ABOUT WHY DON’T WE CHANGE OUR OPINION ON THE NEW OBAMA POLICY TOWARDS CASTRO’S REGIME

ABOUT WHY DON'T WE CHANGE OUR OPINION ON THE NEW OBAMA POLICY TOWARDS
CASTRO'S REGIME

José Daniel Ferrer, Executive Secretary of the Patriotic Union of Cuba
(UNPACU) analyzes in this Press Release UNPACU's position regarding the
current OBAMA's policy towards the Castro regime and defends reasons why
UNPACU is maintaining its position on this issue, in favor of this
opportunity to change Cuban history. Some of the reasons explained in
the statement are as follows:

- A serious and responsible political option cannot be presented to
Cubans unless you take into account very much the opinion of the
majority of Cubans.

- It's impossible to attract the attention and solidarity of democratic
nations blaming them for mistakes Cubans are the only ones that should
be blamed for, and which can only be solved by them. But neither turning
our back to the opinion of the vast majority of solidarity nations
in the democratic world.

- The Government of the United States and their political
representatives continue, as always, showing support and solidarity
towards Cuban human rights defenders.

- The embargo, as it was only American, rather than harming, has
benefited Castro's regime.

- Nobody is more worried than Castro's regime on what could happen with
the end of the policy of open confrontation and the advantages that the
defenders of human rights would be able to obtain in the new scenarios
that could emerge.

- The great challenge we face in the Cuban independent civil society is
not whether we are for or against Barak Obama's policies. The great
challenge is the need to join our efforts to be able to articulate a
strong mass movement to compel the regime to sit at the table of
dialogue or to leave power.
JOSÉ DANIEL FERRER GARCÍA. Feb. 2, 2015. SANTIAGO DE CUBA.

Yesterday in the afternoon I went to an Internet point in Santiago de
Cuba with the intention of looking for the latest news related to the
Cuban opposition, to Cuba and the rest of the world. The Cubans can't
connect to Internet from our homes, but only from the Internet points
(ETECSA) and from certain hotels where one hour of Internet connection
costs 4,50 CUC [the Cuban turistic coin equivalent to a dollar]; the
equivalent of 10 working days for most of the national workers.

"…one hour of internet connection costs 4,50 CUC… equivalent of 10
working days for most of the national workers…"


José Daniel Ferrer – Executive Secretary of UNPACU

Looking here and there, and among other locations, I found a blog where
somebody was wondering if, after the beating and detentions suffered by
around thirty members of the UNPACU last Thursday in Palma Soriano while
publicly demanding freedom and democracy and expressing their support to
the new policy of the president Barack Obama towards Cuba, we were not
going to change our opinion on this issue.

The members of UNPACU, after deeply analyzing a subject, after hearing
the sincere opinion of the majority of the people and after assessing
the benefits and the ethics of an approach or an action, decide what our
position is accordingly. Neither the brutal beatings or a million years
in jail nor a billion of tortures would make us change our minds. We
won't either change our position to please other opponents of Castro who
have political and economical powers but whose agendas are not always in
line with the needs of millions of Cubans who live in total poverty,
deprived from their rights and from their freedom.

"…after hearing the sincere opinion of the majority of the people and
after assessing the benefits and the ethics of an approach or an action,
we decide what our position is accordingly. Neither the brutal beatings
or a million years in jail nor a billion of tortures would make us
change our minds"

The facts clearly demonstrate what the UNPACU's position is and what the
moral basis of our approach is: we are a pro-democratic organization
from inside Cuba with the biggest activism and the biggest number of
activists. In the last three years and a half, the UNPACU has had more
political prisoners, more beaten and fined activists, detainees,
tortured and accused than all the organizations of the opposition
altogether.

Concerning the subject of the new Obama policy towards the Castro
regime, I said: "towards the Castro regime", because towards the people
and the Cuban opposition, the American policy is remaining the same:
solidarity and support to the advocates of human rights and to the
UNPACU. After analyzing in the most objective way, after consulting the
majority of our activists, collaborators, supporters and many other
citizens, after knowing the opinion of the majority of the Americans and
of citizens and governments of other friendly nations as well as the
opinion of Cuban democrats, we decide to give our support.

"… towards the people and the Cuban opposition, the American policy is
remaining the same: solidarity and support to the advocates of human
rights."

As we had the opportunity to express it on previous occasions, we are
convinced in the UNPACU that the main actors of the fight for
democratization and reconstruction of our nation have to be the Cubans
from inside and from the Diaspora and if we don't succeed it would be
for our own errors and mistakes. We can't blame the USA, or anyone else,
for what is in fact our own responsibility. What others decide might
influence, positively or negatively our cause, but will not define the
final result. The final result will depend, above all, on the love, the
responsibility, the value, the intelligence, the knowledge and the
strategies of the ones who fight for a free, fair and prosper Cuba.

