15 Oct, 2008
Cubans vote for the loosening of restrictions
Posted by: admin In: Around Beijing| News
HAVANA – When it comes to the U.S. presidential elections, the Cuban public doesn’t believe everything it’s told.
For more than a year, Cuban officials and the state-run media have been hammering away at the U.S. voting process, criticizing the influence that big money plays in electoral outcomes and dismissing both candidates along with their proposed policy toward the island.
No surprise there, given that Havana has spent the past 50 years battling a White House occupied by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Even retired and ailing Fidel Castro dedicated 11 different editorials since the presidential primaries began to belittling the U.S. elections, equating the process with the seriousness of a “Sunday afternoon card game” and accusing both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain of planning to starve the island into submission.
And other Cuban officials have echoed that disdain for anything American.
Recently parliament president Ricardo Alarcón advised voters looking for “real change” to cast their ballot for Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney or independent Ralph Nader. Neither Obama nor McCain, predicted Alarcón, will transform much of anything.
But the Cuban public isn’t falling for the rhetoric.
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| VIDEO: Cubans weigh in on the U.S. election |
Instead of just parroting the editorial line from state-run media, people are watching and weighing the U.S. election. They’re forming their own strong opinions instead of conforming to the prevailing official view.
Furthermore, many people believe that the outcome on Nov. 4 does matter. Some even argue that their own futures are at stake.
“I’m hoping that the American people will elect someone who will be open to changing relations with Cuba and allow free travel,” said Alejandro Sene, 22, who dances with the National Ballet of Cuba and dreams of performing on the U.S. stage. “We need the breathing space.”
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