So Fidel stepped down. So what? Do we really expect anything to change?
I have to agree with Janisset Rivero on this one. She's the executive director of Cuban Democratic Directorate in Miami. CNN quotes her as saying “I think there have been preparations taking place for quite a while to assure the crowning of Raúl Castro. It doesn’t mean any change to the system. It doesn’t mean there will be freedom for the Cubans. One big dictator is replacing the other. It will be a big deal when political prisoners are released, when political parties are allowed to organize, when the country stops being ruled by a single party.”
Y’know, I never expected to send someone to Pervez Musharraf for lessons about democracy, but the Brothers Castro need to check this out:
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Musharraf’s Party Accepts Defeat
By JANE PERLEZ and CARLOTTA GALL
LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan appeared to be heading for a transition to an elected civilian government Tuesday after President Pervez Musharraf told visiting United States senators that he accepted the resounding defeat of his party in elections, and would work with a new Parliament. … The spokesman for the party, Tarik Azeem Khan, said: “We readily accept our defeat unlike in the past when losing parties alleged rigging. We accept that we were beaten fair and square.”
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Someday, maybe the people of Cuba will know what it’s like to have an election that’s “fair and square.”
Mind you, Pakistan, though far ahead of Cuba, still has a long way to go. Here’s more from the Times:
“Although the election was considered fairly orderly, the Interior Ministry spokesman, Brig. Javed Iqbal Cheema, said Tuesday 18 people had been killed in incidents connected to voting, and 150 injured.”
We Americans need to remember this the next time we’re tempted to complain that going to the polls is too inconvenient.
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