By: Staff Writer
April 20, 2021
The Republic of Cuba will have a new leader and their last name will not be Castro for the first time in over a half of a century, but Cuban observers are looking forward to a more civilian style of leadership from the new leader regardless of who it is.
John S. Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, Inc., headquartered in New York, told Caribbean Magazine Plus about Raul Castro stepping down as first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, making way for new leadership to take shape in the communist island state.
Kavulich said: “H.E. Miguel Diaz-Canel, the President of the Republic of Cuba since 2019, is expected to be named at First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba, replacing General Raul Castro, a former president of the Republic of Cuba (2008-2018).
Canel served as president since 2019 and from 2018 to 2019 was previously president of the Council of State, which is a 31 member body that can be classified as the country’s upper chamber or Senate, however the members are not elected through a national election, but rather they are selected from the National Assembly of People’s Power, with the latter being the representation of a house of parliament/lower house like in many Caribbean democracies in the region.
Mr Kavulich also said: “Important will be who the Communist Party of Cuba installs as the Second Secretary and in other positions of leadership- age, gender, race. At present, the combined age of the current three leaders of the Communist Party of Cuba nears 300 years.
“H.E. Dr. Fidel Castro, President of the Republic of Cuba (1976-2008) was comfortable wearing a military uniform and would begrudgingly wear a suit when requested to do so by protocol or needed optics. General Raul Castro was comfortable wearing a military uniform, but would more easily accept the necessity for wearing a suit. President Diaz-Canel is comfortable in a Guayabera, but embraces the value of wearing a suit. Fidel Castro needed to always fight. Raul Castro was prepared to fight. Miguel Diaz-Canel is a civilian.”
Mr Kavulich, said that the time have changed and there is no longer any need for the antagonistic approach towards America with Cuban leaders ways of wearing military garb at all times. He said: “The Communist Party of Cuba presides over constraint and decay due to its unwillingness to accept that it no longer needs to ‘ fight’ a ‘revolution’ but rather ‘ manage’ a ‘country’, and not in the mid-20th Century, but in the second decade of the 21st Century.
“For current President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is 60 years old and will be 61 years old next week, the most proper assist he could receive from outgoing First Secretary General Raul Castro, himself a former president of the Republic of Cuba, would be to remove his uniform, abstain from politics, and enjoy his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At 89 years of age, and 90 years old in June 2021, he may find retirement not an obstacle, but a reward.”
Further describing the Cuban Communist Party as a throwback to a bygone era of other Communist countries, Kavulich argued: “The Communist Party of Cuba is an anachronism compared with the Communist Parties controlling the People’s Republic of China and Socialist Republic of Vietnam which have adopted the required role for their countries and citizens to prosper.
“The Communist Parties in the People’s Republic of China and Socialist Republic of Vietnam preside over prosperous countries.
“The People’s Republic of China and Socialist Republic of Vietnam understand how to make a country functional with a Communist Party. Neither country operates at a deficit. Neither country has issues paying its bills. Both countries have a robust private sector- sometimes a bit too robust for their respective political landscapes, but robust, nonetheless.
“The Republic of Cuba only looks as it does today- commercially, economically, and politically because others have funded its adhesion to mediocrity.
“The Communist Party of Cuba needs to trust that the 11.3m citizens residing along the 800-mile archipelago do not require ideological adherence.”
Mr Kavulich further warned that Cuba needs to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and also said that: “The Republic of Cuba’s unattractiveness as a depository for FDI has far more to do with its commercially inhospitable landscape, a direct by-product of directives of the Communist Party of Cuba, than with the affect and effect of United States policies, regulations, and statues, as well as the Cuban Democracy Act of, 1992, Libertad Act of, 1996, or the -Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act, 2000. As a result, there are few companies, particularly those globally connected, who have a substantial FDI or other type of presence within the Republic of Cuba.
He added: “Given the Republic of Cuba’s 11.3m population, its level of FDI should be in the tens of billions of dollars- even with the commercial, economic, and political sanctions implemented by the United States.”
Cuba just recently ended its dual currency on January 1, a move foreshadowing further economic reforms that have not yet materialised. However, it seems as if economic reforms will come after the change in political leadership and power in the island state.