It made international headlines today when Fidel Castro announced that
after almost 50 years as the Commander in Chief, he was stepping down. So Castro
is no longer head of state, but it’s expected to be a smooth transition
– one that started a year and a half ago when he first fell ill. Now his
brother Raul formally assumes his job as head of state while the 81-year-old
Castro promises to remain active and involved in what he calls the battle of
ideas. So it’s not a farewell, but it is a departure for the most iconic
leader in this hemisphere.
It’s news to Belize because this country has many ongoing cooperation
programs with Cuba that started in early 1999 when Prime Minister Said Musa
led a super delegation to that country and conferred Castro with the Order of
Belize – the highest national honor that can be given to a non Belizean.
So it’s a transition for the entire region and today we caught up with
Cuba’s Ambassador to Belize, Eugenio Martinez who told us that he is somewhat
sad, but completely confident that the revolution will hold firm.
Eugenio Martinez, Cuban Ambassador
“I have these mixed feelings both as an official of Cuba of sadness 
from one side because he is my President, he is my leader. But at the same time,
I am safe and certain that there are not going to be problems in Cuba because
he is no longer the President. I mean the big change in Cuba was led and is
led by Fidel, the Cuban Revolution, the big reform and the Cuban people support
the Cuban institutions and Cuban model. He is our leader, our dear Fidel, our
Commander in Chief but it is more than one man.”
Jules Vasquez,
Will there be any changes in the ongoing assistance between Cuba and Belize?
Eugenio Martinez,
“Jules I don’t see any reason for that. He was a leader of the
programs of cooperation with the world, particularly in health and education
as you mentioned, and those are main programs we have in Belize. But Belize
and Cuba are friendly neighbor countries. I don’t see the reason why we
would have to change that. As a matter of fact we announced a couple of days
ago that we are offering 20 new scholarships for Belizeans and they will be
in Cuba by March. So I feel confident that we will keep the normal relations
with Belize.”
Jules Vasquez,
Do you think that America will try now to advance its imperialists ambitions
on the island of Cuba, even though the communist government led by Fidel Castro
or led by Raul Castro will remain in place, that the US will step up pressures
to bring down the government now that Fidel Castro is no longer even symbolically
at the forefront of it?
Eugenio Martinez,
“I would definitely foresee that they will either keep the current
pressure or increase it but the Cuban people are ready and not afraid. I think
we are really really in command of the situation in Cuba, he has been out of
power for the last year and a half and nothing has happened in Cuba.”
Those images were from PM Musa’s 1999 trip to Havana which included
a stellar cast of glitterati including Sir Barry and Sir Michael.
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