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Communist Congress: A Continuation of the Dictatorship
Dr. Oscar Elías Biscet
Lawton Foundation for Human Rights
The Congress of the Cuban Communist Party was nothing but a distasteful comedy. Planned by the orthodox leadership to ensure its continuity alongside Raúl Castro, it purged the reformists and drowned their free market ideas.
Raúl, leader of the Party, surrounded by a political bureau consisting of his senile and fundamentalist followers, imposed an agenda whose primary focus was economic planning and the limitation of party, state and administrative positions to a maximum of two terms.
Socialist planning raised doubt as to whether the engine which will make economic reform take off will ever start. Stagnant ideas will continue to grow roots and deepen the country’s crisis. China solved this problem by putting into place a market system which turned it into the world’s second economic power.
That system was well criticized by Raúl, who emphasizing his aberrant preoccupation with not allowing workers independent from the state to accumulate capital, stated that: “They will not permit the accumulation of wealth nor the return to capitalism.”
Centralized planning is possible solely within the monopolistic system currently in place in Cuba. But, it is precisely those monopolistic actions that stop development and impose unfair prices, limit completion, assign inefficient resources, and prevent the creation of new enterprises.
In a civilized nation such measures would be sanctioned. According to the philosopher Frederick Hayek: “The market is a spontaneous order of cooperation, money often is the most efficient instrument of liberty that man has ever invented and private property, the most important guarantee of freedom.”
Fidel Castro, in a weakened state of senility, made evident by his awkward walk, sleepiness and silence, resigned just a few days before and did not seek the position of First Secretary of the Communist Party. By his attendance at the congress, he manifested his support for having his brother substitute him in the position of First Secretary. His thirst for power and his megalomania have kept him from seeing the inexorable passing of time. He wanted to be God; and turned himself into a man –god through a process which destroyed the Cuban nation.
Once when he had the opportunity to visit the botanical garden in Havana, a gardener told him: “It takes this plant 150 years to grow,” to which Castro responded: “We will return then to see it.”
His actions started giving forth the impression that he was harboring the hope of being eternal and that his time in power would never run out. Even worse for his regime, his pride kept him from preparing a generation to take over. And he even went to the extreme of saying: “What do I care what happens after me.”
Today, we confront consequences of not having a group of well prepared substitutes with sufficient experience and maturity to take on the new and complex tasks of directing the Party, the State and the Government. The recent criticism made by Raúl should be directed to Fidel and his entourage.
Those appointed as “heirs”by finger pointing have seen themselves in the “Comandante’s” shoes and have accepted maximum terms to political and state positions in order to guarantee their succession. From individual dictatorship to party dictatorship such as that of Partido Institucional de Mexico (PRI) which has autocratically dominated the political life of that nation for seventy years.
In Cuba, people are so needy and frustrated with all aspects of life that they see any proposal as worthy change. Some situations are so absurd that they would be appropriate for the Teatro Bufo.
For example, to have a car and be able to sell it; to own a house and have to ask the nation’s authorities to have a relative or a friend live in your home; to lease an hectare of land and have to use oxen to farm it.
Citizens must understand that in order to find solutions to their problems there must be freedom in Cuba. That is the starting point for psychological and material improvement of the people.
It is imperative that basic liberties such as speech, expression and the press; freedom of religion and the right to peaceably assemble, the right to have protection under the law, the right to due process and fair trial be recognized and put into practice. It is necessary to guarantee people these inalienable rights and to limit government through a real constitution that protects citizens from the excesses of those in power.
This makes a person independent, free able to use his talents to work in society. According to Schopenhauer: “ The advantage of a free man is the possibility to improve his condition through his talents.” Freedom of thought, the freedom to express one’s opinions, specifically religious ones, as well as to defend them, and propagate them. These are rights specifically guaranteed by the Constitution of 1976; but violated by the Castro regime.
Some religious institutions, falsely and hypocritically, affirm that they have freedom of choice. They state this to flatter the secular authorities in power and lie to humanity. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” This right includes freedom to change religion or beliefs, as well as the right to express his religion or beliefs, individually or collectively, in public, as well as in private, through teachings, practice, cult or observance.
Except for the few public religious activities authorized by the government, I have never known a priest to preach in parks, plazas, stadiums or radio or T.V. broadcasts. There are no religious elementary schools, high schools nor universities.
On the other hand, this Congress promoted many black individuals. The new Security General acknowledged the existence of racism in society and criticized that evil which has been allowed by them for over half a century. But in following days, his brother and former leader of the party, made fun of all the efforts to eradicate racism. In his writing, he used demeaning terms and even stated that many descendants of slaves were participating in the Party’s gatherings. This is a phrase of hypocritical content and double entendre which underestimates and hurts the dignity of individuals of the black race. Many black Cubans are proud of their black ancestry whether it be from Africa, Spain or other world regions.
The Communist Party has made innumerable errors throughout a half century. Until when will they continue having to correct errors and negative trends? Stop being impostors; stop lying to the people with your new party dictatorship and the much talked about cosmetic changes to the economy. You are frustrated and have shown your inability to bring about positive changes in the nation and reforms which have human rights as their foundation. It is time for you to leave and allow the Cuban people to find their road to freedom, harmony and prosperity. |
