Dominicans urged to reflect on Cuba relationship

Dominicans are being called upon to use the observance of Cuba-CARICOM Day today to ponder upon what Cuba has done for the country.

President of the Dominica Cuba Friendship Association, Frankie Lowe, said the Cuban government has contributed to the lives of Dominicans in profound ways.

He said Dominicans should look beyond the crimes of the past and Communism in Cuba.

“As we celebrate Cuba-CARICOM Day today, we want to thank the people of Dominica and the Caribbean for their wisdom of seeing beyond the crimes of the past of Communism. We want to thank them for embracing the arms of friendship extended by the sovereign arms of Cuba over the years,” he said in a statement Thursday.

According to Lowe, Dominicans needs to ask themselves which country in the western hemisphere with so little has done so much for the country.

“They have touched as many lives. Family by family, community by community. Cuba no doubt stands out at the top of the list. If there is one lesson we have learnt from this relationship from the Cuban struggle is that with perseverance and strong will, a sense of direction and God blessings the impossible can be made possible, the poor can be made rich and the weak can be made strong,“ he said.

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24 Comments

  1. phil
    December 9, 2011

    what America, Britain, Kuwait, & France did for us MR Donald Tusk!

  2. Praying
    December 9, 2011

    HASTA LA VICTORIA !VENCEREMOS!!!!!!

  3. how many?
    December 9, 2011

    how many of the negative commenters have lived in cuba??????

  4. Donald Tusk
    December 9, 2011

    8) I CAN NEVER LIVE IN CUBA. THE PLACE SO BAD THEY HAVE TO IMPRISON PEOPLE FOR TRYING TOO LIVE.
    I LOVE LIVING IN AMERICA & CASTRO AND EM CAN GO TO HELL WITH THERE COMMUNISTS BS!

  5. DFG
    December 9, 2011

    “the poor can be made rich ”
    Who does be rich in Cuba ? except may be some corrupted ppl .
    50 years of communism imposed to the Cubans has leveled down all of them.

    The majority of Cubans want freedom and free elections.
    If communism is so well, then why should the dictatorship in power fear free elections ( with international observers ) ?

  6. FoolUs
    December 9, 2011

    What u don’t know, and they don’t want u to know; is that: when u go to Cuba to study, u don’t study “socialism” u use the best books used in USA, Spain, France, Uk (I am not saying the more recent books-editions-printed every year, just to take away student’s money; I said the best ones). Developed countries don’t want to heard, they (USA, Discriminator of UWI…) that a Cuban made doctors is much better than a graduate from ROSS or UWI, those last one will wait until they get the “…yes he/she paid…” to start the surgery; the Cuban medicine is not only very professional, but humanist. If you want proves please answer my comment leaving and email address.

    • Anonymous
      December 9, 2011

      i can attest to that. i was up there and my costo books where all translated from American text…it is a fact that the Cuban education and living system is very similar to the American…the only difference i can see is the system of government and the language…

    • UWI grad
      December 9, 2011

      You could sing all your praises about Cuban medical graduates without trying to downplay the value of UWI and ROSS doctors. You know those universities have a track record of excellence both in the region and abroad.

      I don’t know where and If you study, but It does not appear that you were taught anything in English.

      • FoolUs
        December 9, 2011

        I know very well both “systems” UWI, Cuba and my “dear” don’t worry about the English; u understands what wanted to said and that is all the communication is about, this is not a letter to the QUEEN. “If I study! Yes, and more than U… no doubt, yeep!!! UWI & ROSS have records, YES in the past; today everything is around the money! Truth?

  7. Hmmmm
    December 8, 2011

    The Caricom leaders are all fakes and hypocrites….They are friends with Cuba to get political scholarships and return to get votes from their citizens. When the students graduate, is another story.
    Our governments are asking the US to lift the embargo off Cuba, but they need to do the same…..Caribbean doctors who studied in Cuba cannot work in places like Trinidad and Antigua,, UWI the University of the West Indies dicriminate against Cuban grads…..who are we trying to fool.

  8. Cuban Student
    December 8, 2011

    Viva la relacion entre Cuba y Dominica!!

  9. Rastafari
    December 8, 2011

    We should be thankful for our friends all the time. :-D But the enemy shakes hands with us, display us on tv, then stabs us in the back and take everything we have instead of helping us. People of Dominica, be you transformed in the renewing of your minds. Please be thankful to the ones who help us in action and deed, not in words and empty promises like england, france, usa and the likes have done and continue to do.

  10. As I see it
    December 8, 2011

    Cuba’s revolution was staged 52 years ago as a result of the pillaging and stealing of the countries resources by the Bourgeouise class. Cubans were suffering. Fidel and his revolutionaries fought against dictators like Fulgencio Batista. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Cienfuegos and the others fought against injustice, corruption and exploitation of the masses.

    The revolutionaries fought against money-laundering, gambling casinos, and other crimes. They fought for equality. The Cuban revolution is severe on those in public office who engage in quick enrichment schemes through dubious means. Imagine, the national hero, named Ochoa, who fought heroically in Africa against forces of apartheid, faced the firing squad for alledgedly having links with drug dealers. It is a fact.

