Hammjatta,
I am not taking this one with any seriousness,how can you seriously discuss
the Cuban economic and social problems without a single word about the over
30 years brutal and unjust US economic blockade of this tine little country
with almost no resources ,perhaps except "Sugarcanes".This is not serious.
For Freedom
Saiks
----- Original Message -----
From: Hamjatta Kanteh <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2001 6:52 PM
Subject: Re: World Bank President Praises Cuba
> Yus,
>
> Brother, many thanks for this forward. I think many of our friends on this
> List underestimated the significance of the message hence it didn't
generate
> a healthy exchange on this List. In this post, I would like to take a
> hard-nosed look at Cuba's so-called successful experimentation with
socialism
> and propose that the strides she has made recently in education and health
> are not in any way a vindication of any tenet of socialist orthodoxy. Nor
> should the success be interpreted as a renewal of socialism as a form of
> economic management after its decisive repudiation. Needless to say, my
> assessment, i would like to point out, would be from an astringently
liberal
> perspective.
>
> I don't think any sincere person - certainly not a liberal worth his
salt -
> would deny Castro his moment of glory. Cuba's health care and education
> system is indeed an achievement worthy not only of adulation, but wherever
it
> can conceivably teach a few lessons, there is no reason why a genuine
> Capitalist and liberal order can't take them on board. Indeed, some 6
months
> or so ago, Sky News did a very impressive feature of Cuba's health care
> system and i tell you it was very revealing to see a team of British GPs,
> consultants, surgeons, and other NHS health care workers being shown
around
> the maze of Cuba's health care system. Most revealing was the very
impressive
> and efficient nature of the system and how glowingly Cubans spoke of their
> doctors, nurses, surgeons, etc and how dedicated the health care workers
> seemed to their patients, and above all, to the cause of public service.
>
> The success of Cuba's health care and education system, however, doesn't
> vindicate any tenet of socialism/Marxism/communism. Rather, it merely
> confirms an age old truism: the public sphere, i.e., health service,
social
> security, education, etc, etc is better served not by marginalising public
> sector workers and making a mockery of the lack of profit motive in these
> public services; but by the dedicated professionalism of individuals who
> selflessly work under extraordinary circumstances to serve their fellow
> citizens. In essence, the success associated with Cuba's health care and
> education system lies mainly with a dedicated professional public sector
> buoyed and inspired by a political leader who - albeit his zany and
bankrupt
> worldview - invests heavily in his country's public sector. Suffice for me
to
> say that Cuba was just lucky to have a tyrant dictator like Castro who is
a
> genuine individual driven not by mere power or the desire to acquire
> ill-gotten wealth; but by a vision to genuinely change the lives of his
> countrymen. One can respectfully take issues with his tyrannical rule and
his
> bankrupt world-view but i have no doubt in my mind that his is a
well-meaning
> dictatorship that is really concerned about the welfare of his peoples.
>
> Having said all that, Cuba under Castro cannot be assessed solely on the
> basis of the strides she has made in the public sphere. If anything, i
> believe it is rather premature to call Cuba - under Castro - a success
> socialist story. As things stand, Cuba under Castro remains a ragbag: a
> hotch-potch of miscellaneous stuff that do not add up to one linear
narrative
> of success. Doubtless, the achievements in the public sphere has been
> besmirched by the political tyranny Castro presides over and none - except
> the socialist bureaucrats responsible for State planning, of course - know
> the extent to which life for ordinary Cubans in their private sphere has
been
> enhanced. All the UN World Development Indicators i've consulted - from
> 1998-2000 - merely produced blank spaces for such important indicators
like
> wages, productivity, employment, unemployment, inflationary trends, etc,
etc.
> Suffice for me to say that the only indicators we have on the advances
Cuba
> had made or continues to register are mainly in the public sphere like
their
> much vaunted education and health care system. Without all the major
> economic, political and social indicators, how can we correctly assess
Cuba's
> overall performance? Let's not even talk here about political, economic
and
> social liberties for ordinary Cubans to live their lives as they wish. In
> other words, choice for individual Cubans to pursue their own political,
> economic and social goals, is somthing little heard of in Cuba. Unless, of
> course, you are an influential bureaucrat in the socialist hierarchy that
> represents the Cuban State/gov't. The Cuban State, at any rate, determines
> everything for everyone. Anyone well tutored in development studies will
> never fail to emphasize to the importance of choice in the political,
> economic and social endeavours of individuals. The realisation of this has
> the negative effects of wiping that smug off Castro and his socialist
cronies
> faces.
>
> When all is said and done, especially in post-Castro Cuba, an exhaustive
post
> mortem of the socialist Odyssey in Cuba would merely reveal a political
> tyranny sustained by a charismatic and well-meaning leader who had
inspired,
> and manipulated in some cases, his peoples to reach heights in
collectivist
> endeavours. I have no doubt that socialism in the very end will fail - if
it
> has not already! - the Cuban people. Castro is merely delaying the
inevitable
> in Cuba. Some of our socialist friends, has of recent, been persuading
> themselves that Castro and Cuba's recent successes in the spheres of
> education and health care delivery are a sign that socialism has been
given a
> new lease on life in a world very hostile towards socialism as a system of
> economic management. Cuba and Castro a sign of socialism's renaissance?
Fat
> chance, Comrades!
>
> All the best,
>
> Hamjatta Kanteh
>
> PS: Halifa, my final two slots are ready for presentation. Trouble is i
> cannot send them in right now because they are saved on a diskette which,
> unfortunately, i forgot at a friends during the weekend. I should be able
to
> send it in by late tomorrow evening.
>
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