Fidel Castro is not Augusto Pinochet

FIDEL CASTRO IS NOT AUGUSTO PINOCHET
By Alejandro Guevara Onofre

INTRODUCTION:
Since 1960 Fidel and Raul Castro have send a sinister example to Third World nations. The number of countries which democratically governed and respect human rights is decreasing since 2004.Today there are many dictatorships: Thailand, Venezuela, Zimbabwe…

OPPOSITION BY ANTI-PINOCHET GROUPS
Miss Chile,Jenny Purtho Arap, was eliminated in the first round at the Miss Universe Pageant on July 26, 1982, in Lima, Peru´s capital city. Certainly, she, a girl with charming personality and beautiful eyes, was the big favourite by the international journalism. I think that Chile should have been crowned Miss Universe in my country.I believe that she was robbed of title for political reasons.

One of the major problems which Chilean dictatorship had to face was the international boycott campaign.From 1973 to 1989 Chile suffered international sanctions. Different from Cuba, many countries did not have diplomatic relations with Augusto Ramon Pinochet Ugarte, who ruled from 1973 to 1990. Many Chileans did not get VISA, an example was Claudio Arrau, one of the best pianists in the history. The same history of Israel, Taiwan, Rhodesia (currently Zimbabwe) and South Africa (Apartheid).

Ironically, The People`s Republic of China and Romania recognized the Chilean dictatorship. Under the leadership of Mao Tse-tung and Jiang Qing, First Lady of the Chinese Revolution, China and Chile had maintained good diplomatic relations.However, Pinochet Ugarte was harshly attacked by the USSR, Cuba, East Germany, Mexico, Sweden, Italy and Norway.

In 1980 Ferdinand Marcos, dictator of Philippines, invited Augusto Pinochet to come to his country.On March, 1980, he left Santiago de Chile for Philippines and made transit stops in Fidji,an ex British colony, and Tahiti.When Augusto Pinochet arrived Suva, the capital city of Fiji, a small country in the South Pacific, some human rights activists were waiting for him.There were protests against Chilean dictator´s visit.His tour had already begun when the tour was cancelled abruptly at the last moment by the dictatorship Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.

1976: In the Davis Cup final match , the Chileans lost to Italy, but the team from Chile had a particularly difficult tournament. In Rome, a group of people blocked the entrance to stadium before the match between Chile and Italy, chanting: “Pinochet is a dictator”…”He is a genocide”…Pinochet is Hitler”…and “Pinochet is the worst dictator in the history”.Certainly, Chile´s participation again became an issue.

Many famous people went to Festival Internacional de la Canción Viña del Mar, but they were criticized by human rights activists and journalists. Camilo Sesto, Spanish singer, was called “Camilochet”. In July 1978, the Mexican government objected to the presence of Miss Chile , Marianne Muller, in the Miss Universe Pageant beauty in Acapulco, Mexico.Another example:Jorge Luis Borges was considered one of the best writers in the 20th Centur.He was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize for Literature, but Borges was never awarded the Noble Prize by Swedish Academy.Why? In 1976 Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges visited Chile. Cuba would have wanted to have a writer like him…

The Chilean dictator Augusto Jose Ramon Pinochet never was accepted by the Latin America Community and Third World countries.Pinochet became notorious for human rights abuses and corruption. From 1973 to 1989, more than 3,000 Chileans were killed by Pinochet`s Secret Police Force. His autocratic and anti-communism style of rule earned him many enemies.

THE STUDENT SURPASS THE TEACHER
In comparison to Augusto Pinochet and Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina, Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz , whose father was a Spanish immigrant, is not famous like dictator… He is called “Third World spokesman” Why? Unfortunately people that don´t know Cuba very much think that Castro is a “good man”. Honestly, he never has been compared to Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, former dictator of Haiti, and Charles Taylord. “The student always surpass the teacher” is my favourite slogan. In my opinion, I think that Castro´s Communist dictatorship is worse than the former Chilean. Dictatorship.

Cuba is one of the few nations in the world in which a family controls the government. From 1960 to 2006 Fidel Castro was President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba…Currently, Raul Castro Ruz, Fidel´s brother, is the Head of State.They claim that Cuba has the most highest human development rate in the Third world and that Cubans live better in the Island than in South Korea, Singapoore, Taiwan and India.During Cold War, Cuba received more money per capita than the Socialist Republic of Ethiopia, one of the most poorest nations on Earth.

