Havana Cuba. — Since the end of this Friday morning, the interest of Havanans —and Cubans in general— focused on the terrible explosion that destroyed the downtown Saratoga hotel and caused appreciable damage to nearby properties. The independent press and social networks immediately echoed the unfortunate event and divulged, minute by minute, each new facet that was being discovered.
We cannot say the same about the official “press”. As usual, the feathered and parrots at the service of the regime took almost an hour to start reporting on what was happening and half of Havana already knew. Apparently, the bureaucratized Ideological Department of the Central Committee (which is the one that determines what the massive organs of the regime can say, and how they should do it) takes too long to make a decision or receive the essential imprimatur of the high hierarchy.
The one who did react reasonably quickly (which is logical, since he is not supposed to wait for permission from anyone to carry out any of his actions) was the president elected by 605 compatriots, Miguel Díaz-Canel. He appeared, with his corresponding entourage, at the scene of the accident. Later he did so at the Hermanos Ameijeiras and Calixto García hospitals, where the dozens of injured were being treated.
The henchmen of the ruling party did not miss the opportunity to sing praises about the quick presentation of the boss on duty at the scene. But I would recommend them (and the Ideological Department that commands them) to have a little more moderation: so many comings and goings of the First Secretary of the only party and President force us to make associations of ideas that are not recommended: they make us think of a person who has something to be forgiven.
In addition, Mr. Díaz-Canel, instead of limiting himself to expressing his interest in the victims and giving instructions for the best and fastest neutralization of the adverse effects of the explosion, did not miss the opportunity to once again attack the alternative press. Cuban, the only one that truly deserves that name.
He said: “Faced with the event, (…) counterrevolutionary sites (…) began to speculate on the issue, whether it was a terrorist attack.” I believe that, by making these statements, the boss was tremendously unfair: I think that, in reality (and although he did not express his thoughts), he should have felt grateful to the authors of those speculations.
Let me explain: the tremendous magnitude of the explosion, the dozens of deaths and injuries, the considerable damage it caused, determine that it is less absurd to attribute the catastrophe to a criminal terrorist attack than to verify the astonishing reality: that all this tremendous calamity is the result of of a monstrous “accident”, the occurrence of which is difficult to imagine in a civilized country.
Because if; That is what the different facets of this tragedy indicate: everything arises from the transfer of a dangerous and highly flammable substance, such as methane. This is in a place where this is not essential, since there is a manufactured gas service (the so-called “street gas”). There is talk of a leak. Why was a deteriorated hose used! It is said that this leak was discovered by a cook. Perhaps there were no suitable detectors to discover the loss? Was it necessary to trust a person’s nose!
But the string of imprudence lengthens: Was that the first time gas was smelled! Or had this already been detected somewhere else, but the tanker crew, with irresponsible joy, continued to supply the methane elsewhere! And the presence of the cook, was it due to the fact that the racking was carried out while he was working? that is, when the stoves remained lit!
Any; What has been said: the chain of imprudence, gross violations of the most elementary safety rules (and even of simple common sense) is endless. They constitute irrefutable signs of the immense catastrophe that disastrous socialism has enthroned in all aspects of our national life. This is a regimen that works like a kind of King Midas, but in reverse.
Even in the midst of this overwhelming scenario, the henchmen of Castroism cannot resist the temptation to resort once again to the triumphalism that characterizes them. The Granma echoes statements by Díaz-Canel: “We have had a very quick response from all Health personnel, as well as from the rescue teams.”
And the Head of State concluded: “We will draw from the experiences, we will assess the damage and we will recover, as always”. For their part, the editors of the Noon Television News this Saturday, when reporting on the care given to injured minors, began with one of the ridiculous phrases of Castroism: “Because in Cuba there is nothing more important than a child ”.
Naturally, the tragedy has given rise to numerous expressions of solidarity from all over the world. But even in the coverage of this aspect of the information, the clumsy sectarianism that is consubstantial to the regime’s propaganda apparatus is transparent. Instead of a support born of universal human feelings, an apparent identity between socialists and their cronies shines through.
Thus, from the very afternoon of Friday, the organs of agitation and propaganda of the regime mentioned, over and over again, the messages coming from Venezuela, Bolivia, ALBA, Honduras, Mexico, Spain or Russia (because yes, ultimately , Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is, in the eyes of Castroism, a venial peccadillo). But of course not a single word about what was declared by representatives of our closest neighbor to the North.
The same can be said of the displays of aid that took place within Cuba itself. Well pointed it out, on his blog Generation Ycolleague Yoani Sánchez: “And ideology everywhere, trying to kidnap human solidarity, painting as partisan the support that people gave to the most suffering”… Nothing, what has been said: They are a King Midas, but in reverse.
OPINION ARTICLE
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