Hawaiian Shirts and Mojitos Will Not Free Cuba

Hawaiian Shirts and Mojitos Will Not Free Cuba
US Tourism Only Lines Castro's Pockets, Says Exiled Journalist Ninoska Pérez
VANESSA ARITA OCTOBER 23, 2015 AT 10:14 AM

Despite the ongoing repression of citizens on the island, Cuba is set to
become a new tourist destination for US residents. (Travel Blog)
EspañolFollowing renewed diplomatic relations with the United States
this summer, we have seen Cuba reappear in news headlines across the
globe. This was especially true after Pope Francis visited the island in
September.

Cuban journalist Ninoska Pérez, however, believes these recent
developments should not transform our image of Cuba. The island has been
ruled by a dictatorship for 56 years, and that certainly hasn't changed,
she says.

Is Cuba freer today than before President Barack Obama changed US
policies toward Cuba?

Absolutely not. Figures show a rise in the number of arrests, and
government officials repress the Ladies in White and other activists
every Sunday.

In September, we saw officials violently repress a young man who tried
to approach Pope Francis during his visit. In fact, officials placed
four people under arrest, on charges including an "attempted attack."
They didn't make any attempts, other than to deliver a message.
Ironically, as the officials dragged the young man away, he released
flyers regarding the lack of freedom in Cuba — the message meant for the
pope.

On October 8, dissidents held a demonstration at the Ministry of
Justice, where they released flyers that read: "Down with the
dictatorship! Long live human rights!" First, ministry personnel came
out to clean up; then, another specialized unit took the flyers away
wrapped in plastic, as if they were pollutants.

Essentially, the regime does regard the people's courage to demand human
rights and to condemn a dictatorship as poisonous.

Far from more freedom, what prevails is the interest to conduct business
with the Cuban dictatorship.

Considering the 2016 US presidential candidates, what does the future
hold for US-Cuba relations?

If Democrats come out ahead, we will see more of the same policies:
giving in to demands without receiving anything in return. Important
dailies such as the Washington Post and Miami Herald have issued
editorials agreeing with me on this. This is not the time to lift the
embargo. After witnessing these tendencies, I don't think any Democrat
could do anything to promote freedom in Cuba.

On the Republican side, however, there are several candidates who have
shown they would adopt consistent policies toward the island, for
example Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz.

The United States isn't the problem here, though; this country doesn't
need to change. What has to change is the Castro dictatorship, since
they have been enthroned in power for 56 years.

What's the current situation of dissidents in exile?

It is like in any other country with exiled groups. Since dissidents
come from so many generations, one idea does not predominate over the
other. What's wonderful is that, even after 56 years, there are still
groups fighting for a free Cuba. Some work through the US Congress;
others disseminate information; others find ways to support
dissidents in Cuba; and many take part in all three.

On September 28, dissidents gathered in New York City to protest the
presence of Raúl Castro and the Cuban mission at the United
Nations. They denounced the regime's human-rights violations. This type
of activity happens constantly, because the goal is to raise awareness.

People have to realize Raúl Castro is not a president; he was never
elected into office. He has a sinister past; you can find images online
that show him performing executions. It is well known that during the
first week of the Revolution, he executed 70 people without trial. These
are facts of history, not fabrications.

Raúl Castro is the head of the armed forces in Cuba; the same commander
in chief who, when hosting a US congressman in Cuba, said: "Yes, I gave
the order to shoot down the Brothers to the Rescue jets." And this isn't
a provocation; we're talking about US citizens who were shot down from
international airspace. These are serious crimes.

Will the recent economic openness benefit Cubans?

Many would have you think this will benefit the population. I imagine
one or two tourists coming in might help street vendors somewhat.

However, most large businesses on the island belong to the government.
So any investor going to Cuba will conduct business with
government-owned companies.

The tourism industry belongs entirely to the armed forces. So, perhaps a
Cuban might rent out a room to a tourist, but this is nothing in
comparison to what the ruling class or even tourists can do. It's
humiliating to think that a Cuban citizen doesn't have the same
opportunities to conduct business in their own country.

What impact would ending the embargo have on Cuba?

It would have an impact only for the Castro regime, not for the
population. A regular Cuban does not have real purchasing power; the
average monthly salary is US$20.

The embargo was never meant for the Cuban population; it was meant for
the government. Cuba has been able to purchase from vendors all over the
world. However, they have not been able to pay for those purchases, so
doors have closed and purchases in general have declined by 40 percent.

What the regime is seeking at this time is credit to build up
infrastructure for the tourism industry.

Is Cuban society prepared for the embargo to end?

Cuban society is prepared for anything.

I feel a bit outraged when people say: "Tourists will visit from the
United States and Cubans will learn what freedom is." I'm sorry, do you
really think Cubans, who risk going to prison for demanding their
rights, will learn about freedom from a US tourist wearing a Hawaiian
shirt and holding a mojito?

We all know what to do with freedom once we have it.

Asking whether a society is prepared kind of discredits them. Why
does the United States work so well? And why do most Cubans coming into
this country fare well? Because we automatically adapt: we all know what
we have to do to succeed here, and, conversely, we know what will land
us in prison.

Do you think that President Obama is really interested in Cuba, or
rather in affecting Maduro's government?

First, we're kind of giving President Obama too much credit by
thinking he might have a strategy like this underway.

Obama is very naive when it comes to foreign affairs. One cannot focus
on Venezuela and talk about sanctioning certain officials, while at the
same time denying that Cuba has been behind the repression in Venezuela.

Restoring relations with Cuba under these circumstances — when everyone
knows and the evidence is there — only leads to what is happening now:
the Obama administration is holding meetings to accommodate Venezuela,
without asking for anything in return.

This is because the region's governments can see that under the Obama
administration there are no consequences for repressive regimes.

Many say that Venezuela is becoming another Cuba. What similarities do
you see between today's Venezuela and Cuba in the 1960s?

The long lines that began in Cuba in the 1960s; the shortages; the
control that officials are attempting to wield over citizens; the arrest
of students while demonstrating; the fact that a man like Leopoldo López
has been in prison for over two years; these things all happened in Cuba.

The difference is that repression in Cuba was much more aggressive, with
daily executions and 20- and 30-year sentences pronounced on a daily basis.

Repression in Venezuela may be more subtle, but the similarities are
there. There's no other way for a state to achieve the control they have
achieved over their citizens.

Is the Castro brand of socialism still in full vigor in Latin America?

Unfortunately, rather than socialism, it's the Castro demagoguery that
has prevailed. I find it disheartening when I see countries becoming
dictatorships in the style of the Castro regime, with anti-US sentiment
as the common denominator.

In the long run, the United States — with its many faults and virtues —
is the most democratic country in this hemisphere.

It's sad, because by using their recycled anti-US rhetoric, they impose
socialism on the youth and effectively rob them from the possibility of
choosing their own ideology.

Source: Hawaiian Shirts and Mojitos Will Not Free Cuba -
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