Cuban-Americans react to secret Twitter project

Posted on Thursday, 04.03.14

Cuban-Americans react to secret Twitter project
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cuban-Americans are divided over the revelation by The Associated Press
that the U.S. government spent millions of dollars to secretly create a
"Cuban Twitter" designed to undermine the island's communist government.

Some view the project as a welcome alternative to the decades-old Cold
War between the United States and Cuba that has involved more violent
efforts to overthrow the Castro government, including a failed plot to
give then-President Fidel Castro an exploding cigar. For others, the
news sparked fear that the program would only help the Cuban
government's efforts to discredit the island's small movement of
independent journalists and bloggers.

Between 2010 and 2012, the social network ZunZuneo attracted tens of
thousands of Cubans seeking ways to evade their government's strict
control over media and communication. In fact, ZunZuneo was created
through a U.S. State Department grant to eventually transmit
anti-government political messages and to encourage widespread dissent
among the island's youth.

The revelations come at a particularly sensitive time for activists on
the island, as renowned Cuban blogger Yoani Sanchez prepares to launch
her independent media project next month.

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"I don't think it was a bad thing if it was opening up people's minds.
... Look, the (U.S. government) had to change its tactics. With the
embargo, nothing happened for more than 50 years. At least this way they
were helping people communicate." — Miami construction worker Ivan
Marrero, 48, who fled Cuba in 2005 by boat.

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"What do I think? I think it was a good thing. I hope that it gains
momentum so that the people realize what is going on in the outside
world and things change also in Cuba." — Miami-based massage therapy
student Belkis Hernandez, 44.

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"This is extremely counter-productive to the whole intent of trying to
get reliable and credible information to the Cuban people without having
to undermine the Cuban government. ... The Cuban government will do
everything possible to discredit Yoani (Sanchez) and other opposition
leaders inside Cuba using this kind of information." — Andy Gomez, a
Cuba expert and senior policy adviser with the law firm Poblete Tamargo.

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"This is more of the same. ... It's clear the regime change policy is
working in full mode." — Arturo Lopez Levy, a Cuban-born economist who
lectures at the University of Denver.

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"We would have bought into it if anybody had come to us for it. As a
matter of fact, we may go out and ask (Cuban-American) investors to see
if they want to put money in that." — Cuban exile Pepe Hernandez, a
director of the Miami-based nonprofit Foundation for Human Rights in
Cuba, which receives money from USAID for its work on the island.

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"What's the story? That the United States supports people's ability to
access open media? ... We're talking about Cubans (who) were not allowed
to communicate on social media, who cannot even own a satellite dish,
where there is no freedom of press." — Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla.,
whose father served in the administration of Cuban leader Fulgencio
Batista and fled Cuba after Fidel Castro's 1959 revolution.

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"The bottom line of the story is the Cuban people have no way of
communicating with each other, and the U.S. government tried to provide
a platform. ... As a broad concept, I'm not a big believer that
nonprofits are good vehicles to bring down governments. That isn't how I
would have set it up. I would have done everything but 'and then we
promote dissent.' If you do it right, the dissent would come on its own.
But this is a country where people desperately fear dissent because of
what the government does to punish dissent. I wish I would have thought
of the idea." — Rep. Joe Garcia, D-Fla., whose parents left the island
in the 1960s.

"USAID is not a secret organization and they don't get their funds
through secret means. They present their budget to Congress. Congress
approves their budget. ... This is part of our program routinely done
throughout the world for many years to help the people of oppressed
countries get information where their repressive government denies them
that opportunity." — Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who left Cuba as
a child with her parents following the Cuban revolution.

Source: Cuban-Americans react to secret Twitter project - Nation Wires -
MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/03/4037530/cuban-americans-react-to-secret.html