JAMAICANS IN SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA
Posted on December 10, 2014 by Russell
by Natasha Brown
Today marks International Human Rights Day observed annually on December 10 since 1950 when the UN General Assembly passed resolution 423(V) inviting all States and interested organizations to adopt this day of each year as Human Rights Day.
As a regular reader of this blog, the date got me thinking at a very personal level how fortunate those who live in Cuba are relative to many, like me, living elsewhere.
I want to share with you why I think Cubans should be proud of the human rights achievements of their revolution.
Healthcare
- Cubans live in a country where healthcare for the people is treated as a right and not a privilege. Not only are Cubans vaccinated against most major diseases which could affect their population but they enjoy a system of preventative medicine which minimizes the likelihood of them getting sick. And in the event that they get ill, they do not have the concerns that many outside of Cuba have including (i) not having access to a doctor or hospital nearby; (ii) not being able to pay for the required treatment, if one cannot get to a public hospital or clinic; and (iii) not having the money to purchase the required medication.
Medical attention is now a major issue to some of us in countries where the chikungunya disease just struck and where, unfortunately, in some cases we have had to bury loved ones because of an outbreak that would have been better handled given the system of healthcare in Cuba. Not to mention that some of us will now have to live with arthritis as a result of this disease.
Education
- Everyone in Cuba can read and write. In addition, Cubans need not worry about the cost of education – up to the tertiary level. This is a dream for most of us -especially for those who wish to do tertiary level studies. Yet only recently Raul noted that all those from Latin America and the Caribbean who graduated with a medical degree from Cuba can do further medical studies free of cost in Cuba.
A peaceful life
- Thanks to the revolution, the people of Cuba are enjoying the right to a peaceful life as they do not have to worry about organized crime and what in some countries have become routine homicides. For many of us life has been so devalued that we accept the fact that at any time “our number could play” as deadly crime is now an accepted or normal part of daily life. Not in Cuba. And even in death, there is not only the grieving of the loss of a loved-one but one has to face the reality of the excessively high burial costs. Again, not in Cuba where these costs are borne by the State.
Poverty eradication
- Thanks to the revolution, no one in Cuba lives below the poverty line. Here is what, in 2006, the UN High Commissioner for Human rights Louise Arbour stated. “Today, poverty prevails as the gravest human rights challenge in the world. Combating poverty, deprivation and exclusion is not a matter of charity, and it does not depend on how rich a country is. By tackling poverty as a matter of human rights obligation, the world will have a better chance of abolishing this scourge in our lifetime… Poverty eradication is an achievable goal.”
Genuine democracy
- Thanks to the revolution, genuine democracy exists in the selection of candidates who offer themselves as representatives of the people. It is the people who have a right to select their representatives. The Cuban system does not allow any party to impose a candidate on a community. Rather the community nominates its own candidates and the huge squander of resources and the thoughtless division of the people which other countries experience as rivals campaign for power does not happen on Cuban soil.
In addition, after one is elected, if he or she is not performing at the level expected by the community, they can be immediately recalled by those who voted them in office. How many of us would love such a system in our country.
A drug free society
- Cubans live in a relatively drug free society. In a world which is becoming more and more infested with rival gangs, killings and drugs, the Cuban youth seem to be enjoying the right to a life free from these evils. If only our youth could be embraced by such a culture.
Solidarity, compassion and cooperation
- Thanks to the revolution, Cubans live in a society which promotes solidarity, compassion and cooperation amid diversity. For many of us outside of Cuba, the motto is ‘every man for himself and God for us all’ as selfishness and greed have become the driving force of mainstream society.
A tradition against racism
- Thanks to the revolution, not only is racism no longer an institutional reality but when Cubans make it a tradition to voluntarily leave their homeland to risk their lives for Africans whether to fight against the inhumane apartheid system or against diseases like malaria and Ebola, how can racism survive and prosper?
Sports
- Thanks to the revolution, the Cuban youth have a right to participate in sports at all levels of schooling. In fact, there are special schools devoted mainly to those who at an early age show a special inclination towards sports; again, at no cost to their families.
Freedom
- Thanks to the revolution, Cubans enjoy the freedom to determine their own destiny. In 1959, the Cuban people decided to create a society which broke away from the tradition of an ex-colonial state which gave some semblance of political freedom but maintained economic control.
The achievements of such a move are there for all to see as the recent outbreak of Ebola has shown. Thanks to the decision to choose its own path of development, the Cuban government can now be helping others throughout the world. While Cuba sends doctors, nurses and teachers to the poor of the world others with a greater capacity to help, send troops with guns and bombs.
No external organization like the IMF, World Bank or any other body can tell Cuba how to run their country.
The Cuban society is a product of human effort and thus will have its imperfections but the gains to the people which have resulted from the triumph of the Cuban revolution in January 1959 are plain to see.
Of course, there will be the usual politically biased articles about ‘human rights violations’ in Cuba from those who have an agenda to constantly try to undermine Cuba and other countries trying to create a better world for the people. This, I suspect, will always go on. But rest assured that we are in a period of enlightenment when the truth is breaking down many barriers and the people of the world are recognizing the need to see beyond the headlines of the mainstream media.
__._,_.___
