A Mambí with his foot always “in the stirrup”
On the occasion of Raul’s 90th birthday, Cubans recall his loyalty to the Revolution and service to the homeland, as Fidel said, an extraordinary cadre who happened to be a brother

Author: Juan Antonio Borrego | internet@granma.cu
june 3, 2021 09:06:00

Photo: Estudios Revolución
When on July 26, 1953 Raul Castro snatched the pistol wielded by a Batista police chief attempting to take him prisoner in the Santiago de Cuba Court and pointed the gun at his would-be captors, in less than a second he radically changed the course of the history he was living, saving not only his life and those of his comrades, but also a piece of the Revolution that had begun to take shape that very day.

Fidel spoke of his loyalty and service to the homeland at the First Party Congress, when he recalled that in the Revolution “nepotism cannot and will never exist,” but that sometimes “two cadres get together,” and that Raul, beyond being an extraordinary cadre, happened to be his brother.

Something very similar was recalled by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, upon assuming the position of Party First Secretary, when he evoked Raúl’s immeasurable contribution to the Revolution, from the Moncada and the Sierra to the process of continuity that he prepared, conducted and led, always on the basis of loyalty and modesty.

This is the same altruism described by Nikolai Leonov in his biography Raul Castro, a Man in Revolution, when he came across a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to his literary project: His hero, also his friend, does not seek publicity, “he rather avoids it,” Leonov stated.

When the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the socialist camp fell like a curse on Cuba, and the usual enemies began to rub their hands in glee, he made no apologies for the Revolution, assuring his people, as he had already proven in the luminous days of the Second Front, that resistance was possible; and in the long run he was right: it was possible and is possible.

This was not the last difficult test. He faced the death of Vilma, his companion in all battles, and Fidel’s illness, that obliged him to assume positions to which he never aspired.

At the head of the country, he did his job, not allowing the blockade to prevent him from looking to the future and undertaking the updating of our socio-economic model; renegotiating foreign debt and promoting non-state forms of management; achieving the release of the Cuban Five and leading talks with the United States; while supporting transcendental laws for the country and leading the democratic process of drafting the new Constitution of the Republic.

He has done more than enough to earn some rest, but always the guerillero, he told Cubans last April 16 that, as long as he lived, he will be ready “with his foot in the stirrup,” a phrase that, for a people who know him well, needs no translation.

A Mambí “ready, with a foot in the stirrup, to defend the homeland”
“Let no one doubt that as long as I live, I will be ready, with a foot in the stirrup to defend the homeland, the Revolution and socialism,” stated Army General Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, who, like another Mambi or guerrilla, always ready with his horse saddled and a rifle under his pillow, reported that his task leading the political organization had reached its conclusion

Author: Yudy Castro Morales | internet@granma.cu
april 17, 2021 08:04:49

Photo: Juvenal Balán
“Let no one doubt that as long as I live, I will be ready, with a foot in the stirrup to defend the homeland, the Revolution and socialism,” stated Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee, who, like another Mambi or guerrilla, always ready with his horse saddled and a rifle under his pillow, reported that his task leading the political organization had reached its conclusion.

Ending his presentation of the 8th Party Congress Central Report, on the gathering’s opening day, Raúl expressed the satisfaction of having fulfilled his duty, and conveyed his confidence in the future of the homeland, but emphasized his unchanging commitment to participate as a member of the party ranks: “I will continue serving as one more revolutionary fighter, ready to make my modest contribution until the end of my life,” he insisted.

The moving historic moment sealed the reading of a Central Report which, in a clear and objective manner, reviewed what had been done over the last five years, with respect to each of the country’s strategic issues.

The first session of the Congress, which will continue through April 19, was also attended by Political Bureau members Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of the Republic; José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary; and Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly and Council of State; as well as other Party and government leaders.

In his opening remarks, Machado Ventura asserted that the Party constitutes “a guarantee of national unity and a synthesis of the ideals of dignity, social justice and independence of generations of patriots who preceded us and those who have made these ideas their own, over all these years of struggle and victory.”

In the afternoon, participants gathered in three working commissions, to discuss economic-social results achieved since the 7th Congress; the Party’s cadre policy – the backbone of the organization’s work of the Party, its ideological work and the organization’s internal functioning.

Headed by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Commission no.3 met to analyze, among other issues, the selection, preparation and rejuvenation of cadres in leading positions, their constant evaluation and accountability and the need to recruit and train future leaders in a timely fashion; as well as the ethical values and principles that must distinguish the Revolution’s cadres.

Commission no.2, chaired by Machado Ventura, focused on the quality that must characterize the process of growth in the party ranks, and achieve the harmonious transition from membership in the UJC (Young Communists League) to the Party; while encouraging the participation of youth and workers in important tasks of the day.

Meanwhile, Commission no.1, led by Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, examined documents regarding the economy’s performance during the period 2016-2020, and implementation of the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines of the Party and the Revolution.