There’s anything but press freedom in Cuba

IT was nice to read the president’s statement last week, which glorified press freedom and the role the media played for a just democratic society, and was released on World Press freedom day (WPFD).

But, he made no mention about his Cuban pals – they have anything but press freedom and intimidate, harass, arrest and imprison journalists who write and express their opinions against their repressive government.

Coincidentally, the day before WPFD, the Cubans arrested a so-called by the Cuban government “dissident artist” Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara, accusing him and other artists pressing for free speech and expression, for political revolt, and even confiscated all his artwork.

In SA, what we do is carry on regularly sending 800 local students to study “bush” medicine in Cuba and, since last year, there was the importation of Cuban doctors, as well as unlicensed and illegal medication through the army and“expert” water engineers – with all the above having a price tag into hundred of millions of rand.

We see the ANC government have found a back door and are blowing taxpayers’ millions to support and prop up this regime. Then the government has the gall to request the US president to lift their sanctions on Cuba.

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