— Photo: K. Pichumani

ALL TOGETHER: CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury (second from left) having a word with G.K. Vasan, TNCC president during the Third Asia Pacific Regional Cuba Solidarity Conference organised in Chennai on Friday. Also seen (from left to right) are Sergio Corrieri Hernandez, president, Institute of Friendship with Cuba; Dew Gunasekara, general secretary, Communist Party of Sri Lanka and Juan Carretero Ibanez, Cuban Ambassador to India.

CHENAI: More than just being an expression of support to Cuba's historic resistance against the U.S. hegemony, a re-affirmation of solidarity with the country would provide the impetus for a broader global coalition against imperialism itself, speakers at the Third Asia Pacific Regional Cuba Solidarity Conference, which began here on Friday, said.

The conference, attended by delegates from 16 countries, unanimously saluted the spirit of the epochal socialist nation which, despite "46 years of the cruellest [U.S.-imposed] embargo in recent history" had done exceedingly well in human development indicators "to an extent which was not witnessed even in capitalist societies."

Solidarity with Cuba was an expression of condemnation against both the U.S. imperialism and globalisation, Sitaram Yechury, CPI (M) Polit Bureau member, said in his inaugural address. "Till date, David has been winning against Goliath and will continue to do so," Mr. Yechury said to rousing applause.

Castro's slogan

Recalling Cuban strongman's Fidel Castro's slogan — "The process of globalisation is unsustainable and to make it sustainable, the U.S. will import more barbarism and misery" — Mr. Yechury said the unsustainability was because globalisation was not accompanied by employment growth, leading to "jobless growth in advanced countries and a job-loss growth in developing nations." These negative growth rates indicated a decline in purchasing power. which in turn spelt a crisis for capitalism itself. To check this, imperialism was increasing its political and military aggressiveness, the war against Iraq and the threat to Iran being the two most recent examples.

Cuba's mere presence was galvanising a radical anti-imperial shift in the policies of Latin American countries such as Brazil and Bolivia. The spectrum of political leadership in India and the Indian people were together with Cuba in resisting the naked economic impulse for hegemony, Mr. Yechury said.

Tangible results

Earlier, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, said the Asia Pacific region's solidarity with Cuba had shown tangible results in the last 15 years. Despite the "virtually unprecedented [American] hostility and the despicable lies", Cuba's economic growth rate stood at 11.8 per cent in 2005 against the Latin American average of four per cent.

The solidarity campaign had to be more broadbased and sustained. Consciousness should be raised about the struggle of a country, which, "more than any other, [was] standing up to imperialism, was on an independent national path [and]... had survived ten U.S. administrations," Mr. Ram said.

"[Despite virulent hostility by the U.S. administration], over 1,850 friendship with Cuba associations were functioning in 135 countries," Sergio Corrieri Hernandez, Cuban MP and president, Institute of Friendship with People (ICAP), Cuba, said.

Cuba, along with Syria, North Korea and Iran was on America's menu of aggression, as evidenced by U.S. claims that it was manufacturing weapons of mass extermination, akin to claims about Iraqi WMDs. Apart from the embargo, the U.S. had also jailed five young Cubans on false charges.

Despite this, Cuban economy was in a growth mode in fields such as industries, education and health. An army of 27,000 health workers was working in 60 countries, 2,345 of them in Pakistan.

"Cuba does not export arms, war or death but health, education and life. Solidarity with Cuba is a prerequisite for a better world," Mr. Hernandez said.

Other international delegates who affirmed their solidarity were Dew Gunasekara, Sri Lankan Minister and general secretary of the Communist Party of Sri Lanka and Vo Thi Thang of the Vietnam Communist Party. Juan Carretero Ibanez, Cuban Ambassador to India, was also present.

Representatives of political parties, including G.K. Vasan, president, TNCC, and those from the MDMK and the PMK also spoke. The Forward Bloc was represented by State president actor Karthik.

Two commissions — `How to increase solidarity with Cuba' and `Increasing Information about Cuba in the media' were held in the afternoon and their recommendations will be presented during a public session to be held at Raja Annamalai Mandram on Saturday afternoon.

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