Raul Castro's retirement does not presuppose any change, it is only the end of his physical presence at the top of the terrible communist organization, an entity that governs the island's destinies beyond the government and the State itself.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Spain - These days, several sites around the world make mention of Raul Castro's withdrawal from the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in the midst of the celebration of the VIII Congress of the only party organization officially recognized by the Castro regime.
In general, most of the reports I have consulted agree on a few points, among which stands out the idea of the transfer of absolute powers to Miguel Díaz Canel, the current president of Cuba, which means the definitive withdrawal of the Castros from the political scene of the island, as well as the possible changes that this could cause in relation to the political statism of the country and its repercussion in the economic sphere.
Those who "analyze" from a distance, and I am not referring only to distance from a geographical point of view, but in a symbolic way, that is, without real knowledge of the cause, since they have not had the direct experience of what it is really like to live in the midst of a chaos originated by a communist-type system, believe in an opening from now on. Nothing could be further from the truth. Raul Castro's departure is only the end of his physical presence at the top of the terrible communist organization, an entity that governs the island's affairs beyond the government and the State itself, which are entirely subordinated to the provisions of the PCC as it is, according to Article 5 of the current Constitution, "the highest leading political force of society and the State".
Thus, it is not the withdrawal of the almost nonagenarian general without battles what is required at this crucial moment, but the total suppression of all socialist vestiges on the island, and the latter will not take place, at least for now, since the transfer of power from the PCC to Miguel Diaz Canel, as the old general did not long ago with the presidency of the country, represents a "continuity", as the latter has insisted on maintaining since his definitive arrival at the helm of the Cuban nation as president.
Díaz Canel is as twisted and old-fashioned as the rest of the "comrades" of the preceding generation -who will also retire when they are only a few steps away from death-, which he has demonstrated in his few years in the presidency of the country. If anyone doubts what I am saying, let him ask himself: what has the current president done that is new in order to pull his country out of the abyss into which it is sinking every day? His marked fidelity to the "historical tradition" of the "revolution" has turned him into a robotic being who limits himself to comply with the orders of that "superior leading political force", that is, to carry out his slogan of "being continuity" and "going for more". The final result is already known to all: a country sinking into the most dreadful misery of its terrible history.
Logically, from this absurd and decayed position nothing will change and Raul Castro's departure is only a symbol in the midst of the disastrous political, social and economic panorama of the once prosperous nation. What is needed is an opening that will definitively lead to a state of transition that prepares the conditions for the restoration of democracy, and not more conceptualizations and updates of the existing model for more than six decades. This will not be achieved with a simple change of one political leader for another, at least not as long as the appointed one maintains his rigid position based on his theory of continuity.
Raul Castro, before his definitive formal departure, and in the midst of the party meeting, proposed to his successor a dialogue of respect with the U.S. government with the intention of "building a new type of relationship", although at the same time he ratified his firmness of "not renouncing the principles of the revolution and socialism". Nothing new, it repeats the same history of only seven years ago when the so-called thawing of relations between the two countries began.
Let us remember that it was during the final stage of President Barack Obama's mandate that a slow process of reestablishing diplomatic ties began, in which the Cuban regime only asked and demanded in exchange for nothing, because that rigid scheme of not renouncing principles, precepts, ties, etc., stops any kind of exchange when one of the interested parties is not capable of giving an inch in pursuit of a necessary opening.
Now the circumstances are different in view of the worsening of the economic and social context of the country. Only a few hours ago, the partisans declared the productive structure as a matter of national security due to the inability to meet the demands of the population, and this presupposes the possibility of offering a leading role to non-state forms of management, which is resisted by the Cuban communists, who still believe in state enterprises and central planning.
Thus, taking advantage of the political stance of the new U.S. President Joe Biden, a new attempt at rapprochement between both governments is possible, even though up to now, Biden will apparently keep a prudent distance - more for convenience than conviction - from the Castro regime; but Castroism is drowning and in its struggle for survival it does not care whether it relies on the Chinese, Iran or the United States.
And so, this Monday, the VIII Congress of the only official party in Cuba will conclude in Havana, a meeting of "continuities" of which only Raul Castro's retirement from his post as First Secretary will remain for historical posterity, together with the retirement of a meager representation of old hands who are close to ninety years of age.
So, for the time being, there will be no changes as long as that "superior leading political force of society and the State" in charge of governing the designs of the Cuban nation remains in power.
Author: Dr. Alberto Roteta Dorado. Cienfuegos, Cuba. Graduated as Doctor of Medicine, specialist in General Comprehensive Medicine and Pediatrics from the Higher Institute of Medical Sciences of Villa Clara and Master of Science, second degree specialist in Endocrinology and second degree in General Comprehensive Medicine from the Medical University of Cienfuegos. He has unpublished two books of essays on the sense of religiosity and philosophical thought of José Martí. Collaborator of press media such as Cubanet, Noticias de Cuba. He has visited several countries in America: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama. Based in the United States of America.