"We can't blame the USA, or anyone else, for what is in fact our own
responsibility."

We respect the right of the ones who are opposed to the normalization of
the relations between the USA and the Castro regime to express their
opinion and to follow a path they consider convenient. We hope that our
right will be respected to express what we believe is the most in favor
of our fight and will achieve what every Cuban desires: Freedom and
Welfare for all.

We believe with certainty that Cubans can conquer their liberties even
when the whole world shows very little sympathy, but with real
solidarity, we will be able to achieve it sooner. The support is not
always given because it is needed, we must also know how to gain it. We
not only need support from the USA and some European countries, we need
all the free world to know that we are responsible, civilized and
intelligent people and this can be proved by adopting positions that are
in line with the opinions of the majority of the Cubans which should
guide us in the decisions we take for our nation and should serve as a
reflection.

Every year, even the best allies of the USA, except Israel, and
populations that are very supportive to the cause of freedom of Cuba,
vote in the United Nations against the embargo on the Castro regime.

"The support is not always given because it is needed, we must also know
how to gain it. We not only need support from the USA and some European
countries, we need all the free world to know that we are responsible,
civilized and intelligent people and this can be proved by adopting
positions that are in line with the opinions of the majority of the Cubans."

The ideal would be a world without dictatorships, or at least a world in
which the majority of countries would be democratic and would sanction
the few dictatorships left on the planet to discourage, by doing so, any
potential dictator, but in real life, things work differently. If, after
the collapse of the soviet bloc and the end of the military
dictatorships in Latin America and the fall of some tyrannical regimes
in Africa and Asia, the democratic ideal seemed to be triumphant and
many believed that totalitarianism and authoritarianism had their days
count, reality is that old and very powerful dictatorships remain like
China but also, new authoritarian regimes were born that came to power
through free and plural elections and that, later, had eliminated the
democratic institutions, violated the freedom of expression and the
freedom of the press and other fundamental rights and made alliances
with old dictatorships, one example is the case of Venezuela and its
close alliance with the Castro regime. Today, we see nations like
Argentina developing very close ties with regimes like China.

In UNPACU, we seek a harmonious balance between the benefits and the
ethics, our main purpose being the democratization of Cuba and we want
to reach that goal through the most human and moral way, the non-violent
fight. To provoke the much needed political change in our nation through
the non-violent fight, we need thousands of Cubans to join our fight and
to mobilize these thousands; we need first of all to earn their trust
and their respect. Trust and respect of thousands of our compatriots
can't be won by adopting positions and discourses opposed to the
opinions of the majority.

A Cuban woman said recently: "It is very easy for those who receive
money from the US to support that the blockade should be maintained… I,
who survive with 315 cup (around 12 dollars) I see things differently."
Beyond expressing objectively our view, it is certain that many people
share this way of thinking and their opinions can't be ignored, nor
without reason.

"…to mobilize thousands of Cubans; we need first of all to earn their
trust and their respect. Trust and respect of thousands of our
compatriots can't be won by adopting positions and discourses opposed to
the opinions of the majority."

It is a fact that the influence of the West had a crucial importance in
the democratization of Eastern Europe, it is a fact too that influence
is more and best practiced from inside than from outside. It is a fact
that the USA, the European Union and other free and developed nations
maintain diplomatic and trade relations with dictatorships and regimes
that violate human rights in the five continents. It is a fact too that
the USA and the European Union are supportive to democrats who fight in
these nations in non-democratic systems; they criticize and condemn
violations of human rights under certain circumstances.

Also, it is a fact that the American embargo was used by the Castro
regime to justify the widespread poverty that is, in fact, due to the
economic models they imposed on us and even to justify the repression
against human rights defenders they claim the "necessity to defend
against aggressions from internal agents of the imperialism". The
embargo, as it was only American, rather than harming, has benefited to
the Castro regime. In the 1990, it seemed that Castrism had its days
count but a minimum opening to foreign investments, tourism from Europe
and Canada and limited spaces for "self-entrepreneurship" refreshed the
regime. Back then, capitalism was not that bad, the unique and only
evil, according to Castro propaganda, was the American government and
his "genocidal blockade".

"The embargo, as it was only American, rather than harming, has
benefited Castro's regime."

At the end of the nineties Hugo Chavez came to power and, with him, came
the Venezuelan oil. Precisely because of wanting to imitate Castro's
model, and because of the current low prices of oil, Venezuela is in a
deep crisis. It is certain that, fearing that things would get more
complicated in the country of Bolivar, Raul Castro accepted to open a
dialogue with the United States and is looking for new sources of oxygen
to refresh the cancerous lungs of his despotic regime. But, neither the
overthrow of the Maduro's regime, if it happens soon, guarantees that
the old guard of the Cuban regime would decide to facilitate the
democratization. We can't be sure neither that they will not find
sources to maintain its repressive apparatus while blaming the American
embargo for the growing poverty. It is certain that we will have to
argue that the times have changed and Cubans have more information and
less fear, but also in reality there is a need to inform more and more
and to overcome many fears; we must keep beating the fear of brutal
repression, of jail, of tortures, but also the fear to lose the very
poor services of so called "free" health and education.

