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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (March 30, 2016)
Page 12 The Skanner March 30, 2016 News Unusual Dissent Erupts Inside Cuban Communist Party HAVANA (AP) — Days after President Barack Obama’s historic visit, the leaders of Cuba’s Commu- nist Party are under highly unusual public criticism from their own ranks for imposing new levels of se- crecy on the future of social and economic reforms. After months of simmering discontent, complaints among party members have become so heated that its official newspaper, Granma, addressed them in a lengthy front-page article Monday, saying the public dissatisfaction is “a sign of the democracy and public participation that are intrinsic characteristics of the socialism that we’re constructing.” The article did little to calm many party members, some of whom are calling for a Communist Party con- gress next month to be postponed to allow public de- bate about the government’s plans to continue mar- ket-oriented reforms for Cuba’s centrally controlled economy. “The base of the party is angry, and rightly so,” par- ty member and noted intellectual Esteban Morales wrote in a blog post published before Obama’s visit. “We’ve gone backward in terms of democracy in the party, because we’ve forgotten about the base, those who are fighting and confronting our problems on a daily basis.” Across the country, Cuba’s ruling party is facing stiff challenges as it tries to govern an increasingly cynical and disenchanted population. US to Beef Up Military Presence in Eastern Europe Next February WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say the Penta- AP PHOTO/JAVIER GALEANO, FILE World News Briefs In this April 19, 2011 file photo, Fidel Castro, left, and Cuba’s President Raul Castro talk during the 6th Communist Party Congress in Havana, Cuba. Some party members are calling for the April 2016 congress to be postponed to allow public debate about the governmentís plans to continue market-oriented reforms of Cubaís centrally controlled economy. gon will be deploying an armored brigade combat team to Eastern Europe next February as part of the ongoing effort to rotate troops in and out of the re- gion to reassure allies worried about threats from an increasingly aggressive Russia. The officials said the Army will announce Wednes- day that it will be sending a full set of equipment with the brigade to Europe. Earlier plans had called for the Pentagon to rotate troops into Europe, where they would have used a set of training equipment pre-po- sitioned there. The new proposal would remove the pre-positioned equipment, send it to be refurbished, and allow the “ Wednesday’s announce- ment is also aimed at easing worries in Europe, where allies had heard rumblings about the pre-positioned equipment being removed and feared the U.S. was scal- ing back support U.S. forces to bring more robust, modern equipment in with them when they deploy. There are about 4,500 soldiers in an armored brigade, along with dozens of heavy vehicles, tanks and other equipment. Wednesday’s announcement is also aimed at easing worries in Europe, where allies had heard rumblings about the pre-positioned equipment being removed and feared the U.S. was scaling back support. Officials also said the Army would send additional communications equipment to Europe so that head- quarters units could have the radios, computers and other equipment needed to work with the brigades. Ally To Power Broker Suu Kyi Sworn in as Myanmar’s President NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) — Htin Kyaw, a trusted friend of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, took over as Myanmar’s president on Wednesday, calling it a “historic moment” in the country’s long-drawn tran- sition to democracy after decades of military rule. In a day full of ceremony and symbolism, Htin Kyaw was sworn in along with his two vice presidents and 18-member Cabinet. Suu Kyi, the face of Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, takes on a prominent role as the country’s new foreign minister and the head of three other ministries. The swearing in was held in an austere hall of par- liament, with lawmakers dressed in traditional cos- tume. A few hours later, outgoing President Thein Sein shook hands with his successor and handed him a letter officially transferring power. While it was a momentous day in the history of this impoverished Southeast Asian country, democracy still feels incomplete. The military retains consider- able power in the government and parliament, and the president himself will play second fiddle to Suu Kyi, who has repeatedly said she will run the coun- try from behind the scenes because the military has ensured — through a constitutional manipulation — that she cannot be the president. Still, the day belonged to Htin Kyaw and Suu Kyi, who sat in the front row watching her confidant be- come head of a government she had long aspired to lead.
