June 30, 2011
Blagovesta Doncheva
Commenting the two US authors’ Article (Keeran and Kenny) on Cuban Perestroika
Some years ago Fidel Castro suddenly stepped down from power and was replaced by Raul Castro. We were told that he was already too elderly and tired but there were some raised eyebrows and soon we were told that he was ill and in hospital. At first nothing definite was said about his diagnosis, and we wondered what was it – a cancer? - or something else? Later the Saga of Fidel Castro’s “reflections” began… In their grater part his name was the most interesting thing. I came to the conclusion that he had nothing or almost nothing to do with them. Ether somebody else had kept writing them by order – or if he did it by himself, then that Fidel Castro had nothing in common with previous Fidel Castro I knew. Instead of jumping in anger, remember f.i. “his” “reflections” on religion and the Rome papa. Get back to them and read them again with an open mind.
Men change. Sometimes naturally – sometimes unnaturally: by forced interference from outside… Everything is possible nowadays. Remember that he stayed in that hospital for almost a year or more – at first fully isolated... Also remember Raul Castro political activities at that time that came out to us. He almost immediately kicked out and down two promising ministers - plus surely some more people at lower positions in the state administration. (Where are these two ministers now? Are they still alive?)
One can well suppose that the political changes have been massive. The Cuban Embassy' staff in Bulgaria has been replaced with new people (loyal to the perestroika?) Generally the island have been covered up with a thick mist of disinformation or no information at all – the people at the Embassies qualified in evading questions: one does not receive direct answers to any questions regarding the current situation in Cuba . Then the dissidents were set free – the rumors about pending economic and political changes got impetus. Today they are slowly but surely turning into a reality.
What about the Western and Eastern so-called “left”? They either kept silence – or came out with passionate defense of the Changes as the Greek Communist Party has done (http://inter.kke.gr/News/2010news/2010-10-06-cuba).
Or publish articles of the kind I am commenting below.
- Let’s have a close look at the “Bold New Guidelines”
- reducing the size of the state employment
Question: What will happen with that army of unemployed people? All of them cannot become taxi drivers, hair-dressers, manicurists, street-stands traders of second-hand rags that will flood Havana’s streets (if they haven’ done that already – still they can’t swallow all the unemployed…) The people from the Cuban Embassies in Bulgaria – Romania – the countries of the ex-Soviet Union KNOW the answer of that question: the young women will become prostitutes - some of them will “work” in Havana (they will be needed, especially when the Pioneers’ Homes, hospitals, hostels etc. are turned again into hotels for sex-mad degenerates – some will fill up the brothels abroad somewhere… The men will be forced to emigrate to slave for 15 hours to some greedy monsters abroad too – the families will go down the drain – and soon homeless orphans with still alive parents (in some cases) will fill up the streets. A welcome development for the pedophiles: many delicious pieces of meat, quite free. The organ merchants will also be delighted – no doubt about it.
Everything described in the excerpt above is characteristic for the CAPITALIST society, NOT for the Socialist one.
Rhetoric question: what kind of society is under creation in Cuba for several years already?
- “ …more autonomy to state enterprises”
It reminds me about the so-called “New Economic Mechanism” introduced in the 80-ties (!) in Bulgaria : it ensured “more autonomy” (!) to the “state enterprises” (!) directors. And they started enriching themselves and their circle of close relatives and friends at the expense of the state – i.e. of us all. An interesting coincidence, isn’t it? The black market flourished.
- “encouraging cooperatives and private enterprises”
The so-called “cooperatives” provided certain people at certain economic and political levels with even more opportunities to enrich themselves and theirs at the expense of the state – i.e., of us all. The black market flourished.
Both the increased autonomy of the “state enterprises” and the “encouraged cooperatives” created a layer of people with means to buy up the party nomenclature both at a local and state level – the door to a widespread corruption had been opened…
- Let’s now have a closer look at the “private enterprises”.
The 80ties in Bulgaria were marked also with the Law for the Citizens’ Ownership and Decree 56 - both of them unleashed the lust for possessions and many rushed to heap them up… by opening private workshops here and there for this and that
They have encouraged the appearance of the petty bourgeoisie’s class - whose natural strive is to reach the status of a middle-class bourgeoisie - that will greedily look up to the status of the oligarchs.
Here are two suitable quotes for you:
1/ "Капитал имеет непреодолимую тягу к концентрации и укрупнению, потому допусти его хоть каплю, и она начнет расти, как ядерный гриб - очень быстро." (Russian)
“The Capital possess an irresistible drive to concentration and accumulation – if only a drop is allowed, it will start growing up very quickly – just as a nuclear mushroom.”