It is true that the US government, just like the European Union, would
make a great favor to the Cuban people by maintaining solidarity with
the Cuban democrats and making clear that any step taken that would
benefit to the regime would be accompanied by actions to help the
independent civil society and the people in general. We are convinced
that the duty to free Cuba lies with the Cubans and we work directly
with the people and strive for the people to be directly involved in the
fight for their liberties, for the constant and growing presence of
officials, press and tourism from the free world and especially from the
USA, that we believe is always preferable to the isolation, the lack of
exchanges. So, the repression against the opposition is stronger in the
interior cities of Cuba than in places like the Capital, Havana, where
exchange takes place … the presence of diplomats, media and foreign
tourists.

"…It is true that the US government, just like the European Union, would
make a great favor to the Cuban people by maintaining solidarity with
the Cuban democrats …"

For those who know how to take advantage of the new scenarios in favor
of the freedom of Cuba, the visit of the US delegation headed by the
Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Roberta Jacobson, was
of a great importance. Thousands of ordinary Cubans, that hardly have
the time and the energy to fight for something else than their daily
subsistence, have been informed, thanks to our CDs and printouts, of the
presence of the pacific opposition in the main means of communication of
the world. Even Telesur has talked about the meetings of Americans with
a representation of the pro-democratic opposition. These details
influence, positively in the mentality of an oppressed and still
terrified population. Thanks to the importance we give to many "small"
details, the UNPACU is today the opposition organization with the
biggest activism and the biggest number of activists.

Nobody is more interested than the Cuban regime in making the opposition
appears, in the eyes of the Cuban people and for the rest of the world,
as opposed to the reestablishing of relations between both governments
and opposed to a better exchange between both populations and to the
right of Americans to travel to Cuba, a right that is universally
recognized. Nobody is more worried than the Castro regime in what could
happen with the end of the policy of open confrontation between both
governments and the advantages that the defenders of human rights would
be able to obtain in the new scenarios as the USA and the European Union
advance in the dialogue with the Castro dictatorship and it could be
obliged to diminish the repression against the dissent knowing that the
dissent count with better and more important means to counter the
regime's monopoly of mass media.

"Nobody is more worried than the Castro regime in what could happen with
the end of the policy of open confrontation … and the advantages that
the defenders of human rights would be able to obtain in the new
scenarios that could emerge…"

When we go to weigh in on an issue first must analyze it in depth. For
example, I am of those who criticize the hierarchy of the Catholic
Church in Cuba by certain postures in which I consider them too weak
compared to the excesses of the Castro's dictatorship, but if we want to
be fair, we must also recognize that the Cuban Church is contributing to
the formation of a mentality in favor of human rights, without making
any noise, as no opposition organization does. We are also witnessing
the contribution to the reduction of fear, the increasing independence
of artists and the change of mentality produced by travel abroad and
perform by comedians, singers and other artists who go to the United
States and return, and which performances circulate in the so called
"paquete" [set of popular audio and video files, updated every month in
digital format, which go hand in hand through Cuba in different physical
formats, CD, DVD or pen drives] or just because we download them from
the Internet and distribute it, like we do in UNPACU.

A few weeks ago, in an article entitled "El pueblo cubano también quiere
y necesita ganar", published by Europa Press, I referred to the
principle "win/win", which according to Stephen R. Covey is one of the 7
habits of highly effective people. When we have positions contrary to
rights and healthy interests of those of whom we most need support, we
are not practicing the win/win principle, We want, or intend to earn up
even on behalf our best friends loses. That is not fair or Smart!

The great challenge we face in the Cuban independent civil society is
not whether we are for or against measures of Barak Obama. The great
challenge is the need to join our efforts to be able to articulate a
strong mass movement to compel the regime to sit at the table of
dialogue or to leave power. In UNPACU we keep the best will to
consolidate that necessary force and we will always be open to fraternal
and constructive dialogue with all our brothers of struggle from within
the island and from the exile.

"The great challenge we face in the Cuban independent civil society is
not whether we are for or against measures of Barak Obama. The great
challenge is the need to join our efforts to be able to articulate a
strong mass movement to compel the regime to sit at the table of
dialogue or to leave power."

José Daniel Ferrer García
Secretario Ejecutivo de UNPACU
Feb. 10, 2015

Source: ABOUT WHY DON'T WE CHANGE OUR OPINION ON THE NEW OBAMA POLICY
TOWARDS CASTRO'S REGIME | Unión Patriótica de Cuba | UNPACU -
http://www.unpacu.org/about-why-dont-we-change-our-opinion-on-the-new-obama-policy-towards-castros-regime/