Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power Convenes

By Arnold August
Montreal
February 29, 2008

Since the end of January following the national elections, the National Candidacy Commission sought the formal proposals of all deputies on an individual basis for both the Council of State and the Presidency of the National Assembly. On February 24, 2008 in the new legislature, the National Candidacy Commission, based on the compiled proposals by the elected deputies and its very own input taking into account all factors such as experience and age, made the formal proposal to the parliament for both bodies on separate occasions.

In the newly elected legislature the nomination by a show of hands vote followed by a secret ballot vote took place. The new Presidency of the National Assembly of People’s Power was elected. Ricardo Alarcón was re-elected as President, Jaime Alberto Crombet was elected once again as Vice-President and for the first time, Miriam Brito Sarroca as the Secretary.

The February 24th elections as the last step of the 2007-08 Cuban general elections took place in the face of an almost unprecedented anti-Cuba media war carried out by some of the world monopoly media, especially those based in North America and Europe. In the case of the USA, it was backed-up by an official statement by the State Department, C. Rice before the February 24th vote.

One of the main features of this media barrage consisted of the attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Cuba. These deafening sounds, images and endless printed and online pages represent another blatant attempt to dictate terms and conditions to a sovereign people bearing its own Constitution adopted by a secret ballot universal suffrage referendum, its own Electoral Law and a new legislature emerging from the January 20th 2008 elections. Within that context, the media barrage had and still has many features. One of them is trying to divide the Cuban leadership through desperate speculation and character assassination.

The US attempt to impose the American style of politics into Cuba, that is, in-fighting, dog- eat-dog battles, and not only character assassination, but physical assassination as well such as that of John F. Kennedy. But the US monopoly class’ wishful thinking is in vain. Based on my own experience in Cuba, the Washington plans for Cuba have failed in the past, are currently being frustrated and will continue to hit a brick wall.

This is so because Cuba, the vast majority of its people and all of its leadership from the veterans to the youngest generations including the new 18 year old student deputy, are united based on the same goal for which they have and are fighting, that is socialism and independence. Character and physical assassination is symptomatic of the US but not of Cuba. The Cuban polity and political culture (I hesitate to use the word politics when it comes to Cuba since the term has become synonymous in the USA and other countries in the “west” with dirty politics based on wealth). There have been over 600 attempts to physically assassinate Fidel Castro, but all of them have originated in the US, none in Cuba. On the other hand, there has already been at least one presidential assassination in the US emerging out of the fierce competition amongst US politicians and different sectors of the ruling economic elite, the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

In addition to Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, Jose Ramón Machado Ventura and others being the victims of character assassination and ridiculous speculation, Ricardo Alarcón and the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP) of which he is President, has also been in the cross-hairs of the US and some Canadian monopoly media. For example, one reporter of the French version State-run TV Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, (Radio-Canada and RDI) carried out a series of reports from Havana on and around February 24th. He reported on February 24th that Ricardo Alarcón was elected to the honorary (in French “honorifique”) position of President of the ANPP, implying that the Presidency is a symbolic post. This nomenclature is not the same as the term honorary (“honoraire” in French, meaning emeritus or based on merit.)

On February 21st French-language Radio-Canada-RDI television did a special one hour report on Cuba. The anchor man or presenter, M. Jean-François Lépine went out of his way to declare and repeat over and over again that it was a great honour for him to have in the studio a Cuban exile who is one of the most extreme right-wing radio broadcasters from Miami. On the other hand, M. Lépine showed sound/image bites of an interview that he carried out with Alarcón in Montreal in September 2007 when the latter attended the Latin America Studies Association (LASA) conference in this city at the head of a huge Cuban delegation.

Compared to the manner in which the M. Lépine dealt with the Cuban from Miami, virtually on his knees in admiration, star-struck by every word she uttered, he showed in my view the utmost disrespect for Alarcón. In the excerpts of the September interview M. Lépine placed emphasis on the Cuban leader’s age. He also distorted what the Cuban Parliamentary president declared in the interview.

