No Changes for Unidad Cubana

Almost every Monday evening, Ramon Bonachea (pictured above) sits down with Armando Perez Roura on Radio Mambi for at least one hour to discuss the latest news about Cuba. Bonachea is a Cuban historian who has authored at least one book (as far as I know) and writes a weekly column on Cuban history for Libre magazine, a local publication. Bonachea also belongs to Unidad Cubana, a militant Cuban exile organization whose members include Miguel Saavedra from Vigilia Mambisa and Rodolfo Frometa from the F4 Commandos. Bonachea plays a very important role for Unidad Cubana as the director of the "Analysis Group," which makes their plans for a future "free Cuba."

[Unidad Cubana got some attention in 2007 when they announced their "Miami Declaration" which I wrote about here, and the Cuban Triangle mentioned here and here.]

Last Monday, upon the announcement of new US policy allowing Cuban families unlimited travel and sending of remittances to Cuba, Ramon Bonachea was ready that evening to respond on Radio Mambi to these new changes. Days before, members of the Foro Patriotico Cubano (Cuban Patriotic Council, an umbrella group of several militant Cuban exile organizations), gathered and voted unanimously on a declaration which was sent to their Congressional representatives, and other officials, rejecting and denouncing the idea of unlimited travel and remittances to Cuba.

Since the new policy, it seems that Cuban exile militants have taken a defensive and patient position. They foresee more political repression inside Cuba, but cannot know for certain that it will be any different than before. Most likely they will now be vigilant of any changes that will vindicate their warnings of "unilateral concessions" to the Cuban government. In the meantime, it seems that they are also looking for someone to blame for these changes.

In the comments expressed last Monday by Ramon Bonachea (video above), it seems that Cubans who have recently migrated to the US are to blame for these changes. While a 2007 FIU Cuba poll showed that a large majority of Cuban migrants who arrived after 1985 favored ending travel restrictions to Cuba from the US, many others within the exile community, regardless of the time of their arrival to the US, also favored ending the travel restrictions, the most prominent being members of the Cuban American National Foundation.

But, this didn't stop Ramon Bonachea from unfairly and irresponsibly attacking recent Cuban immigrants.

"Now, they can freely return [to Cuba]... all these who have come recently looking for a better material life, which the Cuban regime, who they undoubtedly supported, was able to give them. Now they can return [to Cuba] to meet with the jinetaras and jineteros that populate the capital of Havana, [go] to their parties, simply because they are accustomed to bowing their heads before the [Cuban] tyranny, to be compliant with the first 'sicario' (terrorist or assassin) that greets them, to sympathize with the [Castro] regime until the end because that way they don't have to think."

[...]

"They will return to the island, as humiliated and complaisant as they were when they lived there, without caring at all about the suffering of the people."

But, the most important message that Ramon Bonachea had was directed to the loyal and militant listeners of Radio Mambi. Bonachea told them not to feel defeated because this would be a victory of psychological warfare waged by Cuban government spies in Miami. Cuban militants must continue to be "vertically opposed" to any changes in their position, and remain "intransigent" against the Castro regime. Bonachea states:

"With the enemy you do not negotiate... Against the enemy [you use] rebellion and insurrection [to achieve] the total cleansing of, from all levels of our homeland, those social parasites and invertebrate sociopaths that have bloodied Cuba from one end to the other. That is the position of the real fighters in Cuba, the position of the intransigent exile community and certainly the position that reflects the work of Unidad Cubana.

"We accept no less than total and absolute freedom. No less than implementing justice so that the crime will not repeat itself."