Cuba: the unexplored frontier

Part - 1
I was in the most remote area of my constituency in Dera Ghazi Khan when I received a call from the speaker of the National Assembly who informed me I was part of a delegation to Cuba. This was the first time since this parliament took oath in 2013 that I was made part of a foreign delegation.
My first reaction: Why Cuba? This question was to be answered in the coming days during the most interesting foreign working trip I have been on in the last 17 years of my career as a parliamentarian. After all, what I knew of Cuba entailed only Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the wonderful health programme of the country that even developed countries of the west are enamoured by. We were three parliamentarians in all, besides the speaker – Ijaz Khan Jakrani, chief whip PPP, Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, chairman Standing Committee on Ports and Shipping and myself – along with the Secretary of the National Assembly, Riaz Khan and DG Protocol National Assembly, Anwar Sial.
It was a never-ending flight to Santiago and Havana despite the fact that we had a one-day stop in Madrid where we had day-long hectic meetings with Elcano – a prestigious think tank that advises the foreign ministry of Spain. The Policy Institute associated with the Foreign Office in Islamabad should see how world class institutes are helping shape the foreign policy of advanced European nations. It was refreshing to see our delegation press upon Spain the issue of Kashmir and the non-transparent attitude and actions of India in the region. Spain’s recognition of our stance was indeed an achievement.
Some serious issues concerning Pakistanis living in Spain were raised effectively before the Spanish Authorities by our Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Consequently, they promised to consider improving the conditions of hardworking Pakistani immigrants and workers. We must remember that these Pakistanis are playing a very important role for Pakistan’s economy by sending substantial amounts of remittances back home.
The next day we boarded Cubana which took us all the way to Santiago (a small place in Cuba) and then a small hop onwards to Havana. As we boarded the flight, we realised that the plane was completely empty and we thought we would be the only passengers. VIPs are made to board the plane first, so they have space to keep their cabin baggage comfortably since those who board last can’t find any space in the overhead compartments. The Russian aircraft had a huge wingspan and climbed up effortlessly as it flew towards Cuba, a country that has defied the might of the United States for over half a century. Even the great Soviet Union succumbed and Balkanised into many states more than two decades ago but this Socialist country is going on and on. And they are surely good at maintaining beautiful antique American-made cars at a cost that is lower than any in the world. Some friends who had visited Cuba had told me of a feeling they got when there –of going back into time, as if it had stopped a good 50 years ago.
We landed at the Santiago airport and were in transit for about an hour. The hall we sat in reminded me of Multan airport of the early 80s. We reached Havana airport at about one in the morning where we were welcomed by a member of parliament, protocol officers and Pakistan Embassy’s Charge de affairs, Naeem Khan. We were at our hotel within an hour of landing at Havana. Exhausted beyond imagination, one could still appreciate the amazing character of the hotel where we were put up by the Cuban government. Gradually, I observed nuances of the colonial era while walking through the grand hotel. It reminded me of the stories we used to hear about old colonial hotels from our elders.
After getting hardly five hours of sleep we were at work again. The next three days were packed with meetings with hardly half a day available to somewhat experience the real Cuba, whose people are proud of whatever they have stuck by so far and know how to party and keep happy – finding solace in what they claim to be ‘the best rum’ in the world.
Our first meeting was with the President of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Juan Esteban Lazo. The dignified old gentleman received us himself along with his deputies and after exchanging niceties we started exploring the Cuban political mindset. He talked of change, saying: “More than 95 percent of the GDP of Cuba is produced by the state. We need to change that. Not to create wealth but to exploit productive resources. We want to receive more money through taxes from businesses and increase exports. We expect more than 45 percent GDP to be produced by the private sector in the next four to five years. New tax laws have to be passed and we have to change the constitution radically to create space for economic reforms to take effect”.
One of his deputies, in charge of legislation, was also introduced to us in the meeting. He looked under severe work load and the jolly old president could not resist remarking on that in a humorous way. He termed it a “difficult and tedious task” and was adamant on, “Maintaining the basic structure of the Socialist constitution while opening the economy to bring in market reforms”. A model that surely has serious contradictions.
He talked of “Fighting for every single thing that benefits people, who are more important than ideology”. This came up when talking of the huge footprint that Cuba has placed globally in terms of aid they extend during catastrophes and natural disasters. Compared to developed countries like the US or Japan, Cuba has much less but their magnanimity entails much more than developed countries offer during natural disasters. We witnessed that magnanimity during the earthquake in Pakistan.
As he appreciated the youthful energy of the oldest female member who was present in the meeting, we came to know the importance of gender equality – a very important part of Cuban culture that revolves around the principles of the ‘revolution’. He talked of Cubans “loving women and not being scared of them. We fought in the revolution for the equality of men and women in society. They work as much as we do. The only thing they have not achieved is making us work at home”.
The meeting concluded and we had a working lunch with lobster and shrimps at the State Guest House, which had beautifully manicured gardens. Lobster is one of the biggest export items of Cuba and is imported by countries who dare to do trade with Cuba.
To be continued
The writer is the chairman of theNational Assembly’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Email: awaislegharihotmail.com