'We've Got Nothing to Do'.(Cubans speak out)

Few Cubans speak publicly these days about the man they call "El Comandante," "El Jefe" or just plain "Fidel." Government spies are scattered throughout the island--and residents know that when the talk turns to President Fidel Castro, ears prick up. Earlier this month several people standing on the streets of a Havana neighborhood began shouting "Down with Fidel!" They were distraught relatives of men who'd hijacked a government ferry and aimed to pilot it to Florida. The ferry ran low on gas--and after the hijackers returned the boat to Cuba, they were apprehended by the police and executed. "The Comandante assassinated my son," wept Ramona Copello, the mother of one of the hijackers. "Now I have no faith in the revolution." Minutes after the little protest began, security personnel arrived and cordoned off the street. The protesters apparently were let off with a warning.

Interviewed two years ago in Malaysia, Fidel Castro made proud claims for his isolated island country, and suggested that that his people were productive and happy. Yet a monthlong visit to the country in April revealed none of the optimism that used to exude from Cubans despite their financial hardships. Nowadays most Cubans are not only demoralized but, following the toughest crackdown on political dissent in a generation, demonstrably disenchanted. Not long ago, many were contemplating a transition to a younger, more flexible leadership. But those hopes have vanished as Castro has bluntly reasserted his authoritarian grip.

More and more Cubans, including some who still support the revolution, openly say that, after 44 years in power, it is time for Castro to step aside. "Fidel is too orthodox, too inflexible a Marxist," sighs Felipe (not his real name), a 36-year-old veteran of Cuba's African wars. "At his age," adds Felipe, "there is no way he is going to change." Even former Communist Party members are disillusioned. "I want capitalism," says Nestor, 43, a resident of Santiago de Cuba who fought in Angola but now isn't sure why.

Cuba's economy is a disaster. Not only are no new jobs being created, but the island's traditional employment base is eroding. The government has announced that nearly half the island's 156 sugar mills are being closed. The average income is a meager $12 a month. There is no famine here, as in North Korea, but city dwellers say that Cubans in smaller towns are often hungry, despite a social safety net of cheap meals for pensioners, who get just over $2 a month. Even in tourist towns like colonial Trinidad, museum staff earn $4 a month and say openly they barely survive. "Maybe El Comandante does not know," one woman says.

Two years ago, when Castro fainted while speaking at an anti-American rally, Cubans began to speak more freely about their leader. A taboo was broken--and after that there was much talk that the government might loosen up. Carlos Lage, the moderate economics czar, was mentioned as a possible future leader. Last year the ...