Raul Castro signals new leadership style
Cuban provisional leader Raul Castro said today he will delegate more duties and give fewer speeches than his “irreplaceable” brother Fidel, signalling a new leadership style that encourages more public debate on the communist-run island.
Showing that he may be more open to divergent opinions than his ailing 80-year-old brother, Raul Castro told a group of about 800 young Communist university leaders they should “fearlessly” engage in public debate and analysis, the Communist Party newspaper Granma said.
The elder Castro, who stepped aside almost five months ago after emergency intestinal surgery, for decades was Cuba’s “maximum leader,” characterised by meandering, hours-long speeches, unquestioned decisions and micromanagement of government programmes and policies.
The younger Castro said that as Cuba’s long-serving defence minister he had learned to listen to and discuss differing ideas.
“The first principle in constructing any armed forces is the sole command. But that doesn’t mean that we cannot discuss,” he said. “That way we reach decisions, and I’m talking about big decisions.”
Raul Castro also echoed his earlier insistence that neither he nor any individual could replace his brother. Although some Cuban officials have insisted Fidel Castro will return to power, they privately acknowledge that it is unlikely he will come back in the same all-powerful role.
