By Luis Domínguez Castellano
When aid is provided, whether personal, state, or international, it is assumed that there is an altruistic and supportive motivation, not a political and provocative one. The United States government either doesn’t know this lesson or consciously contradicts it with its actions in Cuba.
Since October, it announced, with great fanfare, aid valued at $3 million, which, as of February, has not fully materialized and consists of food and hygiene packages for a limited group of people. Abusing their monopoly on the media, the U.S. government and its embassy have set themselves the deceptive goal of contrasting this supposedly rescue-like gesture with the colossal effort of the Cuban government, the immense solidarity of the Cuban people, and the significant international aid that has been arriving since the first days after the hurricane that devastated the eastern region of the country.
They don’t bother to compare it with the $5 billion that the economic blockade costs Cuba annually.
Numbers are often misleading. In 2022, the U.S. government offered aid valued at $500,000 following the fuel depot fire in Matanzas. The aid arrived in February 2023 and consisted of 100 specialized firefighter suits. Any help is always appreciated, and at that time it was rightly acknowledged. But any Cuban with a basic understanding of math can calculate that what was provided is equivalent to suits that supposedly cost $5,000 each, and experts know that these can be obtained on other markets for hundreds of dollars. It’s just a fact.
The three million dollars announced by the United States government in October were accepted, as the Cuban government acknowledged, among other reasons, because it is known that this money comes from the tax contributions of the American people, with whom Cuba has no disagreement whatsoever. It does not come from the personal pockets of any of the anti-Cuban aggressors who are tormenting our country. It remains to be seen what these bags of food, hygiene kits, and other goods are now worth, goods that are naturally beneficial to the people who receive them, and all indications are that they are also beneficial to those who are profiting from such inflated accounting records.
Foreign aid that arrives in Cuba is received, organized, and distributed to recipients according to well-established national norms and practices, long experience, and proven effectiveness, as well as broad international recognition. Work is carried out and coordinated with entities with a recognized track record in the country, such as religious organizations. Any reference by the United States government, its embassy, or its parrots dressed as journalists to the marginalization of Cuban authorities is pure fantasy for the unbelievers.
Cuba Questions Alleged US Aid and Denounces Political Motives
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla denounced the US government’s policy toward Cuba as marked by a prolonged and ruthless economic war that has affected several generations of the island’s people.
On social media, Rodríguez Parrilla asserted that this policy of aggression and blockade must change, and rejected the offer of material aid announced by the United States, which he described as belated, limited, and overpriced, with clear and blatantly opportunistic political motives.
The Foreign Minister maintained that the United States’ attitude toward Cuba is not one of occasional assistance, but rather a policy of sustained economic pressure, he emphasized.
Previously, Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Carlos Fernández de Cossio, called the U.S. announcement of six million dollars in humanitarian aid to the island “hypocritical,” while—he denounced—an energy blockade is intensifying, denying basic economic conditions to millions of people.
In another post on X, De Cossio stated that it is contradictory to apply severe coercive measures and, at the same time, announce the shipment of food and supplies for a small group of people.
According to a report published by the Associated Press, the State Department confirmed the shipment of rice, beans, pasta, canned tuna, and solar lamps for people affected by Hurricane Melissa, following an appearance by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez.
Previously, the Cuban Foreign Ministry had denounced Washington for using these types of announcements for opportunistic and politically manipulative purposes, under the guise of humanitarian gestures.
A senior State Department official, Jeremy Lewin, indicated that the aid would be distributed by the Catholic Church and Caritas, and noted that officials from the U.S. Embassy in Cuba would oversee the process.
Cuban authorities insist that any aid initiative must be accompanied by the lifting of the current policies of economic pressure that are structurally affecting the country’s development and the living conditions of its population.
IMAGE CREDIT: Photo: U.S. Embassy in Havana / taken from Cubadebate
[ SOURCE: cubainformacion.tv / AL MAYDEEN ]
