Dissidents in Cuba will run in local elections

[flamingdem]

* I think this is interesting. It's important for the information to get out about the different groups of dissidents in Cuba to be able to understand what's going on with the hunger strikes and media bandwagon.

Good luck with that though...

Sorry there's no translation but this will probably appear in English soon.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/lg/america_latina/2010/03/100312_0021_cuba_disidentes_elecciones_gz.shtml

Disidentes cubanos en campaña electoral

Fernando Ravsberg

La Habana

Sectores de la disidencia cubana han iniciado un nuevo camino tratando de ganar fuerza social para poder ser electos en al Poder Popular, sistema de gobierno que va desde los municipios hasta el parlamento y la misma Presidencia de la República.

Durante los últimos meses han hecho campaña electoral con el fin de postularse como delegados de circunscripción, una especie de edil municipal encargado de solucionar los problemas de la comunidad. Son además potenciales candidatos a diputados.

Silvio Benítez, presidente del Partido Liberal, se presentó en la circunscripción 47 de Punta Brava, en las afueras de La Habana. BBC Mundo estuvo presente durante la reunión que convocó a unos 120 vecinos, que debieron decidir entre un candidato disidente y una del Partido Comunista.

A pesar de que nos aseguraron que en otras asambleas de nominación existieron presiones contra los disidentes que se presentaron, en esta ocasión todo transcurrió con total normalidad. Hubo cuestionamientos pero sin agresiones ni insultos.
Trabajar hacia el pueblo

“Somos parte de la Plataforma de Candidatos. Realizamos una acción masiva en todo el país postulándonos para ser electos como delegados”, nos explicó Silvio Benítez y agregó que “es la mejor forma de demostrar que tenemos apoyo en la población”.

“Esto es un gran entrenamiento y ojalá que la oposición se desentumezca y que asumamos la conciencia cívica de ganar desde la base los electores. Ya es hora que dejemos de trabajar hacia afuera y nos dediquemos a trabajar hacia el pueblo”, nos dice.

Silvio agrega que “es posible hacerlo, tenemos que presentarnos a todas las asambleas, cuestionar las barbaries que se hacen, las farsas, las faltas de respuesta al pueblo, obligarlos a rendir cuentas, desnudar la mentira y la manipulación del gobierno”.

“Esta propuesta va a seguir ganando adeptos, pero hay que empezar desde la base”, nos explica y reconoce que “las organizaciones disidentes en Cuba son pequeñas, por eso es necesario llegar al cubano común y corriente que es el que te va a votar”.
Asamblea en calma

Llegamos a la Asamblea unos minutos antes de que se inicie y esperamos sentados en uno de los bancos del parque que hay enfrente. Queríamos que nuestra presencia no alterase el ambiente por lo que ni siquiera sacamos la cámara para no destacarnos.

Cuando nos acercamos vimos a Silvio con su Guayabera gris parado en primera fila. Se cantó el himno nacional y se leyó un artículo del periódico oficial, Granma, en el que se orienta sobre las cualidades que debe tener un delegado.

Las únicas fuerzas represivas que vimos fue un policía parado a unos metros de la reunión deteniendo los automóviles que intentaban atravesar la calle. Los disidentes nos aseguraron que cerca de allí había más policías pero no los vimos.

Cuando entramos a la reunión sólo nos miraron con curiosidad, éramos una pareja de personas extrañas. Sin embargo, nadie nos cuestionó por estar parados allí, ni siquiera detectamos miradas hoscas, comentarios agresivos ni nada por el estilo.
Ganar la abstención

Cuando llegó la hora de postular candidatos, dos personas propusieron que continuara la actual delegada, una medico, miembro del Partido Comunista y jefa de salud pública regional. El otro que levantó la mano fue Silvio para auto proponerse, algo totalmente legal.

Entre las opiniones reinantes, un anciano cuestionó la postulación del disidente porque, según él, no tiene las cualidades descritas en Granma. Sin embargo, obviando el veto propuesto, el presidente de la asamblea llevó el nombre de Silvio a votación.

Finalmente el resultado, según nuestras cuentas, fue de 50 votos por la candidata del Partido Comunista, 14 a favor de Silvio y unas 50 abstenciones. Esta última es una cifra extremadamente grande para la realidad política de Cuba.