2/ "Как только появляется частная собственность, она обязательно захочет расти и буржуазное накопительское мышление поглотит все. Я помню со студенческих времен мысль Маркса о том, капитал живет только в вечном движении. Деньги должны приносить новые деньги и так без конца. (Russian)
“Immediately after the appearance of a private ownership, it will want to grow and the bourgeois mentality of incessant capital accumulation will swallow everything around. …Marx has said that the capital can exist only if it is in eternal movement: money should ensure/provide for new money.” (And so on, to the end of the world….)
What has happened with the BASIC - B-A-S-I-C! - postulate of Marxism regarding the kind of ownership?
The decisions of that Cuban “communist” Party Congress demonstrate a drastic deviation from the classical Marxist/Leninist/Stalinist ideology.
Question: What afterwards? What are their future plans? Are they planning to carry again nationalization to go – again! – forward to Socialism? Or are they planning to keep climbing the ladder leading downwards – to Capitalism?
It seems the agreement is that the planning of the future is to be left to the Puppeteers…
II. Quote: “Socialist countries can face problems of motivation, productivity, efficiency, and quality. State control and planning can lead to bureaucracy, red tape and delay. Providing all people with employment can lead to overstaffing and inefficiency. Ensuring all people with the basics of a decent life – education, health care, food, housing, clothing and culture – can lead to rationing and lines and limitations on the quality and variety of consumer goods. Rationing and limited quantities of consumer goods can lead to a black market or second economy.”
Ah, well – and what of it? The Soviet Union lived for 70+ years, Socialist Bulgaria – for 45 years - and both would have lived for many years more if they have been left to themselves to solve their problems without whipping their peoples to the Slaughter House of Capitalism!
We had a Living Space in Socialism! We lived as Worthy, Dignified People are expected to live – not as slaving worms licking the boots of Greedy Criminal Degenerates for a piece of mouldy bread! You, the Westerners, have been just such worms jumping by orders from your very first breath on this Earth to the last one! You don’t know any other kind of life, poor, brainwashed, money-counting automats! How you gloat today over the coming demise of yet another ex-Socialist country whose free and proud people soon will be forced on their knees to lick the filthy boots of hordes of Criminals – Killers – Imposters – Thieves – Sex-Mad Degenerates!...
We know by heart the above quoted list of “weaknesses” and “minuses” of socialism in SU and our countries! The anti-communists have not stopped talking about them foaming at the mouth for 20+ years!
What about the really important things?
- Free of charge healthcare and QUALITY education for all;
- Symbolic prices for water, electricity, central heating, rents, city and country transport, accessible sea and mountain resorts, organised tourism - symbolic prices for the mountain huts - of workers' and students' canteens!...
- The children had been fully taken care of - Pioneers' Homes, Pioneers camps, the possibility to study their lessens for the next day in school under the supervision of a teacher...;
- Books, magazines - at symbolic prices!
- Accessible visits to theatre - opera - classical music concerts;
- That specific atmosphere you, Westerners, do not know and cannot imagine what it is like – the atmosphere of compassion - of care for the others - that feeling of belonging - to a group of people - to a society - to a country!... The feelings of both security - and responsibility!...
That unique feeling of not being alone in a desert of human DEGENERATES!
That you are surrounded with people with whom you can TALK – really TALK – without ANY fear that in the next moment you can be killed – raped – beaten – trampled upon - or thrown out of a window!
We have had the happiness to live in a highly protected HUMAN SOCIETY – not in the horrible Capitalist jungle of Monsters – Vultures – Murderers – Rapists – Paedophiles – and what not!
The quoted “black lists” (of your choice!) can manipulate the debilitated Western public – to say nothing about the US public with their brains polished as an ice-skating ring! But NOT us, the people from the East-European and ex-Soviet Union countries!
I’ll open an important secret to you: we have had a real, HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION ensured by the Socialist System we have been lucky to live in!
I pity the Western people. They will NEVER know what it is like to live in SOCIALISM – never mind the lists of negatives and minuses Capitalism‘s faithful servants keep producing – or keep quoting!
But lets have a close look at the quoted negatives.
- “state control and planning”
I have long noticed that these words make all the anti-communists see red.
R. Castro promised “decentralized state and economy” in his speech at that infamous congress.
What might that Orwellian speech of R. Castro mean?
Here is the answer: he has promised his people
- market economy – decentralised economy, and
- “small” state – stripped off the functions to protect its citizens and take whatever care for them.
