News of Cuban anti-government protests have been entering our view these past couple of weeks. Beginning on July 11, Cubans have been taking to the calles to express their anger at the government for causing food and medicine shortages. The government has responded as logically as any Communist government could.
Communist governments are not good for anyone except those in authority. That’s the way it always has been, and considering the human imperfections that lead to massive error, probably always will be. In Cuba, the government recently has been pouring money into tourist attractions and accommodations. And they don’t have that much money. Resources could have and should have been redirected to better uses, such as COVID vaccines and food for the citizens. Of course, with scarcity comes high prices, making what little food they have available being exorbitantly priced. For the government to be able to generate the money to build grandiose hotels and what not, they are taxing small-business owners at high rates which they can ill afford, especially compared to foreign investors who are seeing preferential treatment for bringing outside money in. Not that the communist Cuban government has ever been kind to business owners.
Once the anger is there, the next step obviously is the protests. Once started, the protests spread to 40 cities including the capital. These protests, amongst the biggest in 60+ years in the country, must have been quite a spectacle. And how could any benevolent government say no to basic human rights being asked for by the people?
By cutting off internet and phone lines, that’s how.
State owned utilities were restricted as the protests grew. Cutting off wide communication for organization and spreading messages were certainly effective, but not enough. The government then began sending out state forces, including Communist militia members “armed with heavy sticks”. This force was not strictly for keeping the peace, as activists claim over 100 of their number were arrested in Havana. To reiterate the lack of basic rights, the authorities will be pressing charges on some folks based on trials going on behind closed doors.
To keep the people under their thumb, the government’s next step is to plan pro-government rallies. These have been held for years, with attendance mandatory for some citizens and rallies scripted so the pro-government meaning is not lost. An audience who packs the house at gunpoint may look good in pictures, but those in attendance don’t forget about the gun. The propaganda machine keeps churning.
The government has capitulated a little, allowing visitors to Cuba to bring in food and medicine and other essentials, duty-free. That’s the first step of many needed to right the wrongs in that country. It’ll be a tough ride, though. The Biden administration is looking into ways to help Cuba, but their government is set to refuse anything they see as “interventionist aid” from the U.S.
And who’s to blame for all the problems that Cuba has been seeing? Well, the United States, according to them. Which is complete nonsense. The Cuban government has been doing this kind of thing to its people for the last 62 years. This is nothing new, and it shouldn’t be surprising that these sorts of protests continue to grow in frequency and strength. With the growing use of social media, Cubans who couldn’t afford to travel outside of their country now can see what life is like in countries like ours.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: governments cannot be trusted. Period. Especially one that controls so much of life for the normal citizens. From the outside looking in, it should be plain as day to see that this government is not good for the people. Communism is not good for the people. Would any of us, living the way we do now, be okay with DC shutting down internet and phone lines, holding secretive trials behind closed doors, and making pro-America rallies mandatory for state workers and students? Absolutely not! It’s abhorrent what has happened in the last 62 years and what continues today.
Visiting Cuba is a bucket-list item for me. I’d love to go. But not yet. Cuba needs to get right, maybe overthrow the Communists and shift towards a full free market stance. Freedom—it’s the way to go.
Sources:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cuba-protests-whats-happening-11626112390
Bayou Observant 