Los disidentes apuestan a hacer un trabajo “casa por casa, como hacen los Testigos de Jehová” nos explica Silvio y termina diciendo que la tarea pendiente de la disidencia es lograr el apoyo de todas esas personas que ya no votan por la propuesta gubernamental.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/lg/america_latina/2010/03/100312_0021_cuba_disidentes_elecciones_gz.shtml

[Judi Lynn]

1. Here's a google translation:

Last update:Saturday, March 13th, 2010 - 05:58 GMT
Cuban dissidents campaign

Fernando Ravsberg

Havana

Sectors of the Cuban dissidents have launched a new road trying to win social power in order to be elected People's Power, governance ranging from municipalities to the parliament and the presidency of the republic itself.

Over the past months have made campaign in order to run for district delegates, a sort of municipal councilor in charge of solving community problems. They are also potential candidates for deputies.

Silvio Benitez, president of the Liberal Party, appeared in 47 of Punta Brava district on the outskirts of Havana. BBC World was present during the meeting that brought together about 120 residents, who must decide between a dissident and a candidate of the Communist Party.

Although we were assured that there were meetings to nominate other pressures against dissidents that occurred, this time everything went normally. There were questions but no attacks or insults.

Work towards the people
"We are part of the Platform for Candidates. We conducted a mass action across the country running for elected as delegates, "explained Silvio Benitez added:" It is the best way to show that we support in the population. "

"This is a great workout and hopefully desentumezca opposition and civic consciousness that we take from the base to win voters. It is time we stopped working out and get busy working toward the people, "he says.

Silvio added that "it is possible to do so, we have to present all assemblies, to question the barbarities that are made, the farce, the non-responses to the people, force them to account, stripping the lies and manipulation of government."

"This proposal will continue gaining acceptance, but start from the base", explains and recognizes that "dissident organizations in Cuba are small, so it is necessary to arrive at ordinary Cuban who is going to vote you .

Assembly calm
We came to the Assembly a few minutes before the start and hopefully sitting on a bench in the park in front. We wanted our presence did not adversely affect the environment even as we get the camera to not stand out.

As we approached we saw Silvio Guayabera with gray standing in the front row. He sang the national anthem and read an article in the official newspaper, Granma, which focuses on the qualities that you must have a delegate.

The only forces we saw was a repressive police stopped a few meters from the meeting stopping cars trying to cross the street. The dissidents assured us that nearby there were more police officers, but never saw them.

When we entered the meeting just looked at us with curiosity, we were a couple of strangers. But nobody questioned by us stand there, not even detect looks sullen, aggressive comments or anything like that.

Winning the abstention
When it came time to nominate candidates, two persons proposed to continue the current delegate, a doctor, member of the Communist Party and head of regional public health. The other was raising his hand Silvio proposed car, which is totally legal.

Among the prevailing views, an old man questioned the nomination of the maverick because, he said, has the qualities described in Granma. However, ignoring a veto proposed, the assembly president Silvio took the name of a vote.

Finally the result, according to our accounts, was 50 votes for the candidate of the Communist Party, 14 for Silvio and some 50 abstentions. The latter is an extremely large figure for the political reality in Cuba.

The dissidents are betting on a job "house to house, like the Jehovah's Witnesses" explains Silvio and concludes that the remaining task of dissent is to support all those people who no longer vote for the government proposal.

[Wilms]

2. k&r n/t

[Mika]

3. Thank you for posting this.

I've been sayin' all along. I've seen it w/my own eyes.

:hi:

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[protocol rv]

4. They need a free press and the ability to organize

This is a sham, because they lack the ability to organize into parties, and they lack a free press. Also, not the abstentions. I discussed this issue with a Cuban friend, and she told me when they drop their vote into the ballot box, the box has two "Pioneers" next to the box, who raise their hand and say "Voted", and there's a lot of pressure to show up at the polling place. So many of them deface the ballot and this is listed as an abstention.

The way she describes it, they are given candidates postulated by the communist party machine - and note the previous sentence, the communist party machine, which she says are identified as "Vanguard worker" and so on. These guys are the ones who usually get extra vehicles, have food parcels dropped off at their homes (because the regular ration would starve a person unless he/she deals in the hard currency market).

Now, the existence of a communist party machine able to use the state controlled media, while those who oppose the regime are not able to organize or publish against the government, make these a sham election. The BBC has lent itself to placing a veneer of acceptability on what is evidently a propaganda prop, to be used by regime apologizers.

Conclusion: This doesn't meet the requirements for a free and fair electin. The communists continue to run a gerontocracy controlled by old dinosaurs, rotten to the core, corrupt, which generates poverty and depression. And I'm quoting Cubans who live there. They are scared, would never dare oppose the regime openly because they fear for their jobs and their families, but they are at a point where many of them are ready to explode.

