The official Cuban journalist Arleen Rodríguez Derivet, one of the voices defending the Cuban regime, has finally broken her silence following the controversy sparked by her comment about José Martí and the blackouts in Cuba.
In an extensive text published in the comments section of Abdiel Bermúdez's post on Facebook, where his colleague defended the host of Mesa Redonda and National Journalism Award "José Martí", Rodríguez clarified that he "never quoted Martí," acknowledged that the phrase was "said lightly," and reiterated that he has already offered public apologies for the blunder during his program on Radio Rebelde.
Rodríguez explained that her comment is not intended as a justification, but rather to face those who know and appreciate her, as well as to respond to those who, according to her, attack her “from the opposing side of their political ideas”, following the viralization of a segment from her interview with former Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa.
“The phrase, or rather the verb (‘knew’), was spoken lightly, more as a casual comment than as a statement. And anyone who says ‘he was wrong to quote Martí’ shows evidence of not having seen or heard the program. I never quoted Martí,” wrote Rodríguez, although the truth (which he does not acknowledge) is the insensitive face he showed towards the millions of Cubans suffering from blackouts.
The regime's spokesperson clarified that her intention was to emphasize that Martí did not experience electricity as a common service, and she was not denying its existence or her knowledge of the subject.
"I said that Martí, who never knew electricity, wrote things without it that we will not be able to write even with all the light in the world... Martí witnessed the birth of electricity, spoke of it, but I doubt that the man in the frayed coat, who endured the New York winters with stoicism, was among the fortunate users of that service that was only accessible to the wealthiest," he explained.
Rodríguez, who does not hide her ties to the regime's leadership, assured that she has already publicly apologized on her Radio Rebelde program, even citing a lesson that, according to her, she received from Fidel Castro himself during her years on Mesa Redonda: “Fidel told us: the truth first, and when you make a mistake, correct it right where you stated the error. So here I reiterate the apologies that I already expressed on air this morning.”
The officialist journalist also took the opportunity in her message to question what she considers a disproportionate "wave of hatred" on social media, which is nothing more than the most sincere reactions from a population tired of living in the misery caused by the regime and its acolytes.
"I do not come to defend myself because it's pointless even to try. I hate debates fueled by hatred, which often serve as fodder for many posts created to drain that feeling, which causes more harm to the one who feels it than to the one who receives it," he wrote.
In another part of her commentary, Rodríguez posed a series of rhetorical questions aimed at those who criticized her for her mistake, questioning the silence of some users on other issues in international current affairs.
"Have any of you spoken out against the assault on Venezuela, the kidnapping of a president and his wife while they slept, or against extrajudicial executions? Have you even published anything to denounce how Trump and Rubio trample on international laws?" asked the pro-government host in a futile attempt to divert attention, a tactic frequently employed by the regime and its rhetoric.
In that regard, he hinted that the reappearance of the excerpt from his interview, recorded three months ago, is not coincidental, and suggested that the intention is to “divert the conversation” at a time when the regime is trying to promote the March of the Torches.
“Is it necessary to divert the conversation against us so that the March of the Torches, anti-imperialist like Martí, is neither seen nor felt, 173 years after his birth?” added the spokesperson.
Rodríguez closed her message with a conciliatory tone, evoking a phrase from Che Guevara: “I embrace those who can be embraced,” she wrote, reaffirming that she will not allow the controversy to distract her “from what the judgment of what is just commands me to do.”
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