Vanguard’s Adrian Baschuk as interviewed by the Current community – [You asked, he answered]
Last week Adrian Baschuk took Vanguard viewers to Cuba in his episode, “Cuba: Waiting for a Revolution.” Now, like Mariana Van Zeller did the week prior, Adrian has answered a series of questions asked by you, the Current.com community.
Take a look:
Q: In” Waiting for revolution” it appeared that the implicit comparison for the economic, social and political conditions was a middle class western style democracy. How would the piece have differed if you compared it to it’s Caribbean or Central American neighbors? — asked by gerryh
That’s a great question. Obviously if we compare it to Honduras’ present situation we at least see stability in Cuba. No one can argue that Cuba is unstable given 50 years of the same leader and system. Next, I was in Venezuela for the first “Reforma,” or reform vote in December 2007 where Chavez proposed a slew of referendums; some extending indefinite term limits, useful land reform, public grants to cooperatives like taxi unions, seamstresses, and service workers. His “Si” movement was defeated in large part by a majority of voters who abstained, and by a mobilization of students and the upper and middle classes who on the streets demanded Chavez not turn the country into Cuba. I’ll be the first to say that Chavez made massive reforms in Venezuela’s corrupt “criollo” hierarchy and when oil revenues were high injected it right back to the people (as well as to Cuba). However, there exists a real climate of censorship and propaganda heavily favoring the Chavez government with little room for opposition. I think given Cuba’s 50 year communist stance it’s difficult to compare it, exactly what makes it so contentious and fascinating.
