DIMENSIONS OF GOVERNANCE IN DEMOCRACY
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This important meeting of the heads of states in the region, also
considered a series of dimensions that garantee and favor an environment
that gives way to a greater governance in democracy.
Now, I'm going to try to say my personal opinion about the imlementation
of these scopes to the specific characteristics of Cuba. I'll try
to be faithful to Cuba's own political tradition. My opinion will
be based on the Holy Faher's exhortation which urges the christians,
specially the laics, to take responsibility and contribute, with their
opinion, to create new ways of democracy through the perfectionong
of what already exists.
International dimension:
"The political experience of Iberian American countries shows
that democratic governance strengthens if there is an environment
of international peace and security". So states the Declaration
of Viña del Mar in its paragraph 10th and it mentions then
some aspects that should be present in that environment:
-The process of globalization: risks, oportunities and negative effects.
-Integration and liberalization of commercial exchanges.
-Rejection to unilateral cercitive measures opposite to free commerce.
-To build a transportation net, communications for economical, social
and cultural exchange in order to help regional integration.
-International cooperation against corruption, terrorism, drugs, arms
dealing and other ways of international crimes.
In that sense, I would propose for Cuba:
1- To contribute to the seach for solutions in order to take advantages
of the opportunities that globalization offers and to minimize its
negative effects, thus preventing Cuba to be isolated from the region
and from the world. Those countries would have then a consistent position
regarding that attitude on te part of Cuba.
2-The regional integration and commerce should not be manipulated
due to political reasons.Understanding must be through men's rights
and peoples' rights.
3-The Helms-Burton law and all similar measures should be abolished
in order to create a climate of deténte and thus there won't
be any reason for a "harrassed country" by a neighbor nation
so that any justification can't prevent from doing the necessary changes
in order to improve our democracy. The measures of coercion don't
have any justification, much less if they affect the population's
basic needs. If there is the possibility of the cancelation of those
measures eventually, Cuba should find the way to improve the relationships
with the United States and begin a period of mutual and respecful
exchange in the fields of culture, commerce, finance, etc. For that
purpose, Cuba will need economic resources and also, and above all,
it will need human resources prepared and educated in plurality and
dialogue.
4.Cuba could make a contribution to that net of transportation and
communication due to its geographic location and due to the richness
of its culture and the high qualification of its professionals.
In short: Cuba won't be able to improve its democracy if it doesn't
receive the proper attention in the international arena once Cuba
begins to take the necessary steps. The stand of the European Union
is closer to that wished situation.
Social & economic dimension:
The Declaration of Viña del Mar stresses in paragraph 16th:
"the fact that democratic stability and economic and social development
are categories that tend to reinforce mutually". In that sense
the Declaration states:
- It is necessary that the state, without forgetting equality of oportunities,
"looks for the necessary conciliation between economic growing
and social development, and gives priority to social investments".
-It is necessary to promote an "excange of ideas and experiences
regarding topics such as: proper tax systems, effective ways of social
expenses... education, health, fighting agains poverty and ways of
contributive help on the part of civil society".
-To balance the role of the state and private property knowing that
these tasks "belong both to the public and to the private branches
in economic development".
-To value possitively the participation of the "organized community
in regions and municipalities" in the solution to social and
economic problems.
-It is necessary too that democracy and technological modernization
coincide. And also a coincidence between economic growing and social
justice.
To Cuba, this dimension would mean that:
1.The perfectioning process of democracy should combine with the solution
of the problem of including Cuba in the new ways of economy and viceversa
2.There should not be any restrictions that can be handicaps for new
ways of democracy. These restrictions at the same time favor the adoption
of new economic ways. The new ways of democracy, as we have tried
to demonstrate in this presentation, perfectly coincide with
the best of our political tradition.
3. Cuba must balance the role of the state (which has been excesively
paternalist for a long time) with the promotion of a private layer
that starts an impulse to important branches of our economy. We cubans
should be allowed to have private property, mixed and cooperative
property and we should be allowed to invest once we have the necessary
money. Meanwhile Cuba is not able to steadily be part of the economy
of the region or go forward to a real sustainable development.
4.The free jobs and the possibilities of freely organized small enterprises
and self-managed enterprises are other dimensions that will favor
the stability of our political system towards a greater real democratization.
5.The provinces and municipalities of the country should implement
their own management in order to have a higher participation in national
economy. They should organize civil society once the state establishes
its relationships with that civil society, under the principle of
assistance. There should be a law that promotes decentralization of
the state and administration, and gives more independence to provinces
and municipalities.
6. The knowledge about social justice should be preserved. This knowledge
was attained during the stage before the so-called "special period".
This knowledge
should be also promoted with specific measures that show this principle
that has been outstanding during the history of our land. For example
we have the church social doctrine. All these measures will give credibility
to the social system. The fact of combining the market free economy
with social justice is the greatest challenge in social and economic
dimensions in the present cuban process: a project of free economy
could be an alternative for Cuba but it's necessary to bear in mind
the specific present situation of underdeveloped country.
