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Changes
among Cuban Americans
Michael Putney. Posted on Wed,
Aug. 13, 2003 in The
Miami Herald.
What are we to make of Eloy Gutiérrez-Menoyo's
decision to remain in Cuba? To answer that, we
first have to figure out what it was: A reverse
defection? A re-defection? A courageous anti-Castro
act? The act of a secret Castro collaborator?
Gutiérrez-Menoyo's wife, Gladys, says
that it's the act of a Cuban patriot who wants
to reconcile Cubans abroad and on the island.
''He still wants to achieve the revolution that
he fought for many years ago,'' she says. I spoke
with her last Thursday at the Gutiérrez-Menoyos'
home in Southwest Miami-Dade.
She was flanked on the couch by their three sons
-- Miguel, Alex and Carlos, ages 9, 11 and 13
respectively. They say that they learned that
Gutiérrez-Menoyo would remain in Cuba only
when they got to José Martí Airport
after a 17-day vacation.
Gutiérrez-Menoyo has lived in exile here
for the last 17 years and led a moderate group
called Cambio Cubano (Cuban Change). He hasn't
always been a moderate. After leading his own
guerrilla movement to topple Batista (and arriving
in Havana before Fidel Castro), Gutiérrez-Menoyo
turned against Castro and fled the island. In
Miami, he co-founded Alpha 66 and, with three
others, sneaked into Cuba in 1964 hoping to start
a rural uprising. He was caught, convicted and
sentenced to death. He spent 22 years in prison
before the Castro regime released him at the urging
of Spain's prime minister.
His decision now to stay in Cuba and work for
''legal opposition space'' was generally greeted
with skepticism by Cuban dissidents there and
scorn by Cuban exiles here. The latter suspect
that he's staying with the sufferance of the government,
even of Castro personally. Gutiérrez-Menoyo
met with Castro in 1995 and asked for permission
to open an office of Cambio Cubano, but evidently
he didn't get it.
Now he's doing it with or without Castro's approval.
If it's without, he soon may join the 75 political
activists, dissidents and journalists who were
imprisoned five months ago.
Give Gutiérrez-Menoyo this: He's there
working for democratic reforms while other anti-Castro,
pro-democracy activists are here. He says that
he can be more effective in bringing about change
in Cuba there than here, and he's probably right
-- if he's allowed to speak and work freely. It's
doubtful that Castro would let him, but Gutiérrez-Menoyo
might be allowed to operate at the level of dissidents
such as Osvaldo Payá or Elizardo Sánchez
Santacruz.
THE 'EVIL INDUSTRY'
For four decades there has been a lot of bluster
in Miami about bringing down Castro spoken from
radio studios and living rooms. Radio commentator
Francisco Aruca refers to this as the ''evil industry,''
an appellation that carries more sting than it
probably deserves.
Still, Gutiérrez-Menoyo has demonstrated
that he has no use for that industry or for U.S.
government help. ''I'm independent,'' he said.
''I'm not manipulated by the (U.S.) Interests
Section.'' We'll soon see if he's manipulated
by Castro.
His decision to stay in Cuba couldn't come at
a more difficult time for the Bush administration.
Its Cuba policy is in disarray -- or, more accurately,
it isn't configured to deal with current realities.
Even Gov. Jeb Bush has said so publicly. ''It's
just not right,'' the governor told The Herald,
referring to sending Cuban refugees back to negotiated
prison sentences.
The White House was worried enough to dispatch
presidential advisor Otto Reich to Miami to get
disgruntled Cuban exiles back on the GOP reservation.
It will take more than calming words from Reich,
who managed to put his foot in his mouth. He trotted
out a cockamamie theory about the Castro regime's
sending out balseros to force the Coast Guard
to return them, to roil Cuban Americans.
ALLEGIANCE TO THE GOP
The extent to which it's already roiled is reflected
in the extraordinary letter sent to the president
on Monday by 13 South Florida GOP state representatives.
In language that's courteous but direct, they
tell the president to match his actions to his
rhetoric on Cuba or risk losing Cuban-American
votes next year.
A similar letter went to the White House last
week from directors of the Cuban American National
Foundation, which threatens to cut off its checks
as well as its votes.
Meaningful change is unlikely in Cuba. But meaningful
change is happening among Cuban Americans and
their traditional allegiance to the GOP. The day
may have arrived when it takes more to win their
vote than coming to town and repeating that mantra,
"¡Cuba, sí; Castro, no!''
mputney@click10.com
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