Speech by Cuban President Raul
Castro on July 26, 2008
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba, July 26 (acn) The Cuban New Agency brings you the full
text of the speech given by Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz at the central
rally marking National Rebelliousness Day in Cuba, held in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba today.
http://www.walterlippmann.com/
rc-07-26- 2008.html
SPEECH ON THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE ATTACK ON THE MONCADA AND CARLOS MANUEL DE CÉSPEDES BARRACKS.
JULY 26, 2008
Men and Women from Santiago:
Compatriots:
Fifty five years is a short period
of time in the life of a nation but enough to confirm that July 26 marked the
beginning of a new era in Cuban history.
In his fundamental speech at the
official ceremony on the 20th anniversary of the Moncada also held here in Santiago de Cuba, Fidel recalled the inflammatory poem written by the outstanding Communist
leader and noble intellectual Rubén Martínez Villena:
"A charge is needed to kill
the scoundrels, To finish the work of revolutions, To a venge the outraged
dead, To remove the tenacious scab of colonization, So the humiliating fate,
the efforts and hunger, The wounds and death shall not be in vain; So the
Republic stays by itself To fulfill Martí's dream of marble, So our children do
not beg on their knees The Nation our fathers won for us on their feet."
And he concluded by saying:
"Rubén: the July 26 was the
charge you asked for."
Since that memorable ceremony in
1973, we Cubans have confronted many difficulties and hard times. Only our
people's deep convictions and determination to hold its ground and to win have
made it possible to celebrate this new anniversary with pride and optimism.
The Granma newspaper had the fine
initiative to start a few days ago reproducing that speech, dividing it into
fifteen parts. It is thus unnecessary for us to recount the background, the
causes, conditions and consequences of the attack on the Moncada and Carlos
Manuel de Céspedes barracks since the Chief of the Revolution explained them
that day in an unrepeatable synthesis.
That speech offers not only a
sound analysis of the past and of those days specifically, but also an accurate
and precise appraisal of the harsh realities the future had in store and the
way to tackle them.
In a day like this, in 1973, Fidel
asserted that the only possibility the Latin American peoples had to save
themselves was to join forces and to get rid of the imperialist domination,
since only that would enable them to take their place in the large human
communities.
And referring to our region, he
added:
"Only that would make us
strong enough to face up to the enormous economic, social, human and food
problems with a population that will grow an additional 600 million in the next
25 years. Only that would make possible our participation in the scientific and
technical revolution that will shape up life in the future. Only that will make
us free."
Later on, he admonished:
".luxury and wastage in the
developed capitalist societies are depleting the non-renewable natural
resources such as oil whose price is threatening to increase extraordinarily.
" End of quote.
If seems to have been said just
today but he said it 35 years ago. That's why Abdelazis Bouteflica, President
of the sister nation of Algeria and a dear friend of Cuba, said on one
occasion:
"We have had the immense
privilege of being friends with comrade Fidel, who has never failed us. Fidel
has the strange quality of traveling into the future, returning and then
explaining it all."
The 55 years that have passed
since July 26, 1953 have more than justified the choice of Oriente,
particularly Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo, to restart the then incomplete Cuban
Revolution. In this indomitable land of mambises and rebels, like in all of Cuba, the glorious pa triotic and revolutionary traditions of our people are kept alive.
From that very first year of
1959, the nation has been making great efforts to develop the eastern provinces
where 35% of the country's population lives today, however, compared with the
rest of the nation they are still in a disadvantage. The Special Period and the
natural disasters have hit this area with special force. These have also
prevented us from advancing at a greater speed.
We are aware of the great amount
of problems waiting to be solved, most of which weigh heavily and directly on
the population. Nevertheless, it should be recognized that lately the limited
resources the nation has been able to additionally deliver to the eastern
region have been quickly put to good use.
An example of this is the
renovation of numerous facilities that improve the people's quality of life
while contributing to education and leisure.
A work of special significance for
the people in Santiago, one which started last year, is advancing at a good
pace: the reconstruction and expansion of the aqueduct. This old and serious
problem should be definitely solved by 2010, when the entire city will have a
daily supply of water guaranteed.
Then, by 2011 the renovation of
the El Cobre and El Cristo aqueducts shall be completed --there, too, they will
have a daily supply of water-- and the construction of the 15.6 miles of water
pipeline from the Carlos Manuel=2 0de Céspedes reservoir up to the Gilbert's.
This will guarantee an additional source of this liquid in case of severe
draughts.
So far, 231.2 miles of major water
networks and 370.6 miles of secondary water networks have been completed. This
is approximately one-third of what should be installed; however, it has already
benefited over 26 thousand housing where some 111 thousand Santiagueros live.
