EDITORâ€”It is generally acknowledged even by Fidel Castroâ€™s worst critics, that phenomenal economic and social reforms have been achieved in Cuba under his leadership. Unemployment has been virtually wiped out.

There is no doubt that the conditions of Cubans have improved dramatically. There is social justice and equity in todayâ€™s Cuba. No wonder Castro is revered and respected in Cuba as a national hero. Castro has no personal wealth, does not own villas abroad, and has no personal account.

Through the force of his own example, he has virtually wiped out corruption in the public life of Cuba. There are no shady deals and no contracts. Health, income levels, and education have grown substantially. T

here are no beggars in the streets of Havana. we may add that Cuba is today a nation of well-fed citizens and has a doctor to 400 inhabitants; infant mortality has decreased from 110 per 1000 in 1958 to 36; and life expectancy has risen from 46 years in 1958 to 74.2 years and has the world leading professional boxers.

All other developments, according to Edward Boorstein in his book, the Economic Transformation of Cuba, â€œfollow from this single act and Cubaâ€™s situationâ€. Any analyst, commentator or historian who misses this point has missed the road to understanding Cuba under Fidel Castro.

He or she will end up either seeing nothing or seeing miracles. One day, Castro will be no more. He may die a natural death. The army of assassins maintained since 1961 may succeed. The country has an estimated population of 11 million.

The economy has not fully recovered from the crisis that set in with the collapse of Cuba's allies in Eastern Europe; but it is rapidly picking up. The official growth rate is put at 10 per cent; even the American CIA conceded that it was as high as 8 per cent in 2005.

As remarked by John Harris in The Guardian Weekly of August 11, 2006: â€œUnlike the old states of eastern Europe, the revolution has a few genuine jewels to defend: Chiefly its education system and globally acclaimed healthcare which emphasises preventive care and locks doctors into their local populationsâ€.

The average life expectancy in Cuba is 77.3 as against Americaâ€™s 77.4. The rates of infant mortality are similarly close. But, whereas America spends an average of $5,711 per head per annum, Cuba spends only $251. And the country has a healthy population. Healthcare is accessible to all.

Harris calls this the â€œCuban miracleâ€. Reporting in the August 2006 issues of Le Monde Diplomatique, Hernando Calro Ospina said that by March 2006, about 25,000 Cuban doctors and other health professionals were working in 68 foreign nations.

Complicated and desperate health cases were continuously being sent to Cuba â€” even from â€˜advancedâ€™ countries! Raul Castro, the worldâ€™s longest-serving defence minister, took over as President of Cuba in February 2008, succeeding his ailing brother Fidel, who has been in power for five decades.

Raul Castro became acting President 18 months earlier when his brother was incapacitated by ill-health, and was formally named as President by the National Assembly days after Fidel announced his retirement.

The CIA tried to assassinate Fidel Castro â€”more than 600 times, according to one Cuban minister. But Cuba under his rule has made impressive domestic strides: Good medical care is freely available for all, there is 98 per cent literacy, and Cubaâ€™s infant mortality rates compare favourablywith Western nations.

Fidel Castro retains his ability to rattle and irritate the US. He is the David who stood up to the Goliath of America. Even after 50 years, he remains a divisive figure.

Abu Matovu
E. matovua@gmail.com

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