THANK YOU! to the Government and People of Cuba for supporting Jamaica
The Sunday Sun, because of our 1st and 3rd Sundays publication schedules, would have then missed the opportunity to join with all well thinking and grateful Jamaicans in celebrating the foresightedness of the great Michael Manley, while welcoming our Comrades in Health from Cuba. Viva Cuba.
Fidel Castro, Cuba’s former president, who died at age 90, came to power in 1959 after leading a people’s revolution, later to evolve to a socialist revolution. The Cuban Revolution (Spanish: Revolución cubana) was an armed revolt conducted by Fidel Castro’s revolutionary 26th of July Movement and its allies against the military dictatorship of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista. The resistance to Batista’s tyranny began in July 1953 and continued sporadically until the rebels finally ousted Batista on 31 December 1958, replacing his government with a revolutionary socialist state. Today, the 26th of July is celebrated in Cuba as the Day of the Revolution (Dia de la Revolución).
Castro led Cuba for almost 50 years, before his brother Raul Castro took over in 2008 and who subsequently handed over the reins to President Miguel Díaz-Canel. Jamaica and Cuba as a result of Michael Manley’s effort based on his belief of seeking a friend before you need a friend, has paid off handsomely for Jamaica on numerous occasions. Many, because of the politics and propaganda of the USA will erroneously remember Fidel Castro as a dictator, however during his years in power and now after, Jamaica has benefited tremendously from the kindness of Fidel Castro and the Cuban people then and now, since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1972 and the start of a relationship that has been close and strong.
Apart from the fact that a number of bilateral programmes started under Michael Manley, such as the training of Doctors and Engineers have continued, grown and are now entrenched Government programmes. The stiff necked few, still continue their forever futile efforts to dumb-down the realization of our nation under God and its attainment with Michael Manley at its helm, achieving much while being destabilized by external forces with internal assistance.
The Sunday Sun takes much pride in reminding those who should know but may have forgotten and to educate a grateful nation of those now in the majority born in the 1990’s and beyond, of some of the other instances of Fidel Castro and Cuba’s kindness to Jamaica.
Cuban doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals have been sharing their expertise at hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities in Jamaica. This has been a part of cooperation between Cuba and Jamaica that started under the leadership of the former Prime Minister Michael Manley and then Cuban president, Fidel Castro.
Cuban teachers have shared their knowledge at Jamaican schools for years as a part of a cooperation program between the governments of Cuba and Jamaica. In Cuba literacy rates are among the highest in the world, as well as the ratio of university graduates to their population.
Free Training of Jamaican medical practitioners in Cuba has been one of Cuba’s greatest contributions to Jamaica and the Caribbean. In the case of Jamaica, the Cuban people provided free of cost university education in Cuba to over three hundred plus Jamaicans to become to be medical practitioners, many of whom could not get and or afford that opportunity in Jamaica and would not have been doctors or other professionals today. That education under the Jamaica/Cuba Bilateral Scholarship Programme has provided many of Jamaica’s best medical practitioners.
The Cuban government shared important engineering, medical and agricultural technologies with Jamaica. This cooperation included Cuban engineers visiting Jamaica to train and assist with implementation.
Four educational institutions were donated by Fidel Castro and the people of Cuba to Jamaica. Those institutions are the GC Foster College of Physical Education, Jose Marti High, Garvey Maceo High School and the Montpelier school (now the Fidel Castro Campus of the Anchovy High School).
The kindred relationship and acts of kindness displayed by Cuba to Jamaica has continued long after the passing of Michael Manley and Fidel Castro and will forever be a part of their legacy on both these islands, whether or not, some people are happy with it.
In Jamaican parlance, wi seh, “Hail Di Man Dem”.
Thanks Fidel, Thanks Cuba, Maximum Respect.
People's National Party of Jamaica
29 March 2020
Published on the Sunday Sun, VOLUME 4, EXTRA ISSUE, 29 March 2020