The citizens of such a state are left totally at the mercy of Greedy Vultures who terrorize them with speculative prices of food and services – health care – water – electricity – transport: they all have been turned into Middle Age torturing machines!...
What about the market economy?
We already know that the planned economy leads to bureaucracy, etc.
But what does the market economy lead to?
Does it allow – in combination with the “small” state - a criminal enrichment of the few at the expense of the many? YES, it does!
Is it responsible – together with the “small” state – for the great chasm between the rich and the poor in the world nowadays? YES, it is!
Is it responsible – together with the “small” state again – for the ugly corruption that is storming the world today? YES, it is!
Let’s now compare at least these three evils of the market economy and the ‘small” state with three of the pointed out evils of the planned economy and the “big” state – i.e., controlling state.
Leading question:
Under which of these two couples of state and economy the ordinary people – the people of the main street – the people of the countryside growing up food - have lived as decent human beings – and under which – as despicable slaves writhing at their Masters’ feet for some poisoned food, slaving for them for 12-15 and more hours per day for next to nothing?
And now we come to the cherry at the top of the ice-cream:
The authors jump against “providing all people with employment… ensuring all people with the basics of a decent life – education, health care, food, housing, clothing and culture…” because it – oh, horror! – leads to “rationing and black market”!
During my life in Socialism I had problems only with ensuring the books I was interested in. They were not enough - then many loved reading: аlmost every family – everyone - used to have whole wall of book-shelves in their homes. I don’t know about other "rationings". Or, in other words: if there were such rationing, I hadn’t known about them. I only know that I personally have waited only at one kind of queue: that before the bookshops.
As for the black market – there was a well working militia and that market (if any) was its responsibility.
I have not seen it. I haven’t known anything about it. Its eventual existence and the efforts of the state and militia to eliminate it had not interfered in any way with my life – or with the lives of the people around. So I gather that if there was such a problem, it was well under control – till the 80-ties….
But the most interesting thing is that the authors seem unhappy that all people are ensured with work and “the basics of a decent life – education, health care, food, housing, clothing and culture…”
I repeat here what they have written:
“Providing all people with employment … Ensuring all people with the basics of a decent life – education, health care, food, housing, clothing and culture…”
Read it again: and THINK!
Isn’t it just what Socialism is all about?!?
Isn’t it the Dream for which people rushed forward to fight and die for Socialism in the first quarter of the 20th century – and later?!?
Work for everybody!...
Decent human life for ALL!
Now two US writers dare to declare that the DREAM of millions of people in the 20th century is impossible – all wrong! Because it leads to…inefficiency and black market!
It would have led to nothing of that kind if there had been a political will not to! If the people in power – TRUE COMMUNISTS! – had passionately believed in and shared that Dream with all those who had embraced it and fought and died for its realization!
If the Leaders were like Lenin – Stalin – Felix Dzerdzinski – and all the other worthy leaders – TRUE COMMUNISTS! - and the people who supported them!!!
Not TRAITORS like those we have in excess in our despicable, ugly times of endless Betrayals and Degradation…
Question: What’s in fact Socialism according to the authors? Why did people fight and die for it?
III. Quote: "... Cuba, exacerbated...by the fifty-year US blockade, by the collapse of the socialist bloc in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and more recently, by the fallout from the 2008 global recession…"
Conclusion
Gorbachev and Co. have killed the Dream for the Soviet people and kicked them and the next generations into the Hell of Capitalism.
R. Castro and Co. are far on the way to do the same for the Cuban people.
I disagree with that article’s authors’ suggestion that we should ignore the “similarities” and concentrate only on the “differences” – WHY?
Similarities are too many – too significant – too obvious – to be ignored! (And no wonder – the perestroika project is surely worked out by the same think-tanks at the same Security Agencies’ and Universities’ centres – you know where…)
I will be only too glad and happy if I am proved to be wrong.
But the multitudes of similarities between Gorbachev’s and R. Castro’s perestroika – my personal experience as a witness of Gorbachev’s perestroika both in the Soviet Union and Bulgaria – my study of the different stages of destruction of the Soviet Union and the Socialist East European countries - point to the other direction - alas…
I have written that article to differentiate from the deafening SILENCE that surrounds what’s going on in Cuba both on the part of the independent (?) left (?) progressives and the so-called “left”, or even “Marxist” parties in the West and the East as well (of course, with the glorious exception of the openly revisionist US “communist” party that’s gloating together with official Western media over the Cuban Perestroika – just as it can be expected. (See their video about Cuba at CPUSA.org: “Cuban socialism adapts for the future” - i.e. for capitalism…)
Blagovesta Doncheva
The Balkans – Bulgaria
30.06. 201
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