In short: Democracy in Cuba won't be able to attain solid basis for
its perfectioning and stability, if, at the same time, we don't establish
democracy in the economy, thus giving all cubans the right to private
property, free employment and permission for external commerce and
investments.
Political dimension:
As to the political dimension of governance in democracy, the Declaration
of Viña del Mar says in its paragraph 19th and the others:
-" Governance in democracy means the representation and participation
of all inhabitants of our countires, no matter their origin, race,
religion or sex... because that is important for political democracy
legitimacy.
- "That implies to acknowledge the contribution of majorities
and minorities to the perfectioning of our democratic models"
- "The passing from a policy based on conflict to a policy based
on cooperation, that searches for the union of ideas and efforts in
order to solve the conflicts according to institutional principles,
and respecting the rights for public debates"
-There must not be injury to any citizen regarding his fundamental
rights in the name of a dogmatic perspective about society, the state
or the economy".
- The importance of institutions that favor a more efficient defence
of human rights and fundamental garantees, as the defenders of the
people and the human rights promote".
-To improve the quality of politics, promoting its "ethic roots,
the demand for values and the vocation meaning".
-To strengthen, from the first grades in school, the programs for
citizen education for democracy and participation".
-To reinforce "responsibility of associations and political parties
in the mid-levels, in the national representation and in the leadership
selection, according to legislation and political traditions".
-To strengthen electoral systems that allow a more democratic representation
of the population and a wider relationship between the electorate
and their representatives".
-To develop the knowledge for mutual responsibility between citizens
and authorities... In this mutual responsibilities lies a great part
of transparence which is an important demand for democracy at present".
-To affirm and consolidate "honesty, transparence and responsibility
as essential requirements for public service and for civil society
activities, as well as for our political culture", thus preventing
corruption.
In Cuba, we could implement these commitments, among others, during
this stage in the following way:
1.Official acknowledgement of political minorities and their contribution
to the perfectionong of our democracy,
accordng to te most genuine tradition coming from varela and Martí.
2.To widen the space for dialogue and political dialogue, social and
cultural and economic ones, which are already being sponsored until
these spaces can be part of our daily culture of debate, expressed
and accepted without any fear, or hegemony of any group, religion
or party.
3To facilitate the judicial procedures, through the established institutions
or other newly created, in order to listen to the complaints from
citizens and defend their rights and garantees.
4.To establish in the national education system in a steady way, a
program for civic education that teaches about democracy and participation.
Other institutions can cooperate in this task, for example, they can
be open to a higher participation in the Seminars about Participative
Democracy which are being held.
5. On the part of the church, the services for civic education and
ethics should be continued and widened, according to the social doctrine
and the cuban poitical tradition. The diversity of philosophies and
believes should be integrated in all institutioal programs, not only
to satisfy an individual right of each cuban, but to create the basis
for a pluralist society from the very childhood and youth.
-The groups and organizations (even if they are a minority) that wish
to propose economic, cultural, social or political alternatives, should
try to become legal, and to strengthen their love for the homeland
and they should stay in the country, in order to search for the possible
improvement in the perfectioning of our democracy. The state could
take steps in that sense inside legality and culture of debate. A
new law for associations which would bear this in mind, would be a
possitive step that all cubans and the international community would
welcome.
6.Transparence and dialogue for the achievement of the former aspects
must be the means to attain this sane balance among all political
representations in the country. This is a country with a high level
of instruction and with a beautiful civic tradition given by Varela,
Martí, Céspedes, Agramonte, Frank, José Antonio
Echeverría and many others. A country like this should know
how to show the world an evidence of maturity and political tolerance.
Without political transparence in information there would not be improvement
in the perfectioning of our democracy.
7.The civil society should be developed and the citizens must find
autonomous space in it, to exercise not only political democracy but
also social, economical and cultural democracy. We must burry the
belief that civil society and state have only mutual control relationships.
There must be a greater understanding and cooperation for the common
good.
In short: the political dimension of democracy should go forward in
Cuba with the cknowledgement of minotities as valid opinions and sponsor
constitutional changes that allow to overcome the situation of "proletarian
dictatorship". The political perfectioning should have the same
speed as the economic perfectioning and the improvement of international
relationships. If we acknowledge in these relationships and in economy,
the respect for the dialogue with different human groups and countries
with different political orientations, then why don't we recognize,
respect and talk with the ones that profess different political ideas
inside the country? That would be the best way to strengthen our national
unity according to diversity and to our sovereignty before the world,
through concensus inside our home".
Since 1986, the ENEC wished this process to begin.There was stated.
"Cultural evangelizing, thus understood, in the environment of
our socialist country and counting on its own dynamics, postulates
a real democratization, social, economic, political and cultural,
on the basis of the values of justice, solidarity, participation and
sane pluralism. It also asks that, without going back to past situations,
a synthesis be attained between the own tradition and technical and
scientific civilization which frees us from any way of dehumanization
either evasive or technocratic" (ENEC No. 1166)
