Dissident: Better ties with US will help transform Cuba
Category: Viewpoint Published: 15 September 2015 Written by Czech News
Prague/Havana, Sept 15 (ČTK) — The Cuban government always blamed the
United States for all the bad Cuba suffered by which it tried to divert
attention from its own policy, but this is changing now that relations
between the countries have improved, Cuban dissident Manuel Cuesta
Morua, 52, has told the Czech News Agency.
Morua, who has been a member of the opposition for more than 20 years,
is attending the Forum 2000 annual conference of world personalities and
thinkers focusing on human rights, held in Prague this week.
He said the Cuban regime has been more tolerant of some activities of
opposition groups, but there are still political prisoners in the country.
Morua is a founding member of the Cuban Social Democratic Party which is
mainly striving for constitutional changes in the country.
He said the most important is that freedom of expression, freedom of
assembly be protected, that people have the opportunity to choose their
president and that there exist political pluralism.
On the one hand, Cubans are now travelling abroad much more, which they
could not in the past, on the other hand, a majority of inhabitants are
faced with a worsened economic situation.
Only few people can operate private businesses, restaurants, lease
houses, run taxis, Morua said.
He said, however, the situation in the sphere of human rights has not
changed much. From the legal point of view, the regime does not
recognize their existence, Morua said, but he added he considers it much
more important that they be respected in real life.
The government announced that it will release around 3500 prisoners
before a visit by Pope Francis who is to arrive in Cuba at the weekend.
Morua said it was expected that political prisoners will be among them,
but this has not happened, which is outrageous. He added that there are
87 political prisoners in the country now.
Morua said opponents of the regime continue to be arrested. Ladies in
White, who are the wives and other female relatives of the jailed
dissidents, stage regular marches through Havana after Sunday divine
services.
They are accompanied by other people, too, and they are often detained
and beaten, Morua said.
On the other hand, regime opponents can meet various people at home,
present them their ideas, tell them about their activities, distribute
their written materials, which is paradoxical, Morua said.
He said the regime is not popular, but people must be first educated.
The dissidents talk to people, tell them about their program, they try
to establish relations with them and it functions.
People are interested in what reforms of the election laws the
opposition is preparing, they are no longer indifferent as they were in
the past, they want to help, Morua said.
He said if elections were held next year, the opposition would
definitely gain a half of the vote.
Morua was one of the two members of the Cuban opposition who met U.S.
President Barack Obama during a summit of the American States in Panama
in April.
He said Obama made it clear that he supports freedom and human rights in
Cuba as well as other aspects of democratization of society.
Morua said a majority of Cuban society wants changes to be made. The
Americans will have more possibilities to put pressure on Cuban
representatives making them respect human rights.
He said the Czech government and society can help Cuba by promoting
economic relations with Cuba and by supporting civic society.
This was also on the agenda of Morua's meeting with Czech Prime Minister
Bohuslav Sobotka in Prague.
Source: Dissident: Better ties with US will help transform Cuba - PRAGUE
POST | The Voice of Prague -
http://www.praguepost.com/viewpoint/49780-dissident-better-ties-with-us-will-help-transform-cuba
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