14ymedio, Jorge Hernández Fonseca, Miami, 15 May 2023 — I have just finished reading in the independent Cuban press a piece of news that fills me with astonishment because of its peculiarity: some communists (Trotskyists) criticizing the Cuban communist dictatorship (which they call “the government”) for its poor performance at the head of the country, which could provoke, they say, a “capitalist military coup”, asking for a return to pure Marxism. Very good diagnosis (the military coup that will come to return to capitalism), but a solution that is, more than wrong, catastrophic!
What sensible Cuban, after sixty-odd years of all kinds of Marxism, with all kinds of “resolving” Marxist measures, by all kinds of Marxist leaders, would ask for “more Marxism?” Enough of Marxist experiments, none of them work. Who can assure us that the Trotskyist who wrote such an outrage is going to do something different from what was done before, by Fidel Castro, his brother Raúl, Díaz-Canel1, Nicolás Maduro2, Daniel Ortega3, Nicolae Ceausescu4, Pol Pot5 and a long list of detestable unsuccessful Marxists?
The problem, dear Trotskyists, is that Marxism is wrong. Communist China already demonstrated this by going to capitalism, although it continues with the “dictatorship (against) the proletariat”, but without a long-term future, because Marxism-Leninism establishes that the dictatorship is so that “capitalism does not return”. Once capitalism returns (as in China) what purpose does the dictatorship serve?
Capitalism is the “cream of the crop” that human society, in long years of trial and error, has developed to produce goods and services.
Capitalism is the “cream of the crop” that human society, in long years of trial and error, has developed in order to produce goods and services. This is because in every society, just as there are exceptional athletes, singers with golden voices, or sensational artists, there are people whose innate ability is to know how to generate employment and income, investing time and capital (which makes them rich) so that the economy grows. The capital generated by these entrepreneurs is not in a chest under the beds of each one of them. It is in a bank, available to all of society that requests capital to set up other businesses. That is capitalism. Of course, this money is not available for anyone to ask for so they don’t have to work.
There is good faith in the Trotskyists who are opposed to Castroism, but please, do not make us suffer more by asking for “real Marxism”. I know that there is fear of capitalism because there have been selfish and ambitious capitalists. The wrong human factor is common to socialists and capitalists. There are also egotistical communists. I, for one, (and all the people of Cuba) have suffered the sacrifice of our personal future from Fidel Castro’s selfishness, just to satisfy his Amazonian ego.
1Díaz-Canel, current Cuban president appointed in 2019
2Nicolás Maduro, current Venezuelan president since 2013
3Daniel Ortega, current Nicaraguan president since 2007
4Nicolas Ceausescu, Romanian president 1974-1989
5Pol Pot, leader of the Khmer Rouge 1963-1997. Revolutionary, dictator and Politician who ruled Cambodia 1976-1979
Translated by Norma Whiting
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