By Anthony Boadle Wed Dec 20, 9:17 PM ET
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's interim leader Raul Castro, signaling a
different style of government from his ailing brother
Fidel Castro, on Wednesday called for greater debate on public policies
in the communist-run country.
"Sometimes people fear the word disagree, but I say the more debate and
the more disagreement you have, the better the decisions will be," he
told students in Havana.
Raul Castro said he was delegating more responsibilities and making
fewer speeches than his famously verbose brother, and running the
country of 11 million in a more collegial way.
He did not mention the health of his 80-year-old brother who has not
been seen in public since emergency intestinal surgery forced him to
relinquish power on July 31 for the first time since Cuba's 1959 revolution.
The bearded leader's absence has fueled uncertainty about the future of
the Western hemisphere's only communist state, amid speculation that he
may be close to death.
His designated successor Raul Castro, 75, said Cuba's one-party
political system, or the "Revolution" as its backers call it, will
continue with or without his brother.
"Fidel is irreplaceable, unless we all replace him together," he said,
repeating a statement he made in June that Fidel Castro's only possible
heir is Cuba's Communist Party.
"Fidel is irreplaceable and I don't intend to imitate him. Those who
imitate fail," Raul said in the short speech to a conference of Cuba's
Federation of University Students.
The younger Castro had the 800 delegates in stitches with humorous
stories about his childhood, including one about getting thrown off a
horse the day he tried to copy a peasant and ride bareback.
Looking relaxed even though he was dressed in his army uniform, Raul
said Cuba was at an "historic" moment.
"I say historic because, like it or not, we are finishing the
fulfillment of our duty and we have to give way to new generations," he
said.
Cuba watchers believe Raul Castro does not have the ambition to run Cuba
indefinitely and would govern for only a few years before handing over
to a younger successor.
Since Raul took over from his brother in July, Cuban newspapers have
published rare stories exposing theft and corruption in Cuba's socialist
society. He is said to favor relaxing state controls over the economy.
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque gave the final address to the
student meeting, filling a role traditionally played by Fidel Castro.
Perez Roque announced increases in grants and reductions in bus fares
for the students.
No comments:
Post a Comment