Raul is incapable of filling Fidel's shoes and we can't rule out
a violent popular uprising against the regime. At least it seems in
Washington they expect the worst and are preparing for these events.

- The history of the Cuban anarchist movement is unknown in Russia. How
long has it been around? How did it start?

º We should not be surprised that little is known about the Cuban
anarchists even though Frank Fernandez left information in Moscow and
Granada, but maybe it was with a different group. We recommend Frank
Fernandez book (in English) for more information.

- Except for your web site, we have found this other site

http://libertario.lautre.net/, but it doesn't work. Is there any other
libertarian group in Cuba besides you?

º We don't think so, unless they have created another in Cuba.

- What is your relationship with the Cuban Communist Party?

º We maintain no communication nor relations with the PCC (Cuban
Communist Party)

- Is change possible in the Cuban political situation after Fidel's
death, as happened in Russia between 1989 and 1993 after the fall of the
USSR? In that case, how would the politics of the MLC change?

º It might be a possibility but we can't answer the question for now.
Political change implies a change in strategy, but the initial tactics
will be dictated by our possibilities.

- What is Cuba's political structure today? Soviet republic,
dictatorship, something else?

º Cuban power structures were copied from the Soviet state in 1960. A
constitution was drafted in 1976 which was a copy of Stalin's 1936
constitution and is still in force.

- Today's Russian political elite were able to stay in power by grabbing
control of oil and gas. What keeps Cuba's economy alive these days?

º Today Cuba's economy is kept alive thanks to the free Venezuelan oil
that Chavez sends, also because of the money from sent to Cuba from
abroad by Cubans in exile and also because of tourism.

- Are there many Cubans unhappy because Cuba is socialist?

º Over 10% of the population lives abroad. Inside Cuba there's a very
weak civil opposition but it's impossible to make a formal declaration
by those opposed to the system, we can only cite statistics of those
Cubans who apply to emigrate (almost a million) and not because Cuba is
socialist, but because it is a dictatorship outside of time and space,
too long and boring.

- How does the everyday citizen live? Can they travel freely in and out
of Cuba? Can you criticize Castro? Can any Cuban buy a car for his family?

º The everyday Cuban lives in poverty and with little hope of improving
unless there's a change of system, as happened in Russia and Eastern
Europe. It is forbidden to leave the country and even traveling from a
city to another puts you under surveillance. It is forbidden to
criticize Castro as he represents the government, national sovereignty,
the economy etc. Any criticism is very dangerous and after a stern
warning you can be thrown in prison if you persist, accused of
counterrevolution. It's practically impossible to buy a car, although
there's a black market, salaries are too low. Only government or army
functionaries have access to this type of transportation.
* Interview by the Russian newspaper SITUATION from libertarian
collective Autonomous Action www.avtonom.org regarding the current
political picture in the island. A Spanish translation was published in
El Libertario #50, Venezuela, 2007. For more info go to:

www.mlc.contrapoder.org.ve -cuban anarchist website- and

www.nodo50.org/ellibertario

http://www.mlc.contrapoder.org.ve

http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=6110

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