OUR OPINION: SUPPORT CUBA'S DISSIDENTS, DEMOCRATIC CHANGE
Posted on Wed, Feb. 20, 2008
Fidel Castro, Cuba's dictator for almost five decades, relinquished his
official title Tuesday. Still, he is not gone, and his influence will
continue. His official successor as ''president'' may attempt some
modest reform. However, serious political and democratic freedom will
remain a dream deferred.
Subdued reaction
The end of Cuba's totalitarian era is closer, but there is still no
telling when real change might begin. This explains the subdued reaction
of Cubans on the island and in Miami. As long as Castro is physically
capable, he will use his considerable personal power to hold up the
failed communist system. Even in his resignation notice, he promised to
continue writing his ''Reflections,'' a series of editorials that
regularly skewer the proposals of his designated successor, brother Raúl.
The notice comes as Cuba's political elites prepare to name the members
and president of the Council of State on Sunday. The council president
is considered Cuba's official leader, even though none of the candidates
has been selected in anything resembling a free, democratic election.
The odds are that the new ''president'' will be Raúl Castro, who has
been provisional ruler since his brother's health crisis in 2006. But
that is not certain.
Regardless of who takes the title, that person's power will be limited
not only by Fidel Castro but by the growing frustration of Cuba's
people. They are the ones suffering the country's economic and moral
decay. Raúl Castro let the genie out of the bottle when he solicited
criticisms of the system. That was reflected in the students who
recently grilled high-ranking official Ricardo Alarcón, who didn't give
straight answers. A leaked video showcased their uncomfortable questions:
Why can't Cubans travel freely? Why do Cubans get paid nearly worthless
salaries? Why isn't the economy more productive? Why are Cubans barred
from hotels and restaurants for tourists? Why vote for National Assembly
members when Cubans don't even know the candidates?
Dissidents punished
Cuban dissidents have been asking those questions for years. And they
have been persecuted and imprisoned for doing so.
At this point, any reform that could provide relief for ordinary Cubans
would be an improvement. After nearly 50 years of suffocating control,
Cubans are fed up with the bankrupt system. New leadership will risk
losing control altogether if it doesn't provide some hope. Promises
alone won't do.
This turning point provides a good opportunity to support Cuba's
dissidents and increase pressure on Cuba's political elites to initiate
democratic change. The United States and other democratic nations should
use their diplomatic powers to end the world's longest lasting dictatorship.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/425650.html
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