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Jamaica's
Prime Minister, has paid tribute to the retiring
President of Cuba, Fidel Castro.
KINGSTON,
(JIS), February 22, 2008: In a statement to the House,
on February 19, Prime Minister Bruce Golding said the
announcement made by Mr. Castro, that he would not be
seeking re-election as President of the Cuban Sate Council
and as Commander in Chief of the Cuban armed forces, can be
seen as the end of eras, "as President Castro remains the
longest serving Head of government, I believe, the world has
ever known."
"We on this side have never been ambivalent about President
Fidel Castro during the period of the great ideological
divide. We were fierce opponents of the political values as
were espoused then, and we expressed that opposition in very
forceful terms," said the Prime Minister.
"Happily that era is behind us. Jamaica and Cuba today enjoy
a relationship that is neutrally respectful and neutrally
beneficial. As recently as a few months ago, Cuba provided
assistance to us in tackling our significant engineering
challenge to rescue the Palisadoes road," he added.
Jamaican citizens have also received free eye care through
the Jamaica-Cuba 'Miracle Eye Care Programme'. Since it
began in 2005, more than 11,000 patients have been screened
and more than 3,800 operations have been done.
Mr. Golding also hailed President Castro for his
steadfastness, courage, strength of his leadership and his
unswerving commitment to the cause of the Cuban people.
"There is a transition that will now take place and one of
the hopes that we have is that this transition will be a
defining moment and that it will enable Cuba to take an
unambiguous place in the international community and put an
end, once and for all, to the unjustified isolation of the
Cuban people," he said.
Opposition Leader, Portia Simpson Miller, also hailed the
Cuban leader. "I think this afternoon I can say that this
morning a legend, a giant and a champion departed the stage
of political leadership in his country, Cuba. That giant is
Fidel Castro," Mrs. Simpson Miller said.
She also thanked the Cuban leader for contributing to
Jamaica's education sector by constructing three schools,
namely the José Martí High School, Garvey Maceo High School,
and the G.C. Foster College.
President Fidel Castro announced his resignation on February
19 via the online edition of the official communist party
newspaper, 'Granma'. In a letter to the people of Cuba,
signed by the 81 year-old leader, he said he would not
"aspire to nor accept" the post of President of the Council
of State and Commander-in-chief.