Thursday June 30, 2022
  • Venezuela
  • Mexico
  • Colombia
  • Chile
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Podcast
Versión Español
PanAm Post
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
PanAm Post
No Result
View All Result

Home » The Cuban Referendum that Could Bring True Democracy to the Island

The Cuban Referendum that Could Bring True Democracy to the Island

José Azel by José Azel
March 7, 2017
in Caribbean, Cuba, Featured, NL Weekly, Opinion, Politics, Society
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterTelegramWhatsapp
134164300_14294847419311n
Casting Ballots in Havana (Xin Hua Net)

                                         

In memory of Oswaldo Payá

RelatedArticles

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US

August 21, 2021
GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing

GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing

July 13, 2021

We take it for granted that all peoples aspire to be free, but the idea of individual freedoms is not universally accepted.

Believers of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes across the world hold that a dictatorial approach to governing is moral, just, and necessary. Some offer that a developing nation needs a strong-man rule to effectively promote economic growth without the aggravations of democracy. Others feel authoritarian rule is necessary to assure law and order. Others embrace monarchies, realms, or other hereditary forms of governments to protect the traditions and customs of their people. Others believe that their church and government are one and the same and that their religious beliefs are above a selfish desire for freedom. Marxists sacrifice individual freedoms in the altar of collectivism.

If that is their well-informed choice, these true believers in single-party permanent rule, should be free to be unfree — preferably on another planet. But, this begs the question of how should a society decide on its form of government. The dictatorial answer is to hold on to power indefinitely as we see in totalitarian states like North Korea and Cuba. The democratic answer, of course, is by free, fair, competitive, multiparty and frequent elections.

This is why I find the Cuba Decide Plebiscite project, spearheaded by Rosa Maria Payá Acevedo such a refreshing proposition after nearly six decades of Castro rule in Cuba. Rosa Maria is the youthful, highly articulate, daughter of slain Cuban democracy activist Oswaldo Payá, recipient of the European Parliament’s prestigious Sakharov Prize and five-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize. Rosa Maria, as president of the Latin American Youth Network for Democracy, is continuing her father’s work to foster democracy in that tragic Island.

The Cuba Decide Plebiscite initiative proposes to answer by a direct “Yes” or “No” vote of the Cuban people one basic, but transcendental question:

Do you agree with the convening of free, fair, and pluralistic elections, by exercising freedom of speech; and organizing freely in political parties and social organizations with full plurality?

It would be naive to expect that the Castro regime would agree to hold such a binding referendum. Yet, at a minimum, promoting the plebiscite provides a strategic tool to encourage a highly focused political debate and public dialogue both in Cuba and in international forums. It puts the spotlight on the fact that it is the people’s prerogative, and no one else’s, to decide their form of government.

Few would disagree with the plebiscites’ central postulate that Cubans must be free to decide their future. Even supporters of the Castro regime would find it ideologically difficult to object to presenting this simple question to the Cuban people. The only intellectually honest way to protest such a people empowering plebiscite is to argue that people should not have a say in their future and to argue that dictatorships are the preferable form of government. Not many international leaders are willing to publicly state that preference.

The Cuba Decide Plebiscite is not a political platform, but rather a tool to initiate change if the Cuban people decide that change is warranted by a “Yes” vote that offers the possibility of alternatives. A “No” vote would legitimize single-party permanent rule. In some ways, the plebiscite idea offers a Cuban leadership of Castro’s successors an elegant and accepted way to change course or, alternatively, to seek to legitimize their single-party rule. As events unfold in post-Castro Cuba, the youth-led Cuba Decide Plebiscite initiative may become a key component of a legitimate transition.

Freedom has consequences, not all of them useful, but it is immoral and unjust to deprive people of their freedom as dictators do. Our rational judgment is our basic means of living. If we cannot act in accordance with our free judgment, we cannot live fully as human beings. And we need freedom to act on our judgments. After decades of freedom-less lives under totalitarian rule, the Cuba Decide Plebiscite is a citizen-led initiative fundamentally asking the Cuban people a rational judgment question: Do you want to be free? “Yes” or “No.” Who can possibly object to such a question? The answer should enlighten us all.

Tags: Cuban activistsFreedom in Cuba
Previous Post

Ex-President of Peru García Linked to Metro Corruption Case Involving Odebrecht

Next Post

Brazil’s Horrible Recession Keeps Getting Worse, and There’s No End in Sight

José Azel

José Azel

José Azel is a scholar and author. Dr. Azel‘s latest book is “Reflections on Freedom.”

Related Posts

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US
Columnists

The new socialist supremacisms: a maoist cultural revolution undermines the US

August 21, 2021
GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing
United States

GETTR: the powerful weapon of Trump and international right wing

July 13, 2021
Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips
Columnists

Trump Against Suppression of Human Rights

February 1, 2021
Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips
News

15 Republicans Who Voted Against Trump Are Already Facing the Consequences

February 1, 2021
Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes
Asia

Chinese Regime Silences Relatives of COVID-19 Fatalities During WHO Visit

January 29, 2021
Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes
Analysis

Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes

January 29, 2021
Next Post
Brazil’s Horrible Recession Keeps Getting Worse, and There’s No End in Sight

Brazil's Horrible Recession Keeps Getting Worse, and There's No End in Sight

Subscribe free and never miss another breaking story

  • Venezuela
  • Mexico
  • Colombia
  • Chile
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Podcast

© 2020 PanAm Post - Design & Develop by NEW DREAM GLOBAL CORP. - Privacy policy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact

© 2020 PanAm Post - Design & Develop by NEW DREAM GLOBAL CORP. - Privacy policy

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy and Cookie Policy.