MIAMI, United States. — Ramiro Valdes Menendezcombatant of the Sierra Maestra and Commander of the Revolution, turns 90 today, the same age that Raúl Castro will reach on June 3.
Of the survivors of the historical staff of the Cuban regime, only Ramiro Valdés remains holding high responsibilities. His last few months as deputy prime minister have been intense. From visit to visit and from meeting to meeting, Ramiro supervises the construction of socialism on the Island, a task that he began together with Fidel Castro in 1959 and that seems to have no end.
In recent weeks, the Commander of the Revolution has made trips of capital importance within the Island, among them a visit to the Nuevitas Cement Factory (Camagüey) and several tours of industries in the province of Cienfuegos.
Ramiro’s loyalty
Granmathe official organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), did not miss the opportunity to pay tribute to Ramiro on his 90th birthday.
“Fair, sincere like few others, eternal soldier of the Homeland and worthy liberator, yes, because he was in the Moncada, because he traveled in the Granma, because he climbed the Sierra, because at the right hand of Che he led the invasion to the West, because he never it failed neither Fidel nor the work they dreamed of.”
The text goes on to thank Valdés for his loyalty to Castroism.
“Thank you, Commander Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, for your commitment to Cuba and to the freedom and well-being of an entire people. Thank you for choosing the difficult and not always flattering, but profoundly ennobling, side of duty, for being part of those who did not let the Apostle die.”
An expert repressor
The events of last year in Santiago de Cuba have distanced Ramiro from the “town bath” that he supposedly always enjoyed. There, in the hot country, the regime tried to cool down the fervor of the 11J protests by taking the Commander of the Revolution out onto the streets. However, the people attacked him, shouting “murderer”, a description that does not detract from it at all.
After the hot flash, the deputy prime minister decorated the officers who intervened in the repression against the protesters in that province. And it is that celebrating the abuses of Castroism is something that Ramiro has always enjoyed. It should be remembered that he was twice Minister of the Interior (1961-1968 / 1979-1985), a position that placed him as one of the main executors of communist repression.
Many also remember his time as Minister of Informatics and Communications (2006 and 2011), a position that showed a versatile Ramiro ready to unfold in the world of technology.
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