Additionally, 15.3 miles of the
major water pipeline has been completed, that is, 17% of the total. Likewise,
the modernization of the Quintero Uno water purification plant will be soon
completed. This will raise the quality of the water supply.
The equipment required for this
work is available. Now, to maximize its use a double shift shall be arranged
wherever it is advisable trying to reduce to the minimum the inconveniences for
the population since a large part of this work is to be done inside the city.
The idea is to open up the trench and immediately lay down the pipes, and to
reestablish the way as soon as the work has been tested.
We shall be checking the timetable
for the execution of this work on a monthly basis with those responsible who
signed the contract on behalf of the entities involved. That is, Fidel
Figueroa, minister of Construction; Rene Mesa, director of the National
Institute of Water Resources; and Rolando Yero, president of People's Power in
this province.
This kind of work is not onl y
being done here but also with the 27 brigades created for this purpose in the
aqueducts of Holguín, Baracoa and Tunas, and other eastern provinces; in the
capital of the country; in Camaguey and other places in the center and west of
the island. This major work also includes tens of small towns and small
communities.
A piece of advise: the more water
that is distributed, the greater the need to save it. Water is a very valuable
resource which is indispensable for everything; therefore, it should be used
rationally.
Also, it is necessary to work hard
and urgently on the recovery of roadworks as a good part of them was destroyed
at the end of last year by tropical storm Noel. There is much to be done, but
despite the limited resources about 2218.7 miles of dirt roads and paved roads
were rebuilt in the eastern and Camaguey provinces, the same as the 75 miles of
railways affected, including most of the bridges and other major pieces of work
associated with them.
Likewise work is being done on
several water transfer systems throughout the country which will allow us to
take water from one province to another. Given their significance, our media
has been reporting on them.
I will only mention the so-called
east-west water transfer system in Holguín whose construction is advancing at
good speed. The first stage of this project will soon be ready for opening.
This will make possible a steady water sup ply to the provincial capital and to
other areas, as construction proceeds and concludes with the reestablishment of
the water pipeline.
The brigades involved in these
works have the necessary equipment. Besides, the production capacity of heavy
polyethylene pipes has been largely increased with the construction of
factories in Holguín and Havana City, which come to add to that of Ciego de
Avila which has been in operation for years.
This is an enormous investment
that we are carrying out looking not only into the present but especially into
the future. This work is of paramount importance in a long and narrow island
such as ours where the rainfalls run fast into the sea and where we regularly
sustain periods of severe draughts which can be alleviated by transferring
water resources, including those from the mountains, through large tunnels.
Such precaution will be
appreciated by all, especially by the future generations, those that will be
living in a world where drinking water will be an ever more scarce and
expensive resource.
That's why many are predicting
that future wars will be fought over the reserves of this irreplaceable natural
resource. Presently, wars are being fought over oil.
A special place among the new
investments undertaken in cooperation with Venezuela is taken by
petrochemicals: the increase of oil refining, the production of fertilizers and
the manufacturing of synthetic resins like the so-called PVC. This is used,
among many other things, for the manufacturing of petrohouses. Actually, 100 of
these houses are being built at the La Risueña community in this city. They are
similar to those built in Cienfuegos as part of an effort to test their
possibilities in our environmental conditions.
At the same time, a major
expansion has been undertaken --in some cases with our own resources and in
others with foreign companies-- in the area of nickel, cement and mining. Many
of these works will be carried out here in Santiago de Cuba and other eastern
provinces, albeit they are spread all over the country. For example, the
expansion of the 'Hermanos Diaz' oil refinery has been planned to exceed twice
its capacity; at that point it will be in a position to supply oil to the
entire eastern part of the country.
As we said last July 11th at the
Parliament, an extraordinary effort is made to invest the existing resources in
those areas that can generate a profit on a short term basis. We should try for
the best possible coordination to exist among investors, designers and
construction workers in order to achieve the greatest efficiency and to
complete every work according to the agreed timetable.
We must bear in mind that we are
living in the midst of a true world crisis which is not only economic but also
associated to climate change, the irrational use of energy and a great number
of other problems.
This situation impacts on every
nation but it has a particularly dramatic effect on the Third World peoples.
International agencies have been issuing strong alerts. Such is the case of
FAO, whose director general, who has just visited with us, has made brave
denunciations and offered sound arguments on the seriousness of this crisis of
unpredictable consequences.
Meanwhile, in the light of this
crisis the leaders of the wealthy nations and the big transnational
corporations behave passively, an attitude that is not only selfish and
irresponsible but also suicidal, since we all live on this planet whether they
like it or not.