He used the usual yellow journalism tactic of introducing his own comments after the interview video was cut and virtually placed his own words into the mouth of Alarcón combined with a montage of other videos from Cuba. One should not be surprised, because M. Lépine has presented quite a few French-language reports produced in France over the last few years emanating from the CIA-funded Reporters sans Fontières (RSF).

Even though these “reports” amongst others wildly blamed Fidel Castro for the assassination of JFK, M. Lépine never accepted my offer to show the other side of the coin. I had personally sent M. Lépine all the articles on RSF in French by the Québécois journalist Jean-Guy Allard now working in Cuba. M. Lépine acknowledged the receipt of the documents, but never took up the suggestion to provide experts in the field to challenge, based on facts, the charges made by the US-backed RSF.

Fortunately, some reporters in the French-language Radio-Canada and RDI TV and Radio had invited Professor Claude Morin, emeritus professor (“honoraire” in French, not the same as “honorifique” or symbolic) from the Université de Montréal. He is a noted historian of Latin America including Cuba. Professor Morin was able to put sense into the Cuban reality in those hectic days surrounding February 24th. He was, however, allotted very little time in the context of the overall media offensive.

On the other side of the border, Time Magazine, in its February 22nd edition, wrote: “There is rarely anything newsworthy in the stultifying proceedings of Cuba’s rubber stamp National Assembly.” In the current issue of Newsweek (dated March 3rd), the editors attempt to personally put down Alarcón, referring to him as “the long time president of Cuba’s rubber-stamp national parliament.”

Who is Ricardo Alarcón and what is the ANPP? Alarcón was born on May 21, 1937. He is 70 years old. He threw himself into the revolutionary struggle as a young student in Havana in March 1952 when the US-organized Batista coup d’état was imposed on the Cuban people. This fascist military operation was implanted when it was evident to the US that new progressive forces such as those headed by Fidel Castro were about to make big gains in the multi-party elections called for later on in 1952. Since that time, Alarcón, like so many others of his generation has been and is carrying out various activities and responsibilities in the state, government and the Communist Party of Cuba.

I have spent quite some time in Cuba over the last ten years. What the media say about the ANPP and Alarcón does not at all jive with the reality.

The President of the ANPP is far from being a symbolic position. (There are no symbolic positions in Cuba, everything is based on merit). The Parliamentary presidency carries with it full time, non-stop responsibilities in Cuba and on the international scene. During my most recent stays in Cuba for the 2007-2008 elections, hardly a day would go by when I would not read in the Cuban newspapers about the activities of Alarcón in national and international affairs, receiving parliamentarians from all over the world. This represents just one amongst many other activities.

Yet, only a few hours later or the next day after reading about these activities, I would meet up with Alarcón while I attended local grassroots electoral meetings between candidates and neighbours in the community from which he is a candidate. He shows up in a most humble and unobtrusive manner as is characteristic of all the Cuban leaders. They are on the same footing as other candidates many of whom are ordinary worker, students and primary school teachers.

Right after the January 20th elections, once again, in the midst of the 100 and more responsibilities and tasks, Alarcón appears at the session of the Municipal Assembly of Plaza de la Revolución Municipality from which he had just been elected national deputy once again. He fully participated that day in the very lively debate on how to improve the Peoples’ Power at the local level. This is an initiative which he himself had undertaken as President of the ANPP. There are many other examples of the daily and nonstop work of the ANPP President.

As far as the ANPP, is it a rubber stamp parliament, a stultifying institution as much of the US monopoly media claim? The Cuban Parliament meets usually twice a year for one or two days in regular sessions. However, unlike most parliaments in the west, the deputies and the ANPP work literally 12 months a year, almost 7 days per week in full consultation with the citizens and mass organisations.

This is done, amongst others, through its 10 permanent or standing commissions composed of elected deputies. During my last visit to Cuba in January and early February, I carried out extensive, transparent and open-ended interviews with the Presidents of three such Permanent commissions: 1. Activity Related to Production, 2. Constitutional and Juridical Affaires, 3. Local Peoples’ Power. In addition I interviewed the Coordinator of the International Relations Commission, one member of the Commission responsible for Education, Culture, Science, Technology and Environment and a member from the Commission dealing with Youth, Children, Equality and Rights for Women.

