Waiting For Raul

AP is reporting that Raul Castro is still hiding out of public view despite what they describe as mounting pressure on him to appear in public.

HAVANA (AFP) – Pressure mounted on Raul Castro to demonstrate he is in control as Cuba's interim leader, with his absence from public view fueling fears of a power vacuum three days after he took over from his brother Fidel.

Instead of any address by midday, there was old news from Raul Castro, until now the defense chief, in the form of his July 1 address on legitimacy in Cuba's leadership, re-run in the Communist Party newspaper, Granma.

Cuba's enemy, Granma quoted Raul as saying then, "knows that the special trust the people put in the main leader of a revolutionary government is not passed on as if it were an inheritance to those who in the future may hold the country's top leadership positions.

"There is only one commander-in-chief of the Cuban Revolution, and it is the Communist Party," he was quoted as saying in the front-page story.

Some analysts saw the recycled address as the party's response to questions about Raul's lack of visibility.

But for many people on the street, no news from the man wielding Cuba's power — who leads the state, government, 50,000-man armed forces and Communist Party — was not necessarily good news.

Regime watchers are not deeply surprised by Raul taking his time and holding his tongue, but the uncertainty has helped fuel widespread speculation about whether Cuba might move toward some kind of transition, stay essentially the same or even see the government take a harder line.

On the street, many people say they are not that familiar with Raul, who was seen as a hardliner early in the communist regime but is now said to admire China's embrace of communism and capitalism. He led pragmatic reforms such as opening up to tourism led in some areas by the armed forces.

"If the (Communist Party) central committee is united, there will be no problem. But it will be necessary for Raul to be under its control," a longtime party member in his 60s said privately late Wednesday.

Well, if it's stage fright, it's a bad time for it. This actually plays against both Raul and Fidel. For Raul it looks like he is not really in control. For Fidel it looks like he relinquished control to a man not ready for prime time. Kind of makes you wonder if there's a power struggle going on behind the scenes, doesn't it?

UPDATE: OOH! Ooh! Exciting new childrens book, courtesy Val Prieto at Babalu Blog!

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Star Chronicles — August 3, 2006 @ 11:20 pm

2. Viva La Blog » The Light of Freedom for Cuba — August 7, 2006 @ 7:52 am