Castro over Obama

[Antid Oto]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/29/barackobama.cuba

My questions for Obama

The brightest and best of the presidential hopefuls seeks to extend a
cruel, immoral Cuba blockade

* Fidel Castro
* The Guardian,
* Thursday May 29, 2008
* Article history

It would be dishonest of me to remain silent after hearing Barack
Obama's speech delivered at the Cuban American National Foundation
last Friday. I feel no resentment towards him, for he is not
responsible for the crimes perpetrated against Cuba and humanity. Were
I to defend him, I would do his adversaries a favour. I have therefore
no reservations about criticising him and expressing myself frankly.

What were Obama's statements? "Throughout my entire life, there has
been injustice and repression in Cuba. Never, in my lifetime, have the
people of Cuba known freedom. Never, in the lives of two generations
of Cubans, have the people of Cuba known democracy ... I won't stand
for this injustice ... I will maintain the embargo."

This man who is doubtless, from the social and human points of view,
the most progressive candidate for the US presidency, portrays the
Cuban revolution as anti-democratic and lacking in respect for freedom
and human rights. It is the same argument US administrations have used
again and again to justify crimes against our country. The blockade is
an act of genocide. I don't want to see US children inculcated with
those shameful values.

No small and blockaded country like ours would have been able to hold
its ground for so long on the basis of ambition, vanity, deceit or the
abuse of power, the kind of power its neighbour has. To state
otherwise is an insult to the intelligence of our heroic people.

I am not questioning Obama's great intelligence, his debating skills
or his work ethic. He is a talented orator and is ahead of his rivals
in the electoral race. Nevertheless, I am obliged to raise a number of
delicate questions. I do not expect answers; I wish only to raise them
for the record.

Is it right for the president of the US to order the assassination of
any one person in the world, whatever the pretext? Is it ethical for
the president of the US to order the torture of other human beings?
Should state terrorism be used by a country as powerful as the US as
an instrument to bring peace to the planet?

Is an Adjustment Act, applied as punishment to only one country, Cuba,
in order to destabilise it, good and honourable when it costs innocent
children and mothers their lives? Are the brain drain and the
continuous theft of the best scientific and intellectual minds in poor
countries moral and justifiable?

Is it fair to stage pre-emptive attacks? Is it honourable and sane to
invest millions and millions of dollars in the military-industrial
complex, to produce weapons that can destroy life on earth several
times over? Is that the way in which the US expresses its respect for
freedom, democracy and human rights?

Before judging our country, Obama should know that Cuba - with its
education, health, sports, culture and science programmes, implemented
not only in its own territory but also in other poor countries around
the world, and in spite of the economic and financial blockade and the
aggression of his powerful country - is proof that much can be done
with very little. Cuba has never subordinated cooperation with other
countries to ideological requirements. We offered the US our help when
hurricane Katrina lashed the city of New Orleans. Our revolution can
mobilise tens of thousands of doctors and health technicians. It can
mobilise an equally vast number of teachers and citizens who are
willing to travel to any corner of the world to fulfil any noble
purpose, not to usurp rights or take possession of raw materials.

The goodwill and determination of people constitute limitless
resources that would not fit in the vault of a bank. They cannot
spring from the hypocritical politics of an empire.

· Fidel Castro is former president of Cuba. This is an edited version
of an article that appeared in Granma, the Cuban Communist party newspaper

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