It may, initially, appear to be nothing; however, totalitarian regimes (which Cuba certainly is), have a terrible tendency of running into severe leadership and state issues when power changes hands from the original charismatic founder of the movement. 

As we saw with Russia after Stalin, and China after Mao, reformers within the single party begin to advocate ‘reforms’. From these reforms, dissident movements are empowered, and trouble arises from within the party structure. These were different pathways that took those two totalitarian regimes to where they are now (with capitalism injected within the veins of modern Russia and China, and their peoples continued cultivation of the democratic ideas of liberties and rights).

It may, initially, be nothing. Heck, we’re not going to see anything change tomorrow. However, the removal of his rule, with the obvious charisma his brother lacked, and his brothers ambitions to initiate reforms, can be interpreted as a sign that change, however gradual, will come. Change in these totalitarian systems are dangerous for the totalitarian entity. Their top-down power structure is forced to carry much weight, and continuous cracks in their system leads to their eventual toppling. The first stage is the removal of that first leader.

When I woke up this morning, I was treated to two major news headlines. Fidel Castro resigned his presidency, and Pervez Musharaf’s ruling party (the PML-Q) lost the elections in Pakistan!

2008 is shaping up to be a very politically significant year. With the tantalizing hint of a black or female American President to succeed Bush, I can’t wait to see what else this year has in store for us.

Most news reports seem to proclaim Castro as the ‘longest ruling head of state in the world’ (Barring monarchs). I believe that a close second to that title is Yemen’s current President, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Saleh became President of Yemen in July of 1978, a year before Saddam Hussein took power in Iraq and two years after Castro became ‘President of the Council of State’ of Cuba in 1976. He has remained in office ever since.

If Saleh pulls a ‘Castro’ and resigns at 81, he will have served as President for a total of 51 consecutive years, beating Castro’s record by 17 years. If the news reports are accurate about Castro being the current longest-standing head of state, then Saleh will become the new record holder in approximately 26 months from today.

Ofcourse, I may be completely off here. Do you know of any other non-monarch head of state who took office between 1976 and 1978, and remains in power up to this day?

Well, maybe not quite yet. But Fidel Castro has resigned as President of Cuba after 50 years in power.

“To my dear compatriots, who gave me the immense honour in recent days of electing me a member of parliament… communicate to you that I neither will aspire to nor will I accept – I repeat – I neither will aspire to nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief.”

“It would betray my conscience to take up a responsibility that requires mobility and total devotion, that I am not in physical condition to offer.”

The question now is, will Cuba remain true to the 1959 Revolucion? Or will it finally take steps to end its status as the only Communist country in the Americas?

As expected, tho, the US isn’t probably going to lift the embargo real soon.

Akhirnya kabar itu datang juga. Fidel Castro sosok pemimpin formal yang paling dimusuhi Amerika Serikat semenjak kejatuhan Uni Sovyet menyerah oleh musuhnya yang sangat dekat dan tak diduga-duga: “kondisi kesehatannya”. 

Pengunduran diri dilakukan karena kondisi kesehatannya yang semakin memburuk.

Untuk anda ketahui, hanya beliaulah yang mengalahkan Soeharto dalam hal kepemimpinan sebagai presiden.

“Castro, selamat berpinsiun ya, semoga lekas sembuh dn nikmati hari tuamu…”

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