I have covered virtually all of the steps of the electoral process twice, 10 years ago for my first book, and this past year for my forthcoming book. I have to say that one of the most stimulating, interesting eye opener was the investigation of the workings of the ANPP. Alarcón is fully involved in this, coordinating amongst the 10 permanent commissions, government ministries and others in order to solve problems and deal with proposals and new laws.

I even had two interviews with the same President of one Commission, Activity Related to Production, because I had so many questions about how laws are developed and finally presented and adopted in the ANPP. He as the others has so many thoughtful, interesting and realistic answers. I consider that I have only begun my investigation such is the depth of the Parliament`s work.

When the North America and European media talk about a stultifying parliament, I wonder where they are coming from, in which world are they living? This is not to say that the Cuban institutions are perfect. Alarcón and other leaders are the first to insist and push for the constant perfecting and improvement of Peoples’ Power at all levels. However my ongoing investigation shows the enormous realizations and potentials of the Cuban Parliament which I will deal with in full detail in my forthcoming publication.

I would like to conclude if I may with a few suggestions to the journalists. For the French-language Canadian Broadcasting Corporation journalists, if you are interested in symbolic or honorary positions, there is no need to go to Havana. Try Canada. The Head of State of Canada is the representative of the Queen of England in Canada, known as the Governor General of Canada. I will never forget the LASA Congress held last September. The key note invited guest speaker at the opening ceremony was the Governor General of Canada.

LASA is absolutely correct to invite the Canadian Head of State. But what struck me most (this is my own opinion as a Canadian citizen) was that on the one hand we were witness to the pomp and ceremony virtually related to royalty for the formal introduction of the Governor-General to the LASA plenary session before her address as well as for the farewell after her address.

One the other hand, Ricardo Alarcón, the President of the ANPP and having to his credit more than 55 years of uninterrupted service to his people and country, mingles with the participants as just one other delegate to the Congress, with the modesty so characteristic of the Cuban leadership. LASA gave him the respect he deserved by inviting him to deliver a major political/academic conference to a packed house, followed by a standing ovation. This response by the LASA participants was not based on symbolic purposes, but on merit.

If the journalists from the USA and Canada are interested in the stultifying procedures of a rubber stamp institution, try the US Congress. Just to provide one example. The American people courageously went against the tide. They voted in the last congressional elections for a change amongst things regarding the war in Iraq by voting for the Democrats, giving them a majority in the Congress. But the war in Iraq is still going on. The US Congress has become more and more a rubber-stamp institution for the US military.

Bush has on many occasions mentioned that politicians are not the ones to decide on Iraq, only the military leaders and generals have this right!! In Canada, the vast majority of people are against Canada’s participation in the war in Afghanistan alongside the USA. However, the infighting and jockeying for positions by the major parties result in stultifying procedures, to use the term of Time Magazine, thus stifling the will of Canadians. The war in Afghanistan goes on with Canada’s participation. Many Canadian journalists, including from Quebec, are from time to time “embedded” in the Canadian army à la Américain.

Instead of taking the cue from the Washington and much of the US media regarding their demands as to who should and should not be elected to the Cuban Council of State and other bodies, thus blatantly interfering in the internal affairs of Cuba, it would be perhaps be preferable for my compatriot journalists to stop and think. How would Canadians and Quebecers like it if the US government officials and media interfered in Canada`s internal affairs during elections by making open and blatant suggestions or demands as to which party and which person should be elected?

Alarcón recently carried out an exclusive interview with Telesur on February 25th. He dealt with, amongst other major points, the issue of the elections to the new Council of State the previous day and the fuss created by the some of the international media about the age of the deputies elected to new bodies.

Alarcón said amongst other things that February 24th represented the combination of generations, the solid unity amongst the various generations. This is so true. In fact, in the presidency of the ANPP, aside from veterans such as Alarcón and the vice-president Jaime Alberto Crombet, the newly elected Secretary of the National Assembly is deputy Miriam Brito Sarroca, only 47 years old, thus born after the triumph of the revolution in 1959.

How many other countries in the world can boast of such a combination of leaders and deputies who have selflessly devoted more than 50 years of their lives to serving their country as well as an 18 year old student deputy and so many other young and not so young deputies?