Posted on Mon, May. 12, 2008
By IGNACIO SOSA
iesosa@mac.com
Unlike his brother, Fidel, new Cuban President Raúl Castro has
demonstrated an understanding of some of the sources of popular
discontent. In a matter of weeks, Raúl Castro has moved to raise wages
and eliminate salary caps, give Cubans some home property rights and
allow the purchase of mobile phones, computers and DVD players. The
Cuban government is also likely to remove longstanding restrictions on
foreign travel by Cubans.
While these reforms may appear modest, they address complaints often
voiced by Cubans. These initial reforms could also cement popular
support for more substantial and possibly painful changes down the road.
One would think that these small, yet meaningful reforms would be
welcomed by the United States. Wrong. The United States immediately
denounced them as cosmetic and meaningless. There are no plans to
respond to these reforms with incremental changes to our own 50-year-old
Cold War policy or more recent restrictions on travel by Cuban Americans
to Cuba or remittances to family members on the island.
Beneath the facade of U.S. policy toward Cuba, change is percolating no
matter who wins the presidency. A 2007 Florida International University
poll of Miami-Dade-based Cuban Americans showed that fully 65 percent
would support opening a dialogue with Cuba. That poll also showed a
large majority favoring eliminating travel and family remittance
restrictions (64 percent) and even lifting the ban on travel by all
Americans to Cuba (55.2 percent) Only 35 percent would wait until both
the economic and political systems in Cuba were changed before lifting
the embargo.
So how can the United States insist on a policy that is not supported by
two-thirds of Cuban Americans? The answer lies largely with three
powerful and intransigent Cuban-American Republican congressional
representatives from South Florida. They are the brothers Lincoln and
Mario Diaz Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. They have been the most
outspoken opponents in Congress of any change in U.S. policy, even more
so than Cuban-American Sens. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey,
and Mel Martinez, a Republican from Florida. It is a tribute to
Cuban-American success that out of a population of approximately 1.5
million in the United States we have four representatives, two senators
and a cabinet officer (Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez). It is,
however, a disgrace to all Americans that three members of Congress can
hold hostage this country's policy toward Cuba.
In this election year, the gig may be up. Many Cuban-American
Republicans (myself included) are saying, ''Enough is enough.'' We have
set aside party loyalty and thrown our support behind the three
Republican representatives' Democratic challengers: Raul Martinez, Joe
Garcia and Annette Taddeo. They have each proposed easing family travel
and remittances as a first step toward a Cuba policy consistent with
American values while maintaining an insistence that political and human
rights ought be respected.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is campaigning for them in Miami in May,
backs these challengers. While unseating any incumbent member of
Congress is an uphill battle, these challengers have already proven to
be formidable challengers by out-raising at least two of the incumbents
in the first quarter of 2008.
Avoiding a potential humanitarian nightmare from a failed society 90
miles from America's shores is something we must strive to achieve. We
need a U.S. policy toward Cuba that helps that country rebuild its
economy. A stronger economy and less dependence on the Cuban government
will make Cubans more likely to speak up on human rights issues. As a
first step toward a new Cuba policy, South Floridians should support
candidates who are more attuned to the wishes of Americans.
Ignacio Sosa is a Boston-based investment manager active in Cuba-focused
charities.
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