How Cubans Are Hassled

[Karl Marx's Camel]

we spent time in the afternoon again with kai in plaza armas playing with danyos, juan and some other rasta friends. walking back to the casa with danyos we again saw the ugly side of cuban officialdom. not for the first time when the police saw our friends walking and talking with us they stopped danyos and questioned him about what he was doing talking to tourists and checked his identity card. it is actually illegal for ordinary cubans to talk to tourists and they can be fined for it, juan showed us two 30 peso fines he had received for talking with tourists. they seem to be particularly aggressive towards the cuban rastas and we frequently see them taken aside and questioned even if they are just walking down the street.


danyos says they are concerned that tourists will be told bad things about cuban society & or politics. the silly thing is the only bad impression we have of cuba is the heavy handed treatment of our friends!

From a travel blog:
http://web.aanet.com.au/bapi/blog/our%20trip%20to%20cuba.htm

Thoughts?

[metalero]

Originally posted by [email protected] 4 2006, 02:15 AM
Thoughts?
why are you so eager to keep posting gusano-whining crap lies about Cuba? Go on your own and find out the truth! U.S Govt fines so many restrictions for ordinary citizens travelling to cuba, let alone people trying to stablish trade with Cuba. You can be arrested or outrageously fined for just doing such simple things.

[Karl Marx's Camel]

You know such incidents happens frequently, and is common practice in Cuba?

[chebol]

It is not illegal for cubans to talk to tourists. In certain areas however, particularly in central Havana (and other tourist centres) there are likely particular regulations.

There is good reason for this - tourists are a source of quick money, and the jinteros involved in the sale of illegal cigars, cannabis, etc, frequent those areas that are popular with tourists.

While those cubans mentioned may have been innocently walking around with some friends they had made, they may also have been involved in those things mentioned above - or trying to find another way to make a quick buck.

Alternatively, their appearance (rastas - with all that connotates), and the circumstances, may have made them the source of suspicion (justified or otherwise). It's not out of the question that they were targeted (there is a small degree of corruption and discrimination in Cuba, but we don't know that it was the case here - especially as many of the jinteros are rastas, or try to look like them.

Cuba is not communist yet. In building socialism, the people are left with a state which they must use to help maintain the gains they have made in the face of Imperialist reaction. That requires the rule of law of some sort.

And from a quick read of the blog, it's the account of a bunch of naive tourists gallavanting around Havana, breaking cuban law by buying illegal cigars (did they get the connection through their 'innocent' rasta friends?), and generally having no idea.

If this is your idea of how "bad" cuba is, you're a fool.

[Ander]

I don't understand you people. What is the problem with being critical of Castro's regime? He is a dictator, plain and simple. Since when do dictators play a part in leftism?

[Leo]

He is a dictator, plain and simple.

Ah, but he is such a nice and sweet dictator. I mean look at him in his military uniform waving the cuban flag: :castro: :cuba:

<_<

[which doctor]

why are you so eager to keep posting gusano-whining crap lies about Cuba? Go on your own and find out the truth&#33; U.S Govt fines so many restrictions for ordinary citizens travelling to cuba, let alone people trying to stablish trade with Cuba. You can be arrested or outrageously fined for just doing such simple things.
This is from an aussie independant travel blog, not some miami gusano goverment funded site.


Cuba is not communist yet. In building socialism, the people are left with a state which they must use to help maintain the gains they have made in the face of Imperialist reaction. That requires the rule of law of some sort.
It&#39;s been nearly 50 years and Cuba doesn&#39;t seem much closer to communism than it was 30 years ago. Things seem to remain much the same. I doubt cuba can transisition from socialism to communism in the current state it&#39;s in.


Go and speak to your taritorous friends in Miami, I&#39;m sure you&#39;ll feel right at home.
WAH WAH WAH&#33;


I vote Comrade NWOG as the next president of Cuba&#33;
Sorry, but unless you&#39;re part of the Cuban National Assembly, you don&#39;t get to decide who&#39;s el presidente.

[KC]

He is a dictator, plain and simple.

American vs. Cuban Democracy (http://www.newhumanist.com/geiser.html)
Politics of Cuba (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Cuba)


It&#39;s been nearly 50 years and Cuba doesn&#39;t seem much closer to communism than it was 30 years ago. Things seem to remain much the same. I doubt cuba can transisition from socialism to communism in the current state it&#39;s in.

Perhaps that&#39;s because there hasn&#39;t been any major communist movements that have been successful in attaining socialism? The movement towards communism must be a global one, you know. ;)



Sorry, but unless you&#39;re part of the Cuban National Assembly, you don&#39;t get to decide who&#39;s el presidente.


Fidel has been President since 1976, 13 years after the Cuban Revolution. That&#39;s right, he didn&#39;t assume the role of President until 13 years after the Cuban Revolution.

However, he has been Prime Minister (or Premier) of Cuba since the Revolution. The Prime Minister is the President of the Council of Ministers:


Originally posted by wikipedia.org
The Council of Ministers is responsible for the implementation of policy agreements authorized by the National Assembly of People’s Power. These are designated to individual ministries. The council also proposes general plans for economic and social development, which are in turn authorized by the National Assembly twice yearly.

The Council of Ministers also directs Cuba&#39;s foreign policy and its relations with other governments; approves international treaties before passing them over for ratification of the Council of State; directs and oversees foreign trade and the State budget. The Council of Ministers enforces laws authorized by the National Assembly, which are passed by the Council of State.

So before Fidel became President, all he could do was propose economic/social plans, direct foreign policy, approve international treaties (but not ratify them), oversees the budget, and enforces laws (but doesn&#39;t authorize them). All this, of course, was done with the approval of the whole Council of Ministers.

So, we can see, that accusations of Castro being a "dictator" before 1976 are completely unfounded. But what about after? Well, since we already know how the President is elected (by a vote of the National Assembly), then we must find out how the National Assembly is elected:


Candidates for the National Assembly are chosen by Candidacy Commissions chaired by local trade union officials and composed of elected representatives of "mass organisations" representing workers, youth, women, students and farmers. The Candidacy Commissions produce slates of recommended candidates for each electoral district. The final list of candidates, one for each district, is drawn up by the National Candidacy Commission, taking into account criteria such as candidates’ popularity, merit, patriotism, ethical values and “revolutionary history.”

According to the Cuban Ministry of External Affairs, at the October 2002 elections to these commissions which preceded the January 2003 National Assembly elections, "32,585 candidates were nominated for the 14,949 seats up for election in October 2002 at grassroots assemblies in which 81.7% of the voters participated." At least half of the National Assembly candidates selected must have been previously elected as delegates to these assemblies.

Although there is only one candidate per seat, candidates must obtain the support of 50% of voters to be elected. If a candidate fails to gain 50% of the vote, a new candidate must be chosen. So far this has never happened for the National Assembly, because the candidates put forward by the candidacy commissions usually get at least 84% support.

I wouldn&#39;t call this system socialist, but Castro certainly is no dictator.

[Janus]

It is not illegal for cubans to talk to tourists. In certain areas however, particularly in central Havana (and other tourist centres) there are likely particular regulations.
yeah, I believe there was a thread similar to this not too long ago.

I suppose that makes sense and that many countries have policies such as that. I would definitely think that a cop from any nation would be suspicious if he saw tourists walking around areas that sell illegal wares.