    Cuba has been giving support to the Sahawari Polisario Front for decades. Western Sahara is occupied by Morocco which is ruled by a king. The people there have been subjected to all kinds of exploitation. Yet the DLP Govt. recently established diplomatic relations with Morocco. Cuba certainly was surprised at the DLP Govt.’s stance.

    We have not learnt anything from our sister Caribbean nation as far as self-reliance, self-sufficiency is concerned. That madness going on with the sale of our passports, until they end up in the hands of criminals, could never happen in Cuba. The revolution would never adopt such a policy or allow any one of its leaders to dabble in corrupt practices without serious action taken against the perpetrators.

    We have not seen it fit to exploit and make maximum use our natural resources for our economic development. instead, Skerritt and his incompetent DLP Govt. has embarked on a BEGGING spree, almost totally dependent on foreign countries. A mendicant policy, named “RED CLINIC” has even been instituted.
    Cuba’s reforms in the economic, Social/cultural and political fields over the years have helped the country resist the onslaught of the embargo and strengthen the REVO.

    In Dominica, we need the graduates from Cuban universities to be more vocal against corruption, bad governance and the rise in criminal activities. One cannot be advocating for the release of the five Cubans in US jails, but is tight-lipped about the lack of justice, the heinous fire-bombing crimes and the plethora of illegal acts being committed.

    The Cubans would never leave their skilled workers out of jobs and create work for foreign workers from another country. The Cubans would never treat their local institutions with such contempt. Public Works Corp. is a classic example. Cubans believe strongly that their people come first.

    Most disturbing to them and the rest of the world are the several news items about our passports, diplomatic passports, sale of those for plenty money by agents we do not even know or issuance of those passports for other deals. The Cubans fought a hard, bitter struggle against those doing such things just for the money, for personal enrichment. The Cubans know too well that such corrupt acts would cripple the revolution.

    The Cuban graduates must let their voices be heard on issues of disrespect for our Constitution and laws, injustices, shortfalls in the judicial system, misuse of public funds by Public officials, indiscriminate sale of our passports, appointments of foreigners (Of questionable repute) as Dominica’s Ambassadors, about the neglect of the productive sectors and the other ills of our society. The STANDARD OF LIVING OF THE MAJORITY OF DOMINICANS ARE DECLINING. The Cuban Govt. would be pleased to know that grads from DA are challenging the status quo in the interest of the masses and willing to advocate against corruption, greed, selfishness, nepotism and dictatorial tendencies.

  11. December 8, 2011

    yeah. i am pondering about these questioable trained doctors thats coming from cuba??and their surgical practices.

  12. 1979
    December 8, 2011

    We want an Arms factory too to produce arms for Russia!!!!!!!!!

    • CIA on the watch
      December 8, 2011

      How would that benifit Dominica? Do we have the technical personnel to manufacture? guess you would like to continue the way the chinesse do it bring in their own persons, your suggestion i thought was meant to create employment for our people

  13. Donald Tusk
    December 8, 2011

    America, Britain, Kuwait, & France also did alot for Dominica.

    • CIA on the watch
      December 8, 2011

      Thought lybia did a lot too? ask Emanuel Nanthan

    • Rastafari
      December 8, 2011

      A lot of…….what, care to elaborate?

  14. Big-banan
    December 8, 2011

    Wonderful for us and detrimental to our fellow Cubans who strive by the harsh biased rulesof Communism to make it happen. In the mind of the shallow it does’nt matter if it is stollen or forced, as long as we get the money and the help behind it, then it is a blessing

  15. CIA on the watch
    December 8, 2011

    In thanking cuba fo all what this country has done for us i wish our beloved Government would follow in the foot steps of the cuban administration in empowering our young university graduates in taking up leadership positions/positions of responsibility in moving Dominica foward

    • pablo
      December 8, 2011

      Only where and when it is merited. The best man for the job. You might want to ponder on this and elaborated a bit more on your statement

      • CIA on the watch
        December 8, 2011

        Pablo, there is nothing to elaborate on, i wrote simple english, both you and i live in this country, all am saying while we are eternal grateful to Cuba the government of Dominica would do good in following the footsteps of the Cuban government in empowering the young university graduates and not hire those retired men who cannot bring nothing new to the table, Pablo what more do you want me to elaborate on, is that not a reality in Dominica where our young university graduates are sidelined.

      • May 19, 2012

        Well ‘if’ this Havana Journal is factual this realvitely recent headline of their’s makes oranges look like the least of their problems: State run newspaper Granma reported that Cuba will close at least one hundred “inefficient” government run farms and move approximately 40,000 government workers to other jobs. Agriculture Minister Ulises Rosales made the announcement at a meeting of the National Association of Small Farmers in Santa Clara Villa Clara.He claimed that the farms are unsustainable in the current economy. Cuba imports about eighty percent of the food consumed by its eleven million people at an annual cost of several billion dollars…

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