PCs for Vader

Ten days before the purge of top officials in Cuba’s telecom, the IT minister Ramiro “The Lord R. Vader” Valdes presided over the purchase of 30,000 PCs to the tune of $10 million. The supplier is the Malaysian government owned company Mimos, and the purchaser is Cuba’s Electronic Group, a FAR (Cuban Armed Forces) company under the control of R. Vader. Yep, if there is a description for a conglomerate, FAR is certainly one. FAR runs Cuba’s tourism industry, hotels, travel agencies, car rental, they run it all. All this under the command of the fossil fidel and his little bro raul; although, it looks like R. Vader is assuming the CEO spot while raul appears inconsequential.

Let’s go back to those computers and see how it all works out. Each computer comes out to about $333, which is not a bad deal at all. Dude, it’s not a Dell! I mean the software alone assuming that it is MSOffice costs more than that. Now you know that all the components on Mimo’s PC are cloned the software is pirated. A US company is subject to fines of up to $10,000 per incident for using unauthorized software (not licensed), but this is Cuba, and the rules do not apply.

Watch out for an increase in hackers; although, the article indicates otherwise. It's war and they have warned us!

Mimos unit gets Cuban PCs deal
Saturday September 16, 2006

HAVANA: Mimos Smart Computing Sdn Bhd has secured a deal worth US$10mil to supply 30,000 personal computers (PCs) to Cuba's Electronics Group for the computerisation programme in this Caribbean island nation.

Electronics Group is a government body tasked to provide computers for schools, government offices as well as hospitals throughout Cuba.

Mimos Bhd president and CEO Abdul Wahab Abdullah signed the memorandum of understanding for the contract on behalf of the Mimos subsidiary while Electronics Group head Elio Pacheco Rivero signed for the Cuban corporation.

The ceremony was witnessed by Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin and Cuban Informatics and Communications Minister Ramiro Valdes Menendez at a hotel here.

From Left: Mimos Smart CEO Ahmad Shuhiamy Mohd Hashim, Datuk Zainuddin Maidin and Elio Pacheco Rivero. --Bernamapic
Zainuddin then handed over 50 PCs from Mimos to Menendez, who received them on behalf of Electronics Group.

According to a Cuban official, the country of 11 million population is embarking on a massive computerisation programme, especially to equip schools, hospitals and government offices in the rural areas.

Currently, Cuba imports computer hardware mainly from China.

Zainuddin said for more than 30 years, Malaysia and Cuba had formed a collaboration that had become an example of a successful South-South cooperation.

He said Universiti Sains Malaysia was working with Cuba’s Finlay Institute to develop vaccines for tuberculosis and meningitis while Cuban scientists were working with their Malaysian counterparts in anti-cancer research. Abdul Wahab, meanwhile, said Exim Bank of Malaysia had agreed to provide a credit facility to Mimos Smart Computing to supply the computers. – Bernama