So you keep trying to sit on the lid of the pressure cooker, my friends. In the end, the pressure ccoker is going to blow the lid anyway. And I'm going to really enjoy reading what you have to say when the Cuban people themselves reveal just how bad this tyranny has been.

[Mika]

5. Conclusion: You know jack shit about Cuba

You post lies. Period.

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[protocol rv]

6. Show me a link to a Cuban newspaper run by the opposition

If I post lies, then could you please prove it? Show me an internet link to a website run by the opposition in Cuba. Not the Yoani Sanchez blog. I mean something like a newspaper we'll know can be read by Cubans living in Cuba, which states clearly it's opposed to the Castro regime, and wants to change it.

If you can't, I made my point. And please don't tell me that, in a population of 10 million people, there aren't a few million who want change. You'll make yourself sound ridiculous.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Remarks made for the public by the CIA near the end of the "special period" in Cuba,

not long after Russia was coerced by Reagan into ending its economic relationship with Cuba:

MSNBC
April 13, 2000
CIA: Most Cubans loyal to homeland

Agency believes various ties to island bind the majority

By Robert Windrem
NBC NEWS PRODUCER

NEW YORK, April 12 — Cuban-American exile leaders — and many Republicans in Congress —
believe that no Cuban, including Juan Miguel Gonzalez, could withstand the blandishments of
a suburban American lifestyle, that he and all other Cubans would gladly trade their
“miserable” lives in Cuba for the prosperity of the United States — if only given the chance.
Witness House Minority Leader Dick Armey’s invitation to Gonzalez, offering him a tour of a
local supermarket. But U.S. intelligence suggests otherwise.

THE CIA has long believed that while 1 million to 3 million Cubans would leave the island if they had the
opportunity, the rest of the nation’s 11 million people would stay behind.
While an extraordinarily high number, there are still 8 million to 10 million Cubans happy to remain
on the island.

~snip~
U.S. officials say they no longer regard Cuba as a totalitarian state with aggressive policies toward its people,
but instead an authoritarian state, where the public can operate within certain bounds — just not push the envelope.
More important, Cuban media and Cuban culture long ago raised the banner of nationalism above that of
Marxism.
The intelligence community says the battle over Elian has presented Castro with a “unique opportunity” to
enhance that nationalism.
There is no indication, U.S. officials say, of any nascent rebellion about to spill into the streets, no great
outpouring of support for human rights activists in prison. In fact, there are fewer than 100 activists on the island
and a support group of perhaps 1,000 more, according to U.S. officials.

No doubt, they say, continuing hardship — and an increasingly fragile infrastructure — could lead to
demonstrations at some point, but there have been no such protests since the riots of Aug. 4, 1994, when 30,000
people gathered in the streets of Havana, frightening Cuban officials and shocking U.S. intelligence.

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/cuba/loyal.htm

Remember, our C.I.A. arranged the invasion of Cuba and has attacked Cuban over the years through many methods including biological warfare, as testified by a Cuban "exile," Eduardo Arocena, a former CIA operative, at his murder trial after murdering a Cuban diplomat to the United Nations. Not to mention the hundreds of attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro, as acknowledged BY OUR C.I.A. long ago.

[protocol rv]

8. Sorry Judy, but this is irrelevant

The point is the Cubans don't have free and fair elections. You can debate US policy with Americans from Texas, I suppose. But don't try to debate it with me, because we probably agree.

Given your lack of response when I dish criticism out against the US, I'd say I'm likely more radically anti-imperialist than you are anyway. But where we evidently have a serious difference is that you apologize for human rights abuses in Cuba, and I don't. I don't see a need to support a regime that's based on personality worship of a man who has ruled with an iron hand for 50 years.

[Mika]

9. Move along then.

Cuba's human rights abuses are minimal in the big picture. I admire that you are a staunch advocate for justice, but considering Cuba's overall achievements, especially in the last 3 decades, Cuba does not rank very high in abuses at all in any measure.

As I've said, I admire your advocacy, but isn't your time spent ragging Cuba (which, incidentally, has world class if not leading social stats) rather out of proportion with other nations whose gov'ts commit, by far, much more egregious and heinous crimes like China, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Russia, etc etc etc?


Cuba locks up some traitors who get funding from the self declared enemies of Cuba and you're getting all bent out of shape? :wtf:

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[protocol rv]

10. I don't think Cuba's Human Rights abuses are minimal

The Cuban government abuses human rights. Those abuses are not considered minimal by decent people around the world. Stop apologizing for a criminal regime which doesn't deserve to be in power. They have had 50 years and enough is enough.