Cuban president Raul Castro fired ten members of his cabinet on Monday in a move that he cited would make the government “leaner and more responsive.”Among those who were let go were leading officials including Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and vice president Carlos Lage. Most of the sacked officials will be replaced senior ministry bureaucrats; for instance, chief diplomat Perez Roque will be replaced by a deputy- Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla.
Several of the ministers who were let go had been highly loyal to previous president Fidel Castro and might have had their own aspirations for the presidency. The timing of the move is interesting as it comes at a time of a potential thawing in U.S.-Cuba relations.
According to several anonymous “academics” interviewed by IPS, the cabinet reshuffling will not lead to significant changes in Cuba. (Ed. – it would've been very helpful to know who these sources are):
Academics who spoke to IPS do not see, however, major novelties in the shakeup, nor do they believe it will bring about the hoped-for changes in the economic sphere. "Perhaps it is early to express an opinion, but for now I just see more of the same," said one, who asked to remain anonymous…Image- CBS News
Another academic, who also asked not to be identified, said institutional structures should be simplified at all levels, "to ensure that productive enterprises or units have the necessary autonomy."
Online Sources- IPS, The Latin Americanist, BBC News, AP, Al Jazeera English, Reuters
This scenario is interesting--some are cynical about Raul's cabinet switch and others are hopeful that such switches indicate a move away from Fidel's reign. I certainly hope that this is a positive move for Cuba, but I do get a little worried whenever it comes down to the Castro boys. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteThere's an interesting video on all of this at newsy.com that summarizes a few different opinions. It's worth watching:
http://www.newsy.com/videos/raul_castro_stirs_up_cuba/