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NEWS
Dear Friends,
The following is a message distributed on December 4th by Oswaldo Payá
in response to the celebrations in Havana on Saturday December 2nd in
honor of Fidel Castro's 80th birthday and the 50th anniversary of the
start of the revolution. These comments appeared yesterday in a Reuters
article “Disidente dice 'unidad monolítica' en Cuba es producto opresión
<http://lta.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=2006-12-04T175051Z_01_N04182809_RTRIDST_0_LATINOAMERICA-CUBA-CASTRO-DISIDENTE-SOL.XML>
.” For more information, please contact Francisco De Armas at fdamcl@cs.com.
Many Thanks,
Cynthia Romero
###
For Cuba to live
freely
Cubans must all be free
Havana, December 2, 2006- In today's celebration, once again the
government has exhibited the force of its army, the glory and memory of
its victories, massive demonstrations of support and the durability of
its power, but not of liberty.
Freedom that is the inalienable right of human beings and, without this
condition, it is not possible to say that power is of the people.
For Cuba to live freely depends on us the Cuban people, also on those
who govern.
For Cuba to live freely the following must be a reality:
Ø That every Cuban could express freely his ideas and feelings and that
nobody has to be quiet or feign out of fear or be suppressed,
imprisoned, marked or excluded for expressing his opinions.
Ø That all Cubans, whether they live inside or outside the country,
could travel without restrictions and enter freely into their country
and go out freely whenever they wish. As long as this is not so, Cubans
are living as if in a large jail in which many wait for the opportunity
to escape.
Ø That Cubans as well and not only foreigners could have their own
businesses and companies and that workers could have all of their trade
union rights. This way, the poor majority could stop being discriminated
while a minority is privileged.
Ø That all the citizens could organize freely in political parties and
not only the communists with their sole party, denying this right to the
majority. Then there would be respect for the diversity that is present
in society and there would not be oppression.
Ø That the citizens could truly choose their representatives, then power
would be democratic and of the sovereign people.
Ø That all Cubans that are imprisoned for peacefully defending or
exercising human rights be liberate, because while they remain
imprisoned not only is there a grave injustice being committed, but
there will be a reminder that not all Cubans are free.
We believe that yes, that the problems and differences of the Cuban
State with the United States of America and with any other state must be
resolved by negotiation on the basis of mutual respect and
non-interference.
In Latin America, imperfect democracy has given the people the right and
the opportunity to decide through its mechanisms about the deep changes
that are needed in their societies to make them more just. Also in the
United States of America, their imperfect democracy offers the
opportunity for the people to indicate through its mechanism their
dissent and desire for changes. In Cuba the communist system, which
claims to be the perfect democracy, is denying to the people the right
to changes and to indicate these changes through its mechanisms the way
that it has been done throughout the entire continent. This opportunity
is so that the people can express their will for change through these
mechanisms, this is the right that the Varela Project defends. That' is
why we will continue to promote the referendum that the Varela Project
asks for and proposing the Program for all Cubans, until in the law and
in practice all rights are guaranteed to all Cubans.
Monolithic unity represents the silencing and oppression of the
majority, that is, unity through chains. Cuba urgently needs dialogue
without exclusions, with the participation of Cuban men and women,
believers and non believers, of all political perspectives, and ways of
thinking.
La unidad orgánica que necesita nuestro pueblo para mirar al futuro y
responder a sus desafíos es la que se logra mediante el diálogo sin
fronteras y sin exclusiones entre cubanos. Un diálogo sobre la base del
respeto a la dignidad y los derechos de todos y también con el perdón
entre todos para lograr la reconciliación, porque a todos los cubanos
nos otorgó el Creador, nuestro Padre, esta hermosa isla para que vivamos
como hermanos
The organic unity that our people need in order to look at the future
and to respond to its challenges is that which is achieved by means of
dialogue without borders and without exclusions among Cubans. A dialogue
on the basis of respect for the dignity and the rights of all and also
with forgiveness between all so as to achieve reconciliation, because
the Creator, our Father, granted all Cubans this beautiful island so
that we can live as brothers.
Let us construct now this unity in diversity, the true unity that is
within fraternity and liberty.
Oswaldo José Paya Sardiñas
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