By Eve Bower, CNN
May 2, 2011
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Official Cuban media: 600,000 people from Havana gathered at the
capital's Revolution Square
- Activists say dire economic conditions in Cuba have necessitated
structural change
- Around the world, May Day has historically brought displays of support
for Communism and socialism
(CNN) -- The wide avenues of Havana became a colorful mosaic of the
faces and flags of throngs of Cuban people -- 600,000 of them, according
to state media -- as people gathered to commemorate International
Workers' Day, or May Day, on Sunday.
But with the recent announcement of possibly sweeping, dramatic changes
to Cuba's economic system, and the difficulties international media face
in speaking to Cubans, it is difficult to know with certainty what the
mood on those streets is.
Two days ago, Cuba's state-run Granma predicted that today's parade
would be a "brilliant culmination of the popular mass participation of
workers and people in the open and democratic process of discussion"
that yielded the recent announcement of economic changes following the
Sixth Party Congress of mid-April.
But if mood and turnout at the parade were predictable, it was precisely
because "Cuban workers are told by the government to march on May 1, and
then afterwards, the Cuban government decides what the people were
marching for," said Tomas Bilbao, executive director of the online Cuba
Study Group, a site dedicated to the opening and reform of Cuba's
society and economy.
Bilbao says similar turnouts in previous years have officially been
attributed to other reasons. But given compulsory attendance and the
lack of full, transparent information among Cuban people, he finds
efforts to attribute large turnouts to people's strong political
feelings misleading.
An end to those classic cars in Cuba?
Less than two weeks ago, Cuba's Communist Party held its Sixth Party
Congress -- its first in 14 years -- and announced that it had approved
drastic changes, including term limits for its top leaders, the gradual
elimination of the ration card system, the purchase and sale of housing
and cars, and massive layoffs, which the president has said will exceed
one million.
Among average Cubans, neither the timetable of implementation nor the
final details of these changes are known. It is not even clear if they
will be formally announced at some future time.
This leads to a cautious, if optimistic, uncertainty, Bilbao said.
"There is a lot of anticipation because people are in a desperate
situation. But a lot of the fear is from people who will lose state
jobs, or people concerned with losing elements of the ration system,
especially older people. People are curious ... because in the past,
these types of reforms have been rolled back."
"Plans are still to lay off 500,000 workers in the next few months, and
one has to wonder how many of those who attended (the May Day
commemorations) are doing so in the hope of avoiding that fate," said
Eusebio Mujal-Leon, director of the Cuba XXI Project at Georgetown
University in Washington, D.C.
Bilbao says the timing of the Sixth Party Congress is indicative of a
lack of party confidence: By preceding the Congress with the 50th
anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion, and following the Congress with
May Day marches, the party maximized nationalist sentiment and the
appearance of massive popular support.
And as to why the Congress would happen this year, as opposed to
previous years, Bilbao said the desire for change has simply grown too
strong.
"It's no longer taboo in Cuba to recognize that the system has failed.
(President) Raul Castro has encouraged people to debate what measures
should be taken," Bilbao said of the possibilities of real reform.
"More importantly," he added, "there is no alternative."
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/05/01/cuba.may.day/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
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