America’s Cold War nemesis Fidel Castro made a farewell speech to the congress of the Cuban Communist Party yesterday, indicating that he will “die soon.” The former Communist strongman, who ruled Cuba for decades through 10 American presidents, has rarely been seen in public in recent years due to poor health brought on by age.
Speaking after his younger brother Raul Castro was re-elected as the Communist Party’s leader, Fidel symbolically referred to “all the others“–a pointed reference to his revolutionary colleagues who departed before him:
“I’ll be 90 years old soon. Soon I’ll be like all the others.”
It was a poignant recognition of his own physical frailty and the fact that he may not be around for the next Communist Party congress scheduled for 2021. Noting that the present senior leadership in Cuba is the “last of the historic generation,” he emphasized the need for continuity of ideas:
“The time will come for all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban communists will remain as proof on this planet that if they are worked at with fervour and dignity, they can produce the material and cultural goods that human beings need, and we need to fight without truce to obtain them.”
Despite his advanced age and poor health, Fidel Castro has not lost his strong anti-American stance. He responded to President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba last month by insisting that Cuba does not “need the empire to give us any presents.” President Obama did not meet Fidel during his visit.
Fidel’s influence on Cuba’s political life is still apparent. At the same congress, Raul Castro poked fun at US democracy, calling it a “sham.” He added that he saw no difference between Democrats and Republicans. It therefore appears that the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the US and President Obama’s visit last month have done little to change anti-American sentiments within the Communist party leadership.
Featured image screengrab from video.