The country`s resources are used to build Olympic projects devised by dictator`s megalomania. Cuba has one of the most highest suicide rates in the world and the Island has the highest number of abortions in Latin America in relation to its population.Ironically, the standard of human development is going down. Ultimately the prostitution is increasing alarmingly in the Island. The dictatorship restricts such liberties as freedom speech and freedom of the press. Under the socialism, the government has imposed sharp restrictions on artists who criticize the dictatorial system. Reports Without Borders considers Cuba one of the “15 enemies of the Internet”. More than 300 artists and writers have defected since 1960: Jose Manuel Carbonell (poet), Lydia Cabrera( writer), Ernesto Caparros (photographer), Ernesto Lecuona(pianist), Guillermo Cabrera Infante (writer), Enrique Labrador (writer), Jesus Diaz (film maker) Nestor Almendros (film maker) and Jorge Esquivel (dancer).

KILLINGS FIELDS AND GAYS
Cuba`s dictatorship was one of the firsts states in the world that prohibited homosexuality. The general gays rights situation under Cuban Revolution was catastrophic during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.Many gays were jailed, tortured and exiled by Castro´s “Olympic Paradise”…Reynaldo Arenas, a gay writer, was imprisoned several times because of his longtime opposition to Cuban rule.After release, Arenas wrote his autobiography, with the title “Antes que caiga la noche” (Before night falls).

The Cuban Secret Police is extensively used by Fidel and Raul Castro to suppress and disrupt pro-democratics movements. However, a number of protests against human rights violation are organized by Las Damas de Blanco. Las Damas de Blanco have been compared to Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo (Argentina), who fought against the dictator Jorge Rafael Videla.
Unfortunately, some Third World democracies support the Cuban government for economical reasons. Cuba has sent more than 6,000 doctors, coaches, technicians and teachers around the world. Furthermore there are 15,000 foreign students in the Island.

I would like to finish my essay “Fidel Castro is not Augusto Pinochet” with my favourite personal motto: “Only oppression should fear the full exercise of freedom” by Jose Marti.

REFERENCES:
Alzota, Julio. “Hoy en el Perú surgirá la más bella del Universo”, La Prensa, Lima, 26 de julio 1982.

-Bonilla, Juan José-Payan, Miguel-López, José-Villalba, Susana. Diccionario Mundial de Actores, Ediciones JC, Madrid, 1998

-Caputo, Robert. "Ethiopia Revolution in Ancient Empire"; National Geographic, Washington DC, may 1983

-Diccionario de Literatura Cubana (tomos I y II), Editorial Letras Cubanas, La Habana, 1980

-Diccionario Sopena de Literatura de Literatura (tomo I), Editorial Ramón Sopena, Barcelona, 1991

-Documental: El Caso Pinochet /Chile/ 2001

-Encyclopaedia Británica Book of The Year 1977, 1981, 1984, Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago

-Freedom in the World. The Annual Survey of Political Rights and Civil Liberties 1992-93, Freedom House, 1993

-Gasparini, Juan. Mujeres de Dictadores, Ediciones Península, Barcelona, 2002

-Grondona, Mariano. "La otra Cuba", Visión, Miami, diciembre de 1993

-Guevara Onofre, Alejandro. "Crisis de Supervivencia en Cuba", Diario El Peruano, Lima, 25 de agosto de 1992

-Guía del Mundo 1993-94, Instituto del Tercer Mundo, Montevideo, 1992

-Guzmán, Patricio. Documental: La Batalla de Chile (II)/Chile/ 1977

-Huntington, Samuel. The Third Wave. Democratization in the Latre Twentieth Century, University Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1991

-Informatodo 1970, Editorial Reader´s Digest, México, 1969

-Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano 1991-2006, PNUD, New York

-Jorge, Antonio. The Cuban Economy: Dependency and Development, University of Miami, Miami, 1989

-Lande, Carl. "The Return of People Power in The Philippines", Journal of Democracy, Washington DC, January 2001

-Miller, Nicola. Soviet Relations with Latin America 1959-1987, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1989

-Roca, Ana. "Charlemos con Reinaldo Arenas: un escritor en el exilio", Americas, Washington DC, septiembre de 1981

-Roca, Sergio. Socialist Cuba: Past Interpretations and Future Challenges, Westview Press, London

-Rodriguez Elizondo, José. Crisis y Renovación de las Izquierdas, Editorial Andres Bello, Santiago, 1995
-Suchlicke, Jaime. The Cuban Military Under Castro, University of Miami, Miami, 1989

-Taufic, Camilo. Chile en la Hoguera, Ediciones Corregidor, Buenos Aires,1974

-The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1975-2006, The World Almanac Books, New York, New Jersey

-Vargas Llosa, Mario. "El Lenguaje de la Pasión", Peisa, Lima, 2000

-Zandrox. “Una de ellas puede ser Miss Universo”, Extra, Lima, 26 de julio 1982