The Other Havana and the Blockade

By: Pedro A. Fanego

Havana Province, Cuba. – Foreign and domestic enemies of the Cuban Revolution cannot cease to repeat that the blockade is not a real obstacle to Cuban economic development. Some even allege that the Revolution uses the blockade to justify its mistakes and shortcomings.

The measures that the new administration adopted in its first months in office have been overrated way beyond their real proportion and impact. It is an attempt to make the world believe that the blockade has been humanize and is about to be dismantled.

But the reality is very different. Havana Province, like the whole Island, is harmed by the blockade. It is neither rhetoric, nor propaganda. Facts and figures speak for themselves, although they can hardly describe the justified anger of workers and technicians of the Santa Cruz del Norte Rum Factory as US government perpetrates all sorts of scams to usurp the famous “Havana Club” trade mark, under the legal shade of Section 211 of America's Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 1999.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Appeals Court ruled in 2002 that Section 211 breaches the obligations set forth by the International Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Accordingly, the Court requested the United States to amend that legislation in line with its international obligations. Nevertheless, the arrogant and bully Empire has disdainfully ignored the ruling of this International Organization.

The blockade also hinders the commitment and dedication of the hard-working staff of the Company of Electricity and Telecommunications Cables (ELEKA), in San Jose de las Lajas. They have been doing an outstanding job to produce all the inputs and spare parts required for the maintenance and to modernize the power networks and telecommunications systems in the whole country.

Only in 2007, the GIMAC industrial group, whose mission is manufacturing and selling equipment, products and services for the building trade, incurred excess costs of $79,344 on freight charges, caused by having to purchase 58 containers of PVC resin in remote markets. With that sum, it could have bought another 40 tons of PVC - enough to produce 270 km of electrical sheathing for the construction of 10,000 homes.

For many months, the crew of “Mario Echavarría” Fiber-Cement Tiles Plant, in Artemisa, has been intensely working to produce asbestos-cement tiles. These are crucial to repair the houses damaged by hurricanes Ike and Gustav. But the purchase of special cloths used to manufacture asbestos-cement tiles became impossible. The Austrian supplier, Huyck Wagner, informed that as a subsidiary of US Xerium Group, its regulations banned exports to Cuba.

These are few examples of the direct impact of the blockade on economic entities of Havana Province last year. They are enlightening enough to clarify the doubts of skeptics and shut the mouth of liars.

The much-advertised measures adopted by the new US administration
could and should be the first step to rectify half a century of injustice and cruelty. But they are far from being fair and necessary, as the Bible says.

However, in the last 50 years this people never depended on what the Empire does to solve its problems. Our struggle to develop and build a fairer society goes resolutely on, along the paths of socialism.

Translated by:Pedro A. Fanego

( 28/10/09 3:07 PM )