Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. 

By Britt Nelson

Welcome to a world without Fidel Castro. President-elect Donald Trump will be the first president since Dwight Eisenhower, who left office in 1961, not to have this Communist thorn in his side just 90 miles off the shores of the United States.

As soon as news broke about Castro’s death, Miami’s Little Havana erupted in spontaneous celebration in the streets early Saturday morning and continued all day and into Sunday without any involvement from Black Lives Matter or anti-Trump demonstrators. The exiled Cuban community showed how much they have hated Castro for the past 60-plus years by peacefully protesting his life and screaming with joy over his death at 90 years. Cubans by the thousands were waving American and Cuban flags right along with a few Trump flags. There was no burning, looting or blocking highways.

Castro’s death is perfectly timed to coincide with Trump’s presidential win and the hope Trump represents for a new future in North America without the threat and influence Castro had over the entire Caribbean, Central America and South America. Castro was a ruthless dictator with bloody hands and his reach was felt far beyond Cuba. Now he’s dead and gone, but brother — President Raul Castro — will hang on for as long as he can, but he’s 85. His days are numbered. He says he will step down in two years. Then what?

Even before Raul dies or retires, the citizens of Cuba should revolt and demand democratic presidential elections, create a fresh Cuban Constitution and form a new National Assembly of People’s Power more representative of the people. No more communists. No more dictators. No more hand-me-down presidents. No more ‘appointees.’ Let the people take over with a true democracy.

Cuba can stand on its own and take its rightful place along with the rest of civilized humanity. This island nation is a beautiful and diverse country with proud people that have been oppressed for generations. Cuba needs to reach within itself and stand up for independence, individual freedoms and sovereignty.

It is not up to Trump to fix the situation in Cuba but he can offer support. Instead it is up to the Cuban people themselves. Castro’s cremated remains will go on tour throughout Cuba in the coming days culminating in his funeral later this week as thousands of native Cubans mourn their dictator.  But are they really mourning or just playing for the media under government oppression?

While President Obama issued a weak statement offering nothing more than condolences to Castro’s family, Trump expressed solidarity with the Cuban people and their troubled past.

“Though the tragedies, deaths and pain caused by Fidel Castro cannot be erased, our administration will do all it can to ensure the Cuban people can finally begin their journey toward prosperity and liberty … with the hope of one day seeing a free Cuba,” Trump commented.

Who should the Cuban people turn to for leadership? Who will eventually lead Cuba out of the chains of dictatorship and Castro’s shadow?

Enter Elian Gonzalez, who is now a hero throughout Cuba by tragically capturing world attention at six years old when his mother fled Cuba with her son on a tiny boat with ten others bound for the United States and freedom. The boat capsized and only Elian and two others survived. They were rescued by a fishing boat and turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard sparking an international custody and immigration feud between the boy’s relatives in Miami, the boy’s father in Cuba and the Cuban government led by Castro who exploited the incident.

Months later on June 1, 2000 the 11^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the boy was too young to file on his own for asylum and only his father could speak for him, plus Elian’s Miami relatives had no legal standing. Four weeks later the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case and the boy was immediately returned to Cuba and his waiting father.

No one else in Cuba has the present stature of Gonzalez, now only 22, a graduate of the University of Mantanzas with a degree in industrial engineering. After graduating from junior high school he joined the Young Communist Union of Cuba and at 15 he began attending military school, according to Gonzalez’s Wikipedia biography.

As Gonzalez grew up, Castro and his brother Raul were frequently seen pictured with the boy during birthday parties and at some national events. Castro exploited the boy for years possibly with the idea of grooming the young Gonzalez for a future role in Cuban politics.

In an ABC News interview in 2015 Gonzalez said he did not regret growing up in Cuba, but that he wanted to travel to the United States “to give my love to the American people.”

The handwriting is on the wall. The Cuban people one day in the future for better or worse will be chanting in unison “Elian, Elian, Elian” just as they did when he was six years old.

 

About the Author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.