Raul Castro Urges Students to Debate "Fearlessly"

By Manuel Roig-Franzia
The Washington Post

Friday 22 December 2006

Mexico City - Raul Castro has set a surprising new tone for Cuban politics, telling university students in Havana that they should debate "fearlessly" and bring their concerns directly to him.

Castro's remarks, published Thursday by the Communist Party newspaper, Granma, are the clearest indication yet of how he might reshape Cuba after the death of his ailing brother, Fidel Castro. Raul Castro told the students that his brother is "irreplaceable."

"Fidel cannot be replaced unless all of us replace him together, each in his or her own place, carrying out his or her concrete task," Raul Castro was quoted as saying. "Only the Communist Party of Cuba can replace Fidel."

Raul Castro, who is Cuba's defense minister, tempered his remarks by telling the students that a "unified command" is a key military principle, but "that doesn't mean that discussions can't happen."

The notion of freewheeling political debate is almost unheard-of in Cuba, where many residents fear repercussions if they criticize the government. But it is not without precedent. At one time, Raul Castro encouraged open debate, including criticism of the government, at Cuba's military college. Such debate has been reined in over recent years, but some experts say they think Raul Castro could one day introduce a similar system of free speech in Cuban society.

"It's true that Raul Castro has tried over the years to open spaces for conversation," Jorge Dominguez, a Mexican political analyst who has written extensively about Cuba, said in an interview from Harvard University, where he is teaching this winter.

Granma articles are often used as propaganda vehicles by the Cuban government. Analysts said the article featuring Raul Castro's remarks appeared to address the perception that he is cold and uncharismatic, noting that he delivered his remarks with "customary joviality" and "shared anecdotes" about his childhood.

"That's important," Dominguez said. "He doesn't speak well, and he doesn't look good on television, but Raul Castro is a very likable person in small groups."

Raul Castro, who has been Cuba's acting president since his brother's July 31 intestinal surgery, also seemed to be defining himself and, more important, distinguishing himself from his brother. Granma reported that he told the students he would not follow his brother's example and deliver an extensive speech at a convention of the University Student Federation.

Although Fidel Castro appointed his brother interim president, Raul Castro still seems reluctant to seize the official mantle of power while his brother is alive. The Granma article refers to him as the leader of Cuba's military, the second secretary of the Communist Party and the first vice president of the state council. But it never calls him president.



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Cuba's Raul Castro Signals More Openness
The Associated Press

Thursday 21 December 2006

Havana - Raul Castro signaled a new leadership style in comments published Thursday, promising fewer speeches, more power sharing, and a willingness to hear different views as he fills in for his "irreplaceable" brother Fidel.

The Communist Party newspaper Granma said Raul Castro told about 800 university leaders they should "fearlessly" engage in public debate and analysis - expressing a different leadership style than that of his 80-year-old brother.

"The first principle in constructing any armed forces is the sole command," said the younger Castro, who became Cuba's provisional leader five months ago when Fidel Castro stepped aside after emergency intestinal surgery. "But that doesn't mean that we cannot discuss. That way we reach decisions, and I'm talking about big decisions."

Fidel Castro's nearly five-decade rule as Cuba's "Maximum Leader" was characterized by meandering, hours-long speeches, unquestioned decisions and micromanagement of government programs and policies.

After announcing his illness on July 31, Fidel Castro named six trusted people to run key projects he had handled alone. Raul, Cuba's defense minister since 1959 and his brother's long constitutionally designated successor, was given temporary powers as president and head of the ruling Communist Party.

"From the first moment, I established that I would not have to ... speak in every event," Raul Castro told the students. "This is the line we should follow: that these speeches will be shared" among leaders.

Although some Cuban officials have insisted Fidel Castro will return to power, they privately acknowledge that it is unlikely he will come back in the same all-powerful role. Last seen in public on July 26, his condition has been kept as a state secret.

"This is just one more signal (Raul) has a different style and could set a different direction," said Phil Peters, a Cuba expert who accompanied a 10-member U.S. congressional delegation to the island last week.

"It's already known that he is not allergic to economic reform," added Peters, of the Lexington Institute think tank in suburban Washington. "He seems to be saying that under his leadership no one will be penalized for a different point of view. I would think that Cubans would react to that cautiously, but positively."

Raul Castro is largely seen as a pragmatist more likely to embrace limited free enterprise than his brother. In the past, he has expressed interest in China's model of capitalist reform with one-party political control.

Peters said that some debate has always occurred inside Cuba's communist government, but "within very narrow parameters."

"What really counts isn't whether there is debate - Cubans argue every day of the week - but whether he will open up the boundaries so new ideas are heard," Peters said.

Raul Castro is said to especially appreciate the divergent views of young people. A glowing tribute to him, republished by state media before his 75th birthday in June, noted that Raul acknowledges that "today's youth are more demanding," and that "is not a bad sign."

Meeting with the university students, Raul Castro also echoed his earlier insistence that neither he nor any individual could replace his brother.

"Fidel is irreplaceable, save that we all replace him together, each one in his place," Granma quoted Raul Castro as telling the closing session of Cuba's University Student Federation annual congress. "The only substitute for Fidel can be the Communist Party of Cuba."

Since Fidel Castro announced his illness, the government has occasionally released photographs and videos of him, and he appeared thin and frail in the last one seen in late October.

Cuban authorities have denied speculation by many, including U.S. intelligence officials, that Fidel Castro is suffering from cancer or some other terminal illness.

Some U.S. doctors have said that Castro might have diverticular disease, which can cause bleeding in the lower intestine, especially in people over age 60. In severe cases, emergency surgery may be required.

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