Cuba Marks Birthday of Che Guevara
Today marks the 82nd birth anniversary of an extraordinary human being,
one whose name will live through centuries and generations. He is none
other than Ernesto Che Guevara, the legendary guerilla, statesman,
thinker and revolutionary
By Jayatilleke de Silva
June 14, 2010 "Daily News" - -In the
words of his close comrade-in-arms Fidel Castro he was “ a person of
total integrity, a person with a supreme sense of honour and absolute
sincerity, a person of stoic and Spartan living habits, a person in
whose conduct not one stain can be found.”
He was not only a man of action but also a visionary and a person of
broad culture, a profound thinker. His great contribution was the
building of a new man who would with selfless devotion contribute to
the building of a new society in revolutionary Cuba.
In Socialism and Man in Cuba Che spoke of two pillars of the
construction of socialism: “the education of the new man and woman and
the development of technology.” He always led by example.
Whether it is in the mountains of Sierra Maestra, or in the battle for
post-revolutionary construction, he was always in the forefront. In the
early days of the Revolution he had many responsibilities - Head of the
newly created Industrial Department, Command of a regiment in Oriente,
Head of Cuba’s National Bank.
He worked till early hours of the morning. In a letter to his parents
he wrote: “We are not men, but working machines, fighting against time
in the midst of difficult and luminous circumstances.” As biographer
Lee Anderson said he used to grant interviews to foreign diplomats at
3’O clock in the morning.
For fellow men
Che’s life was full of sacrifices, sacrifices for fellow men. He gave
up the profession of a doctor and the chance to accrue money and
comforts to join Fidel’s group of rebels. In the very first battle as
the doctor of the guerillas in which their group was decimated, he
chose the rifle over the medicine box and became a guerilla commander.
In battle he undertook the most difficult missions never fearing death.
As Fidel said, “If, as a guerilla, he had his Achilles’ heel, it was
his excessively combative quality, his absolute contempt for danger.”
Born in Congo, leading the revolution in Cuba, fighting in Africa and
Latin America with arms in hand against imperialism he faced death in
Bolivia at the hands of CIA trained butchers. He died defending the
cause of the poor and the humble of the earth. That is why he has
become an immortal legend.
Che was convinced that political independence itself wasn’t enough for
the former colonies to be free. He understood the need for economic
independence if they are to be really free. Participating at the Second
Economic Seminar of Afro-Asian Solidarity way back in February 1965 he
said: “Each time a country is liberated it is a defeat for the world
imperialist system.
But we must agree that the break is not achieved by the mere act of
proclaiming independence or winning an armed victory in a revolution.
It is achieved when imperialist economic domination over a people is
brought to an end.” Experience of the past 45 years has confirmed the
truth of this statement.
It is customary to remember and honour Che as a military figure, as a
guerilla commander. However, his relevance today is more in the ideas
and thoughts he bequeathed to humanity. In the context of neo-liberal
globalization accompanied by a media and ideological blitz by monopoly
capital and world financial institutions his teachings on independent
economic development become very useful. He wrote: The IMF acts as a
custodian of the dollar for the capitalist world.
The IBRD is an instrument that is used to penetrate into underdeveloped
countries, and the Inter-American development Bank fulfills this sad
role in the American continent. The laws and principles that these
organizations are governed by appear to be, on the surface, acting in
the interests of the people they are supposedly there to help. They are
promoted as safeguarding equity and reciprocity within the area of
international economic relations. However, in reality they are merely
subtle instruments used to perpetuate exploitation and backwardness.”
An inspiration
Most of all Che will be remembered for his internationalism, his lack
of parochial interests. Actually he brought internationalism to a new
height. He is the most outstanding proletarian internationalist of the
20th Century. At the time of the Vietnam War he wrote: “There are no
borders in this struggle to the death. We cannot be indifferent to what
happens anywhere in the world, because a victory by any country over
imperialism is our victory, just as any country’s defeat is a defeat
for all of us.”
He was devoid of ambition and self-interest. He never wanted any
privileges for himself or his family. He believed that leaders should
have no special privileges over the masses. He led a Spartan life
enjoying no privileges that the masses did not have. Soon after the
revolution, Che undertook a tour of several African and Asian countries
(including Sri Lanka). Fidel had asked him to take his wife also along
with him. He flatly refused the privilege offered as an extravagance
that the Government could not afford.
In putting an end to his life at a young age imperialism hoped to end
his influence over the masses, especially in the Third World. The
result, however, was quite the contrary. His thoughts and deeds
continue to inspire millions the world over, those in developed
countries, to join the struggle for a better world.
Satrio Arismunandar
Executive ProducerNews Division, Trans TV, Lantai 3
Jl. Kapten P. Tendean Kav. 12 - 14 A, Jakarta 12790
Phone: 7917-7000, 7918-4544 ext. 3542, Fax: 79184558,
79184627 http://satrioarismunandar6.blogspot.comhttp://satrioarismunandar.multiply.com Verba
volant scripta manent...(yang terucap akan lenyap, yang tertulis akan abadi...)
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