Luis Felipe Rojas, Translator: Raul G.
The following post was written by Luis Felipe Rojas for "Diario de Cuba"
and published on Wednesday, February 15th:
During the past few days, fragments of the recently concluded sessions
of the Communist Party of Cuba National Conference have been televised.
And the first thing that jumps out at one's eyes is the lack of
confrontation. The Cuban communists pay no attention to their best
mirror: in each corner of any town of the island it constantly turns on
the most substantial of discussions. About baseball or the quality of
bread. Of the neglect of public functionaries or of the frequency with
which eggs or beans are distributed in rations. Still lacking any glints
of democracy, a debate – which the deputies of the National Assembly
wish they had- surges anywhere.
During the discussion about a possible constitutional reformulation of
Article 42, one could see how Mariela Castro Espin (daughter of Raul
Castro) was the subject of timid pleas. Her intention was that they add
"reasons of gender indentification" to the mentioned article which lists
that no one should be discriminated based on race, gender, nationality,
or religion.
The responses from Alarcon and Eusebio Leal refused the necessity to
cite these terms in the constitution. They cited Marti and spoke of
unity. The quick intervention of Esteban Lazo as moderator cut the
debate, the television also cut the running time of the event, and as a
product of digital magic, we could see when "everyone" raised their
hands to unanimously approve something.
There is a contradiction which asks for special attention. Commission
No. 1, according to an article published by Granma newspaper on
Wednesday, February 1st, debated the internal functioning of the
communist organization. The intention was to finish with the ruling and
meddling of the Party instructors when it comes to productive decisions,
while they stated that they would "strengthen the role and faculties of
the Party Committees in the work place". Any Cuban knows very well about
the arrogance of the municipal Party functionaries, and not to mention
the visiting officials from provincial committees. The sole announcement
of their visits puts any municipality on guard: checking work plans,
painting sidewalks and once gain reviving gastronomy.
A televised fragment in which the Ministry of Culture and the President
of the Cuban Radio and Television Institute bragged about the bad taste
provided signals of the stagnant thought within the structures of power.
Minister Prieto alluded to the careerists which sustained themselves by
making jokes and parodies, and informed about the juicy gains and the
corruption in the provincial centers of music through the evaluation and
hiring of artists and artistic projects of low quality and of the worst
aesthetic taste. The dichotomy between what artistic talent offers and
what people want continues to be the source of discord which has not
been resolved in a commission of Stalinists. The contemporary television
dynamic goes one way while the indoctrination which tries to spread
throughout Cuba through soap operas and TV series for adolescents goes
the other way.
It is something which is completely evil. The imposition of stagnant
communist ideas as the sole source of political citizen participation
does not, after all, result in the ever concealed unity of "all" Cubans.
Debates behind closed doors to later show them edited and served like
recipes are the buttons of proof of the single Party. Regardless, what
was not debated or televised must have been more interesting than the
gabbles published during these days. The fact that Raul Castro initiated
the closing discourse with his position about the possibilities of a
multi-party system made it barely visible, according to some, that the
matter was at least in the debate of the work commissions.
The Communist Party of Cuba is a rigid and exclusive option which
attempts to perpetuate a system condemned to failure.
Translated by: Raul G.
15 February 2012
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