Castro blames dollar for inequality in Cuba
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| Published on Thursday, July 12, 2007 |
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HAVANA, Cuba (AFP): President Fidel Castro in his latest newspaper article Wednesday blamed the US dollar for the emergence of inequality and wasteful spending in Cuba since the adoption of the US currency to help ease economic hardships.
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| Cuban President Fidel Castro. AFP PHOTO |
The adoption of the greenback in 1993 following the collapse of the Soviet Union -- along with the convertible peso, which can be exchanged into dollars -- has brought "some relief" during the so-called "Special Period" in Cuba's economy, Castro wrote in state-run newspapers.
However, the US currency "at times gives rise to irritating inequalities and privileges" in a country that has prided itself in creating a model, egalitarian economic system based on Marxist principles.
He especially criticized "those who, one way or another, receive convertible pesos or foreign currency and, at the same time, benefit from free social services, and food, medicine and other goods at cheap or subsidized prices."
Since the adoption of the dollar, a thriving tourist industry has grown around Cuba's coastline, employing many Cubans whose access to dollars and foreign currencies make them better off than their fellow countrymen.
Castro also railed against "those who consume gasoline willy-nilly," warning that Cubans still need to be thrifty and responsible.
One month from his 81st birthday on August 13, Castro is still recovering from intestinal surgery a year ago that forced him to hand over power temporarily to his brother Raul.
From his hospital bed, he has been busy meeting visiting foreign dignatiaries and writing opinion pieces for the government-run press. His article Wednesday was number 26 of the series begun March 29. |
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