Socialism is our only option

Published : Dec 18, 2009 00:00 IST

OSCAR CORDOVES: "FOR Cuba, socialism means independence and sovereignty."-SANDEEP SAXENA

OSCAR CORDOVES: "FOR Cuba, socialism means independence and sovereignty."-SANDEEP SAXENA

FOR Oscar Israel Martinez Cordoves, deputy head of the Department of International Relations, central committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, the trip to India to attend the 11th International Meeting of the Communist and Workers Parties turned out to be important in more ways than one. This was his first visit to India, and Cordoves also addressed the concluding session of the meeting on November 22 and received a standing ovation as a representative of one of the countries that had sustained for almost five decades the onslaught of economic blockades imposed by the United States.

One of the demands in the press communique issued at the meeting was to intensify solidarity with the struggle for the release of the Cuban Five, who have been in a U.S. prison since 1998. Their crime was that they had been sent by Cuba to monitor the activities of violent exile groups in Miami, Florida. Excerpts from an interview Cordoves gave Frontline.

What is the significance of the 11th international meeting in general as well as in the context of Cuba?

This meeting is significant in that it is one way by which Communist parties and workers parties the world over get to meet, exchange opinions and have a vision of communism as well as debate on how the world sees communism. We are meeting for the first time in Asia, and Asia is the future economy of the world.

In Asia, weve had the experience of some countries that had and still have communist traditions like China, Vietnam, Laos and Indonesia. The Communist parties have been strong and at different times influenced world opinion. This kind of a meeting is also important as it is important to have a unity of ideas, after which we can mobilise people. But it is very important to have unity of ideas; then we can take measures.

Normally, when there is an economic crisis, the effect is more on the poor and working class. The possibility of working amongst these groups is very strong for Communist and Left parties. I can only imagine the number of arguments that communists can give people in this moment of crisis. It [the international capitalist crisis] is a good moment for the communists and the Left parties.

What are the specific challenges that Cuba faces at this juncture given its long history of resisting U.S. imperialism?

We have a big challenge in how to ensure the survival of socialism in these new conditions. For Cuba, socialism means independence and sovereignty. Independence and sovereignty can only be guaranteed under socialism. The question is, how can we develop our mode of socialism with the new generation of Cubans? There is one section that made the [Cuban] Revolution, [then there is] the section that was born after that.

The challenge is to ensure that the young generation maintains our history and carries forward the revolutionary spirit of socialism. How can we survive when America decides to continue with the blockades? Seventy per cent of Cubans were born in a period of blockade. Then there is the constant contact with America. There are those who are friendly to Cuba, but they want to ideologically infiltrate the system. That is something we cannot accept.

Do you think that with the change of guard in the U.S. government, there has been a perceptible shift in U.S.-Cuba relations?

The new government headed by Barack Obama is better than the one led by George Bush. Obama is an intelligent man, a big difference from Bush. He was preparing for the job, that of changing the perception of the world about the U.S. But Obama, too, is a man of the system. He is a man with different human feelings. He wants to kill us in a better way. One can talk to him; [he is] not so aggressive. His rhetoric is different but he doesnt want to do anything. That is the way we see the American administration.

We told him we would like to negotiate on equal terms. We are optimistic. He has been in office for more than 100 days but is not putting any new effort on the Cuban question or any other question. Even on Palestine, he has done a U-turn. Initially, he said that Israelis should stop settlements on Palestine territory but now he says that it should not be a precondition for talks.

What about Latin America? The Delhi Declaration describes it as the current theatre of popular mobilisation and working-class actions. Do you think the winds of change blowing there are in favour of socialism?

Socialism in Latin America is a long-term objective. None of the progressive Left-led governments are actually changing the system, including Venezuela. The character of the army remains unchanged. America will see to it that no country in Latin America takes to socialism. But socialism cannot just be made just by declaring it. One has to work towards it. We are a poor country; socialism is our only option. Political conscience cannot be developed by giving everybody a car or a television. It has to be done in another way, by giving free health care and education to all.

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