Cubadebate

A new exposé of the financial benefits of being a so-called "dissident" in Cuba has just been published on the island. The book, written by Cuban journalists Arleen Rodríguez and Lázaro Barredo and entitled El Camaján - which roughly translates as The Sponger - focuses on well-known opposition figure Elizardo Sánchez Santa Cruz, who has created a niche for himself in Cuba as a moderate critic of the government. As such, he is often looked upon for guidance by those - especially in Europe - that seek to avoid the more rabid hatred of the Miami Cuban American right-wing.

The principal aim of El Camaján is to expose Sánchez for taking money from foreign interests to live in luxury compared to the other Cubans whose rights he was supposedly defending. The book indicates that until recently his profitable career as a professional "dissident" Elizardo Sánchez worked for the Cuban intelligence service under the code name "Juana".

The detailed investigation into Sánchez' affairs is accompanied by ample illustrations that, say the authors, irrefutably support the receipt of large sums of money from the United States and from Europe, as well as his contacts with Cuban security. There is a photo that shows Sánchez receiving a medal from the Cuban Interior Minister General Abelardo Colomé for services rendered.

According to El Camaján, Elizardo Sánchez offered himself to Cuban intelligence services in 1997, providing valuable information on other opposition figures on the island - some of whom are currently serving prison sentences for sedition - right up until March of this year.

Ever the opportunist, says the book, Elizardo's ambitions led him to take one extreme
political position to the other. He was staunchly left wing at the beginning of the Revolution but saw that his fortunes lay in allying himself with Washington's policies toward Cuba, and therefore became an opposition "defender of human rights".  He administered the money he received without accountability, taking in some $200,000 from the USA alone, and distributing it out in paltry amounts to his supporters. Many received only $1 a day for their work - the families of imprisoned opposition members who Sánchez talked of supporting also given miserable sums. Much of this money came from the US government in the form of grants from USAID whose job it is to subvert the constitutional order of Cuba and destabilize the government.

From Europe Elizardo Sánchez also received large sums from Norway, Spain and France, providing his benefactors with inflated bills and exaggerated expenses proving to what degree the business of being a "dissident" in Cuba is profitable.

The book explains that the Cuban intelligence agents who worked with Sánchez always knew the manner of man they were dealing with. He apparently realized the game would soon be up and that he would be rumbled by the US Interests Section in Havana if he didn't sever his ties with the Cuban authorities after the arrest of 75 of his co-conspirators. This led to his exposure by Cuba, tired of his machinations and trickery.

El Camaján is an eye-opening litany of opportunistic alliances, back-stabbings and betrayals by the so-called "dissident movement" in Cuba. Well worth the read.   

Read the book in PDF format (includes all illustrations). In Spanish - English translation pending:
http://www.cubadebate.cu/index.php?tpl=libros-show&noticiaid=94&noticiafecha=2003-08-18