A few days back, even the
President of the World Bank, an organization nobody would say is opposed to
capitalism, brought pressure on the industrial nations for these to take part
in the solution of the problem. However, his words fell on deaf ears despite
the fact that he invited them to contribute to the UN Food Program with the
ridiculous sum of 500 million dollars. Both, the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund have stated that the already serious situation with
food is aggravated by the U.S. policy that promotes the use of agrofuels.
Most of our people have shown to
have sufficient knowledge and maturity to understand these simply inescapable
realities. Others, however, try to stubbornly close theirs eyes to the world
problems.
I repeat that the revolution has
done and will continue to d o anything within its power to continue to advance
and to reduce to the minimum the unavoidable consequences of the present
international crisis for our people. Yet, we should timely explain to our
people the difficulties so that we can be better prepared to face them. We must
get used to receiving not only good news.
Some opinions collected with
regards to the preliminary draft of the Social Security Bill show that it is
necessary to continue providing information on this strategically important
issue.
The process of study and
consultation with all of the workers will begin next September, prior to the
adoption of the Bill by the National Assembly on December. That procedure will
be useful to clarify every doubt and offer the opportunity to volunteer any
criteria.
Everybody will be attentively
listened to, whether their views coincide or not with those of the majority,
the same as we have done with the views expressed during the process of
reflection on the last July 26th speech. We do not aspire to unanimity which is
usually fictitious, on this or any other subject.
Nevertheless, it should be kept in
mind that in 1953, the year we attacked this and Bayamo's barracks, life
expectancy in Cuba was 59 years, almost 20 years less than at this moment. This
means that at present we are living 5 years more than the average Latin
American and Caribbean, as I said at the National Assembly. Let's not forget
that in the past there were no jobs during the sugarcane off-season; that there
were long lines of unemployed; that the peasants were evicted from the land
they tilled and the workers from their housing when they could not pay the
rent. Let's not forget the terrible image of the hungry children begging for
alms, without access to doctors or schools.
Thousands of compatriots,
including the martyrs of Moncada and Bayamo, have given their lives to put an
end to all those injustices that Fidel summed up in History Will Absolve Me. It
is most appropriate to remember the situation of poverty and inequality
inherited by the revolution almost have a century ago, especially when 71% of
today's Cubans were born after January 1st, 1959.
There are still many things we
would like our people to enjoy, even though our reality today is very different
from that found by the Revolution. I remember that in the toughest days of the
Special Period, a Latin American trade union leader addressing his Cuban
colleagues said: "You may have many problems, but I know my country and a
good part of this continent, and I'll give you a piece of advise: preserve what
you have!"
Regardless of our great wishes to
solve every problem we cannot spend in excess of what we have. And to make the
best of what we have it is indispensable to save everything, foremost fuel.
I shall repeat what the Chief of
the Revolution said from this same rostrum, in a day like this 35 years ago,
because I think it is permanently valid. He said:
"As a poor country, with
little natural resources that can be easily exploited, one that must work hard
to earn its living in a world where a large part of the peoples live in
dreadful poverty [.] the goals of our people in terms of material goods cannot
be very ambitious." And he added:
"It will be our duty in the
following years to rise to the maximum the efficiency in the use of our
economic and human resources; and to carefully take note of costs and spending.
Also, we should have the courage to rectify the mistakes made on the side of
idealism in the management of our economy."
Recently, the Law Decrees were
published on the distribution of idle land and the remuneration of teachers and
professors that return to the classrooms. Both have received ample support from
our people.
Likewise, an experience of which I
spoke one year ago in Camaguey, that is, the direct distribution of milk by the
producer to the grocery stores, keeps extending at a good pace.
Last June 30th, the consumers
registered in 5,361 grocery stores, that is, 49% of those in the 154
municipalities that could implement this procedure, were receiving milk this
way. Actually, 52 million liters of milk were sold in this way in the first six
months of this year.
Additionally, 1,800 tons of fuel
has been saved whose value exceeds 2, 350,000 dollars. This fuel saving could
increase every year with the expansion of this direct milk distribution
procedure.
Efforts are also being made to
improve the organization of cargo transportation since it is a fact that an
adequate operation allows for a 20% fuel saving.
Besides, an experience is underway
in 16 municipalities which consist in centralizing the transportation used for
this purpose at that level, except in those cases where it is not logical due
to the type of vehicles used or the nature of the work they do. The results are
showing that the work can be done with 30% of the cargo transportation operated
today. We shall continue to advance with this experience at a pace that can
guarantee its rigorous application to avoid spoiling the idea, which, by the
way, has had to face some people's useless resistance.
Progress has also been made in
crucial sectors of the economy. The oil production plan is being fulfilled,
although as we all know it is far from meeting our needs. Also, a part of it is
produced in joint ventures with foreign companies from which we need to
purchase the amount required at the present high prices.
