El Roque, the Hope of the Cuban People PDF Print E-mail

El Roque, the Hope of the Cuban People

The town of El Roque in Matanzas, Cuba has become an important and dynamic center for the quest of human rights for the Cuban people

The latest prisoners of conscience to be liberated, belonging to the group of the 75, have made this beautiful, idyllic, country town our official seat. And most important of all is that this agreement constitutes a profound and indestructible love of country and hope for the rest of our compatriots. The members of this group of democratic dissidents, in spite of being individuals with diverse opinions, have a clearly defined theory as to the methodology to be employed in our quest for democracy and freedom for the Cuban people. Besides, we have the backing of having been incarcerated, harassed and tortured by the regime for having taken the initiative to use the methods of a nonviolent civic struggle the essential formula to gain freedom for our homeland.

Our El Roque group made a second declaration July 14, 2011 which has come to be known as , “Segunda Declaración de El Roque”[ Second Declaration of El Roque.] In this declaration, we reaffirm our desire to open up the group to the rest of the peaceful opposition and  consolidate its popular base. Our primary objective for the next three months is to achieve the unification of all peaceful opposition forces with equal dignity and conditions for all members. Our principal objective is to have all of the democratic opposition develop a “Proyecto Nacional” [National Project] for the democratization and freedom of our country.

Nevertheless, at the same time that we congregated and tried to fuse our ideas at El Roque, another project emerged from the public spectrum of the Cuban opposition, “El Camino del Pueblo” [The Way of the People]. This led a lot of political activists and journalists to want to know why I had not adhered to this proclamation. I had not answered those questioning me because I needed to study the document in detail and to respond objectively without hurting, neither spiritually nor mentally, those brothers promoting this new model. I will be succinct in my explanation of my thoughts about the new project so my compatriots and others around the world who are interested can have a better understanding of my opinion about “ El Camino del Pueblo.”

This protocol is profoundly ideological. Moreover, I think it is intensely socialist. It is a reform of the regime which consults with and counts on the participation of the same hierarchy that has been destroying the Cuban nation during the past fifty years. Neither does it propose a method of struggle to force the powerful leaders of the regime to negotiate the restoration of democracy to the nation. It is nothing other than the continuation of communism which in Castro-Stalinist words would mean to save communism.

We know that the Castro regime is in its final phase. That is why I pray to the God of the Bible to fill us all with courage and wisdom to lead Cuba towards the goals of and total respect for the human rights of all its people. I also pray to the Biblical God that in our next encounter at El Roque on October 14, we will be able to consolidate a unifying project, first in the humanitarian aspect and secondly in the political aspect, towards peaceful changes in our nation with ideas of members representing the entire opposition.

For love of this God of justice and freedom, my admiration goes out to members of the opposition at El Roque as well as to those worthy brothers in the struggle who help the hope of our people for absolute liberty to be strengthened and to grow each and every day.