CUBA
Regime fears silent majority
BY MARIFELI PEREZ-STABLE
marifeliperez-stable.com
On June 24, five Cuban dissidents received the annual Democracy Award
given by the National Endowment for Democracy. José Daniel Ferrer, Iván
Hernández and Librado Linares are serving long prison terms for their
peaceful opposition. Imprisoned for 17 years, Jorge Luis García, known
as Antúnez, was released in 2007. He and wife Iris Tamara Pérez, a
fellow awardee, are under virtual house arrest.
President Barack Obama called for the release of Cuban political
prisoners and said of the five honorees: ''All of them have endured
significant personal hardship for nothing more than standing up for
basic rights and freedoms.'' Previous recipients include Violeta
Chamorro (Nicaragua), Václav Havel (Czech Republic), Vicente Fox
(Mexico) and other democracy activists worldwide.
Human rights are, or should be, nonpartisan. The U.N. Universal
Declaration of Human Rights says: ''All human beings are born free and
equal in dignity and rights.'' Among these are freedoms of opinion and
peaceful assembly. Governments can't pick and choose which ones to
respect nor claim -- as Havana does -- that those who peacefully oppose
its rule are in violation of the law. Laws that bar free expression are
themselves the problem.
Defending human rights, moreover, is no one's monopoly. Hard-liners with
respect to U.S. Cuba policy denounce Havana's violations front and
center while criticizing Latin American presidents who meet with Raúl
Castro in official visits. Yet, has the regime manifested greater
respect for human rights as a result of these denunciations?
Human rights not optional
At the same time, those of us who applaud the Obama administration for
the modest steps taken toward a ''new beginning'' with Cuba -- whether
individuals or governments -- should never sideline human rights.
Respecting human rights is, or should be, universal, not optional.
Condemning their violation is, therefore, not meddling in Cuba's
internal affairs. Speaking softly, however, is not tantamount to being soft.
The crux of the matter is the Cuban regime. It's a dictatorship fearful
of ordinary citizens, the silent majority who no longer listen, let
alone support. Trapped in a stale, self-serving rhetoric, its leaders
find safety in going slowly and, thus, doing little to improve the
citizenry's material well-being. When some Cubans -- like the five NED
honorees -- dare to speak the truth in the light of day, the regime
can't help but unleash dark, cowardly fury.
Change in Cuba will come from within, whatever the policies of the
United States, the European Union, Canada and Latin America. While it's
too soon to judge, Obama's opening may be bearing some modest fruits.
Neither Canada nor Spain under the Socialists spoke up while Washington
stuck to the hard-line. Now Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is
calling for democracy in Cuba and Spain's Prime Minister José Luis
Rodríguez Zapatero is urging Havana to launch economic reforms.
Change will happen
Change will happen along multiple tracks. As it stands today, regime
opponents alone will not bring democracy to Cuba. The silent majority --
now concerned mostly about their daily subsistence -- will need to
realize its power. How that might come about is anyone's guess at the
moment. But, sooner or later, it will transpire.
Not to be dismissed are the potential fractures within the elite itself.
Should they have proven capable of organizing the Communist Party
congress this coming October, Cuba's leaders would have given a sign of
strength. But they haven't even called the meetings of the party's
grassroots, which are required before a congress is convened.
On Sunday, Spain's El País gave more information about the purges of
Carlos Lage, Felipe Pérez Roque and others last March. A broader group
of select militants is being showed a video on the alleged collaboration
with Spanish intelligence services of the deposed and their unremitting
criticisms of the old men in charge. I'd say this is just the tip of the
iceberg and one of the reasons why the party congress is in limbo.
Cuban politics everywhere has often been on an either/or basis. Before
we multiply our strength, we need to add to it every day. That's why we
should be open to all the various actors who might harbor change. Human
rights should be our only intransigence. Our common humanity demands
their respect everywhere, and Cuba is no exception.
Marifeli Perez-Stable is vice president for democratic governance at the
Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, D.C., and a professor at Florida
International University.
Regime fears silent majority - Other Views - MiamiHerald.com (2 July 2009)
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/1123891.html
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