P.N. Chowdhury

CITU was invited by Central Organisation of Trade Unions of Cuba (CTC) to represent in the May Day celebration this year. The special emphasis was given in May Day celebration this year as 150^th birth anniversary of the greatest ever revolutionary poet of Cuba Jose Marti and 50^th anniversary of attack on Moncada Forte during the struggle for Cuban independence.

CITU nominated Com. Prasanta Nandi Chowdhury, working committee member of CITU, as well EEFI and the General Secretary of WBSEB Workmen’s Union to take part in the May Day celebrations by CTC between 29^th April and 3^rd May 2003. Com. Nandi Chowdhury arrived at Havana by the evening 29^th April, 2003. This was his first visit to a socialist country. From the reception at the small but tidy Airport the difference could be felt. From the reception to seeing off and the entire programme sequence every thing was systematic, hearty and warm. Leaders of CTC as well electricity Trade Union of Cuba took the CITU representative as a very close fellow on the part of the struggle.

Besides the main programme on 1^st & 2^nd May several other programmes were planned for the 1052 numbers of delegates from 47 countries of the globe assembled in Havana for the May Day celebration. These programmes were arranged in such a way so that the delegates may overview the different aspects of life of Cuban people in the path of the struggle to build and maintain the socialism defying the threat from the capitalist and imperialist block led by USA from the stones throw distance.

The May Day started with the preparation to take part in the mammoth rally organised at Revolution Square. The schedule programme was at 8 A.M. but thousands of Cubans with all the members of the families from one to eighty set their way to Revolution Square from early down even before 6 A.M. The buses carrying the International Delegation could hardly reach the actual venue at the foot of the Jose Marti Sky kissing Memorial at the centre of the Revolution Square surrounded by different government houses. It was drizzling from the late night but May Day of Havana welcomed its million participants with smiling sun. Each and every participant was waving the National Flag of Cuba with all the jubilant moments of performers of the cultural programme of songs, dance and inspiring part of the lectures of the speakers. As the Revolution Square will be too limited to accommodate all the participants arrangements of loud speakers were there upto 1 Km. to all the streets and avenues leading to Revolution Square. The programme set for celebrating the May Day lead to believe the participants from abroad that Cuban people still keeps in their mind the proverbial quotation of Jose Marthi "No freedom is possible without culture"

Com. Fidel Castro in his speech not only asked the Cuban people to be prepared for hard days and hard as struggles for furtherance socialism. He boastfully pointed out the achievement of Cuban socialism by 100% free education for Cuban children infant morality rate has been reduced from 60 per thousand life birth to 6 being the lowest in the globe. Medical services has become close to all the people. 85% of the people are living in their own homes; rest 15% provided housing with symbolic rent."

He continued "after the demise of the USSR and socialist block, USA tightened the blockage. We abruptly lost our main markets and supply sources. The population’s average calories and protein consumption was reduced by almost half. But our country withstood the pressures and even advanced considerably in the social field. Even the work undertaken and the consciousness built through out the years succeeded in working miracles. Why have we endured? Because revolution has always had, the support of the people increasingly united, educated and combative." In spite of neo-fascist role of Government of USA, Cuba was the first country to extend its solidarity to the people of the United States on September 11, 2001. Com. Castro made the clarion call "On behalf of the one million people gathered there this May Day, I want to convey a message to the world and the American people. We do not want the blood of Cubans and Americans to be shed in a war. We do not want a countless number of lives of people who could be friends to be lost in an armed conflict. But never has a people had such sacred things to defend, or such profound convictions to fight for, to such a degree that they would rather be obliterated from the face of the Earth than abandon the noble and generous work for which so many generations of Cubans have paid the high cost of the lives of many of their finest sons and daughters.

We are sustained by the deepest conviction that ideas are worth more than weapons, no matter how sophisticated and powerful those weapons may be.

Let us say like Che Guevara when he bid us farewell: Ever onward to victory."

Most attractive was response of the vast gathering waving the National Flags in both the hands against every appeal of the speakers to the Cuban People to strengthen the unity, International solidarity and dedication for building socialism. The revolution square assembly on the morning of May Day became ornamental with presentation of rich cultural heritage of Cubans students and youth performers.

On the evening of May Day, there was a Government organised Annual programme for giving away the Awards and Titles for best performing Workers, Engineers, Teachers and creative Arts of the year. Selected representatives of the Trade Unions were also invited to observe the official but non-extravagant programme and Dinner Party. Besides the National Anthem of Cuba, patriotic songs of lively Caribbean tune were sung. Not only in this programme, in every occasion Cuban cultural heritage was presented. Foreign delegates were given immense scope to have the impression the warm solidarity of Peoples of Cuba for common people of all the countries including USA, the country whose blockade and imperialist policy was responsible for most of the plight of peoples of Cuba. Their determination to oppose the cultural war of the imperialism to break the mental strength of the Cuban people could also be easily construed.

On 2^nd May CTC organised an International Solidarity Convention at the Main Auditorium of the Convention Centre of Havana city. Com Fidel Castro also attended the convention. Who listened to most attentively all the 16 speakers spoke over 3 hours and 30 Minutes denouncing the US imperialism for ghastly economic blockade created against Cuba over four decades. The Convention adopted a resolution unanimously demanding immediate withdrawal of economic blockade over Cuba and unconditional release of Five Cubans illegally detained in Florida by the US govt. in the name of trial.

Cuban people are enjoying the advances of socialism like equality in distribution of National wealth and resources, Free Education for all, Free treatment for all, cheapest or free accommodation for all, employment for all but also facing some hardship due to economic blockade of four decade defying heinous threat of USA, sitting at the nose tip of the brute imperialist force. But the courage and allegiance to Socialism has not been curbed to any extent. All Cubans firmly believe that Socialism has no alternative. Let us strengthen "Long Live Socialism", "Long Live Revolution", "Long live Global Working Class Unity".