For Cuba, a sea change with barely a ripple
Posted: Sunday, February 24, 2008 3:10 PM
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Havana, Cuba
By Mary Murray, NBC News Producer
Cuba’s rulers seem to have pulled off what many would have considered unthinkable just a few years ago – a systematic and tidy transfer of power from one Castro to the next.
For ages, Cuba watchers feared that the island would either unravel or erupt when Fidel Castro stepped down. Some predicted a political power struggle would ensue, sparking thousands to flee across the Florida Straits on homemade or smuggler’s boats. Others envisioned Cubans flooding the streets to demand democratic freedoms denied under socialist rule.
Instead, when Raúl Castro officially took over the presidency Sunday, the nation serenely went about its daily business.
In truth, over the past year or so, people here have acted fairly blasé about the whole Fidel business.
Shortly after he fell gravely ill and temporarily handed over power, Fidel’s overshadowing presence began to fade from the country’s collective consciousness.
People began referring to Fidel’s rule in the past tense.
People dared to imagine life after the man who had ruled for close to half a century.
And the longer he remained hidden from public view, the more people began speaking out.
During the 18 months Fidel Castro was sidelined by illness, average Cubans openly advocated his retirement — from his detractors to those supporters vowing to carry out his legacy.
"He has been our teacher, and now it’s time for him to rest," said Daniel Soto, who studies economics at Havana University and belongs to the UJC, Cuba’s young communist organization.
Daniel Yero, a waiter in Havana’s Chinatown, thinks the entire system is broken and supports a radical change to sweep across Cuba’s political structure. "I think it’s a terrible country because we don’t have money. We don’t have freedom. We don’t have nothing. We need change. Change! Change! Please!"
Scratch the surface, though, and you see a new Cuba emerging.
For the first time in all my years on the island, people are speaking out loud and clear about what does and doesn’t work here.
"Just about everyone is clamoring for change," admitted a Cuban government official. "The genie is out of the bottle."
And it was Raúl Castro who held the lamp in his hand and released that genie.
Over a year ago, he authorized grass-roots meetings across the island for people to air their grievances. A leaflet laying out the guidelines for those meetings stated that the discussion would take place in an "atmosphere of profound freedom and sincerity."
Many took his words at face value. No topic was considered taboo, although the meetings were off-limits to the international press. Before the process ended in December 2007, more than 3 million people attended close to a quarter of a million of these government-organized gripe sessions.
Surprisingly to no one familiar with this island, millions of complaints rolled in about how hard life is for the average person.
People mainly grumbled about the high cost of living and low state wages, the island’s dilapidated housing stock, inefficiencies in the national health care system and problems in public transportation.
"No one in this country is happy with their wages. After paying your mortgage, bus fare and electricity, there is not enough money left over to pay for food. It’s that simple," said Liliana Rodriguez, a social worker who helps families in trouble.
People also complained about not being allowed to open up small businesses or book a room in Cuban hotels reserved for international tourists. Others want the law to change so they can freely travel abroad without first asking for government permission, as well as buy and sell their homes and cars.
"Who owns my house and car? Not me, since I can’t sell them!" complained Lucy Valdes, a retired engineering professor.
Raul Castro is viewed as a reformer by good numbers of Cubans, having earned that reputation after he himself publicly criticized food shortages and hardships of everyday life.
"Criticism when handled right is the key to making progress," said Castro, acting then as interim president. "We agree that too many prohibitions and rules do more harm than good."
At the same time, though, he warned the nation not to look for quick fixes. "Nobody here is a magician or can pull resources out of a hat," said Raul Castro.
Both outside experts and government officials appear to share his view. For the time being, sources tell us not to expect to see any big or systemic changes to the Cuban economy -- an idea reinforced on Sunday when the Cuban parliament named hard-line idealogue Jose Ramon Machado, 77, vice president.
But telling Cuba’s working poor to be patient is another story as they struggle to better take care of their families and improve their current standard of living.