Advances have been experienced in
the recovery of tourism. Until June 25th, close to 1,309,000 tourists had
arrived in our country; this accounts for a 14.8% growth compared with the same
period last year. And something very important: the cost has been reduced for
every incoming dollar.
Likewise, we keep on our
cooperation with other peoples. Next December, this city will be the venue of
the Third Cuba-CARICOM Summit. There is a growing exchange with the Caribbean countries members of CARICOM. We are sure that the Santiagueros will be great
hosts.
It has also been decided that
here, in our Heroic City, we celebrate an extraordinary event: the 50th
Anniversary of the Revolution. Yesterday, today and forever: Santiago is Santiago!
And together with production, we
shall continue paying special attention to defense, regardless of the results
of the next presidential elections in the United States.
The country is doing well in its
defense preparation. On November 2007 we conducted with satisfactory results
the Moncada military exercise in the west and center parts of the island. This
was done in the eastern territory last June since the decision had been made to
postpone it to avoid interfering with the work of recuperation after the
intense rainfall at the end of last year.
On the other hand, Operation
Caguairán continues to favorably develop; this has enabled us to significantly
raise the preparation of our reservists, who complement the regular troops, and
of our militia.
At the same time, we have
continued the engineering fitting-out of the military theater of operations and
the modernization of the weapons and other means as well as the training and
upgrading of officers. This yea r over 2,000 officers graduated; the highest
figure in the last ten years.
Simultaneously, conditions are
being created to perform with excellence and rigor, in the month of November,
the Bastion 2008 Strategic Military Exercise.
Comrades all:
When we think 50 years into the
future it seems something rather distant; however, as I look back at the past
55 years, I feel that they have gone by very quickly.
When we attacked the Moncada, none
of us dreamed of being here today; we didn't have such dreams even when
following the Commander in Chief's orders we entered this fortress victoriously
on January 1st, 1959, exactly five year, five months and five days later. Most
of us were twenty or thirty some years old, some were even younger, and half a
century seemed to us an eternity. But if there is something we have learned
well is that time flies, therefore, to waste it away out of inertia or
hesitation is an unforgivable negligence. We must take advantage of every
minute and learn fast from every experience, even from our mistakes since they
always teach a lesson if they are seriously analyzed.
The main problems and tasks we
shall continue to analyze with the people, particularly with the workers, with
the same transparency and confidence we've always had. We shall seek for the
best solutions mindless of those who abroad try to take advantage of such
debates. Sooner or later the truth prevails. < br> We shall continue to
care for, prepare and listen to our youths so that they can act with the
firmness, the conviction and the loyalty of our Five Heroes. We are aware of
the high responsibility and dedication demanded from the new generations, and
we are certain that the same as those who unhesitatingly followed Céspedes in
1868, Martí in 1895 and Fidel in 1953, they will live up to their historical
moment, equally difficult and glorious.
Let's never forget that this is
the socialist Revolution of the people, for the people and by the people. We
will never betray the memory of those who fell in combat or who were murdered
in Santiago de Cuba and Bayamo 55 years ago.
In the days following the attack,
this barrack was wet with blood everywhere, from the dungeons to the cellar,
even to the terrace roof of the building where I was taken one night for
several hours, when they brought me here from San Luis where I was captured. I
will never forget the horrific image of the already clotted blood of my
comrades spread throughout that terrace roof.
That dreadful image, that stain on
the glorious name of Guillermón Moncada, could only be watched away by the
happiness and the smile of the tens of thousands of children who have studied
in the classrooms of this School Center, one of the first barracks of the tyranny
to be turned into a school. This is partly the fruit of the work of our
entire20people and of the sacrifices of all those who have given their lives
for the same ideas, from the independence wars until the present, in Cuba and in the fulfillment of our internationalist duty.
Our battle today is the same that
started on July 26, 1953. It is only taking place in new scenarios, at a higher
scale and now in defense of the great conquests attained in half a century.
We are now facing an enemy which
is much more powerful than the soldiers of the tyranny entrenched behind the
walls of this barrack and in Bayamo. But the strength of our people has also
grown tremendously thanks to its revolutionary unity, organization and
conscience, and to its education. We also have very superior reasons to
sacrifice our lives for, if need be.
Fifty-five years ago a bunch of
revolutionaries attempted to take heaven by storm. We were then impelled by the
decision to free our land from ignominy and to fulfill Martí's purpose to
conquer all the justice for the people.
On behalf of every patriot in this
island, from the heroic Santiago de Cuba, birthplace of the Revolution, we
dedicate this 55th Anniversary to you, Fidel, and we say to you:
We shall continue with the charge
Rubén asked for and that you started on July 26!
Everlasting glory to our martyrs!
Long live the Revolution!
Long live free Cuba!
