Times Of Swaziland: GLOBALISATION IS BEING ATTACKED

GLOBALISATION IS BEING ATTACKED
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Editor on 27/03/2023 07:54:00


Sir,
The legacy of Fidel Castro Rus has eloquently offered its own self-defence. As
he said it on October 6, 1953, when he prophesied that ‘history will absolve
me’, while on trial for his leadership role in the revolutionary grand assault
on the Moncada Barracks. Cuban doctors helping in other countries are an
inspiration not only to the West but to us Africans too.
The point being made is that history will not only judge Castro on the human
rights of those who wanted him dead, but will assess him based on the stupendous
gains of the Cuban revolution. The massive investments of the revolution, in the
social sector, have yielded good returns for the Cuban people. Education and
health services are free in Cuba. These socio-economic needs are human rights in
Cuba. That is the social democratic contact of the revolution. The revolution
has produced an educated people.
Literacy
The literacy rate in Cuba is higher than those of many developed countries,
including the United States. Even an unyielding critic of the Cuban experiment,
The Economist of London, described the health sector of Cuba as ‘first
world’. Thousands of Cuban doctors are saving lives in different parts of the
world, especially in rural Africa.
Doctors
Cuban doctors have exuded the humanity imbued in them by the revolution where
other countries found themselves in crises situations. Cuban health workers have
been out on their mettle during hurricanes and earthquakes in various parts of
the world. Cuban doctors were on the ground to combat ebola in Liberia, Sierra
Leone and Guinea. The New York Times had this to say about Cuba’s achievement
in the health sector; “The global panic over ebola has not brought forth an
adequate response from the nations with the most to offer. While the USA and
several other wealthy countries have been happy to pledge funds, only Cuba and
non-governmental organisations are offering what is most needed: medical
professionals in the field.” The newspaper even called on the USA to swiftly
restore diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Castro was not only a commander of guerrilla struggles, he also led a battle of
ideas. He spoke against the debt trap of poor countries of the 1980s, saying the
dept was ‘neither payable nor collectable’. He warned against the ecological
consequences of the reckless capitalist development of the industrialised
countries. He was unyielding, until the end, in pointing out the enormous human
cost of neo-liberalism, the idea dominating the world in which one per cent owns
more than the 90 per cent of the global wealth.
Attacked
Today, global capitalism, called globalisation, is being attacked for different
reasons. Neo-liberalism has no answer to the wave of populism, rising in the
West. The beast in the liberal democracy is becoming manifest. Castro was
principled and disciplined until the end and provided a model of leadership. An
intangible gain of the revolution under Castro’s leadership is the development
of a people with national pride and human dignity. The revolution was rooted not
just in socialism but also in Cuban nationalism. This is one of the reasons for
the exceptional durability of the revolution. The gains of the Cuban people’s
experiment with the creation of a just, humane and popular democratic society
will surely outlive Castro.