Having been dead since April, Fidel Castro announces he will not cling to leadership
December 18, 2007 by William K. Wolfrum
Fidel Castro, who probably died in April or so, has come from beyond the grave to tell the world that his reign will come to an end some day.
“Fidel Castro letter: I won’t ‘cling to office’”
HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) — A Cuban television news anchor read a letter on air Monday that was reportedly written by Fidel Castro promising he would not “cling to office” or be an impediment to rising young leaders.
Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro as seen on Cuban television in September 2007.
“My basic duty is not to cling to office, much less to obstruct the rise of younger people, but to pass on experiences and ideas whose modest value arises from the exceptional era in which I lived,” Castro’s letter said, according to a CubaVision anchor.
The 81-year-old leader temporarily handed power to his younger brother Raul Castro in July 2006 after undergoing intestinal surgery. Officials say he is recovering, but they have not clarified if or when he could resume the presidency.
Castro hasn’t been seen in public since his surgery, but he has appeared in numerous videos and photos in state media. He appeared in an interview aired in September commenting on such topics as global warming and the price of oil.
About 60 articles under his name have emerged. “Reflections of the Commander-in-Chief” has covered a broad range of international topics, often railing against the U.S. government.
The letter sent McDonald’s stock soaring, as the hamburger chain already has 7,000 pre-fabricated fast food joints ready to dot the island of Cuba the moment they finally admit that Castro is no more.
–WKW
Are people really naive enough to believe that if and when Fidel Castro steps down, US interests will just be able to march in and resume business as usual?
Whoever is that stupid has obviously never been to Cuba. Even if people are struggling (largely due to the US imposed embargo) a vast majority of the population is better off than before the Revolution.
Look at the facts, the population literacy rate in Cuba is now the fifth highest in the world (in comparison the US ranks 21st), everyone has access to healthcare (life expectancy is higher and infant mortality lower than in the US). The average person is not living in the gutter and starving between harvests the way they did in the ‘good old days’.
Regardless of who succeeds Castro, it is very doubtful the people of Cuba will roll over and let the US (or anyone else for that matter) exploit the country the way the Batista government and US corporations did pre-1959.
Another thing, if McDonald’s only has 250 restaurants in NYC why would they open 7000 in Cuba where the population of the entire country is only about 30% higher?