79-15-2
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Cuban Conditions[edit]
Transcript[edit]In my last broadcast, I outlined the 20 year record of military interference that Fidel Castro has compiled in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. But this meddling has taken its toll at home. The costs of this military adventurism along with the inherent inefficiencies of the Communist system has brought Cuba a sluggish economy, chronic shortages and a serious deterioration in the work ethic. And, there are reports that many Cubans are getting tired of waiting for the promised land Castro has been promising them for 20 years. But they will have to wait. Even Castro has warned his people that it's going to take another 20 years of sacrifice before his goals are realized. You can bet that if Castro should happen to be in power 20 years from now, he will tell a new generation of Cubans the same thing. There are many fundamental problems with Communist Cuba which will continue to deny the nation the prosperity of the West. Carl Migdale, a reporter for U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, visited Cuba recently and saw the inadequacies of Castro's regime. Many Cubans are complaining that Castro's military exploits abroad are sapping the nation's econmic resources. Cuba is in no position to be sending troups and weapons throughout the Third World, they say, when Cubans face chronic shortages of the basic necessities of life. Many were angered by the millions it cost to entertain Third World diplomats ·at the recent summit conference in HAVANA. One Cuban worker told Migdale "The government imported goods for over a year for the summit. That meant there was less for the people." An Havana housewife complained that she cant't find detergents because the government says it doesn't have the' money, even though it spent 100 million dollars on the summit meeting. Well, here is how a Communist party official answers complaints like these. "Those who complain don't understand that the summit was a defeat for the United States and a triumph for our revolution." But apparently many Cubans would rather have laundry detergent than a revolutionary triumph. Food in Cuba is as scarce as ever. Despite rationing, Cubans must still wait in lines for hours to get their allotments. There are also long lines for just about everything else. Do you think you have problems with rush-hour traffic? How would you like to wait up to four hours in the morning just to board a cummuter bus to take you to work? Adding to the tension in this supposedly classless society, is the emergence of a sizable elite with many special privileges. Perhaps as many as two million out of a total population of 10 million enjoy special status as political and party officials, managers, members of the armed forces and students. Morale among workers is at an all-time low. The work ethic seems nowhere to be found. Absenteeism runs high. This has compounded problems for an economy already suffocating from red tap, absurd government planning and cozy, corrupt relationships between businessmen and government officials. There are no signs yet that the dissatisfaction among many Cubans will soon evolve into open revolt against the regime, but it's clear that Castro's Cuban Communism is a failure. It is hard to imagine why any Third World country would want to buy his brand of government. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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