VVP posted:Prashad posted:A cuban American told me that he was arrested and sent to prison for putting up an antenna in his yard to catch American radio stations so that he can listen to American music. His neighbours had reported him to the authorities. Not even Burnham ever did that.
And Burnham never banned people from travelling to Cuba also. See Burnham was better than the US
Castro was a far more brutal dictator than Burnham.
1. Burnham allowed elections, even though he rigged them massively. So this allowed a framework for an opposition party to exist and to be quite vocal.
2. Castro arrests all his opponents, and up to the 70s sent many to firing squad. Had Burnham been like Castro Janet would have been a dead woman.
3. Even though Burnham did make life difficult for opposition media, by denying them access to print and paper these papers were sold openly in Guyana. Stabroek News, Catholic Standard, and Caribbean Contact were very popular as was Radio Antilles. Clearly only senior civil servants were punished for accessing those media outlets.
3. Burnham never prevents ordinary people from leaving. In fact it was mainly senior black officials, who fell out with him, who he sought to punish by denying them the ability to leave, and in fact many eventually were able to go.
4. Burnham harassed the private sector, but didn't prevent it from operating. Now that Castro "opened" the economy Cuba is now like what Guyana was during the worst of Burnham.
Those who praise Castro and cuss Burnham are hypocrites. They were both dictators with huge egos. Castro was a good deal more efficient and ruthless in persecuting those who he didn't like than Burnham was. He never set up those busy body neighborhood spy groups that Castro did.