Editor
14th June 2002, 16:12
Voting by Feet
On Wednesday millions of Cubans demonstrated for socialism
by Elsa Claro, Havanna
On Wednesday morning, clouds over Cuba adhered persistently, more than usual for this season. On the Malecón, the beach promenade of Havana, you got a vague sight of the masses, that had followed the call of demonstration for the socialist system. After the central demonstration in the capital it took a whole five hours, until the 1.2 million people had left again. In other cities of Cuba the picture was similar. Remarkably, many young people took part in the mobilization; after all, it was about their future.
Three weeks after the intimidation attempts of the US president, George W. Bush, the Cuban people met, in order to give a common answer to the US president. Bush had selected, of all times, the 20th of May -- the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the neo-colonial republic--for his speech before members of the exile-Cuban municipality. His words described the past and should have pointed towards the future: "If Cuba's government takes all the necessary steps to ensure that the 2003 elections are certifiably free and fair, and if Cuba also begins to adopt meaningful market-based reforms, then, and only then, will I work with the United States Congress to ease the ban on trade and travel between our two countries."
What Bush's fair and free elections meant to the Cubans is obvious. According to even, independent estimations less than a per cent of the population turns against the existing political system or faces it indifferently. This explains the phenomenon of how oppositional fragments are formed outside of the system.
The Cuban people are very aware of their history. Every worker knows that the so-called dissidents in Cuba are aiming *towards the establishment of their hallowed US system. Between both alternatives there is neither place for the "dissidents" nor for the US government . With that, Bush clearly denied those delegates of the US congress, who support a loosening, or the abolition of the economic blockade against Cuba, to ensure the export of medicines or food. With this, the right-wing extremists exile-Cuban groups are satisfied. And that is urgently necessary, because the governor of Florida, brother of the president, Jeb Bush, is dependent on those roughly 700,000 voices of this municipality.
Therefore, he may have success in the USA but not in Cuba. There you could have witnessed on Wednesday, such substantial mobilizations, that are only comparable with the demonstrations on mayday.
The clear support for a change of the constitution was demonstrated, which was suggested by the political guidance of the mass organizations. The signers belong to trade unions, youth organizations, women organizations, and professional associations. In the first chapter of the 1976 secret vote of the people, the accepted constitition shall be considered in the future as: "Cuba is an independent *socialist workers' state and sovereign, and under participation of all, and for the well-being of all as an indivisible and democratic republic, on the basis of the political inviolability, social justice, individual and collective social rights and the human solidarity."
The reference to Bush's new raids becomes clear in the last part of the constitutional amendment, in which it resolutely denies the change of the economic, diplomatic or political relations with other states under menace by aggression or threats. The suggestion will be submitted to the Cuban parliament soon. The delegates will most likely agree, because the real vote already took place on the streets.
First published by German newspaper Junge Welt (http://www.jungewelt.de).
http://www.jungewelt.de/2002/06-14/006.php
Translated using Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com), revised, edited by Menshevik.
(Edited by Editor at 5:09 am on June 15, 2002)
On Wednesday millions of Cubans demonstrated for socialism
by Elsa Claro, Havanna
On Wednesday morning, clouds over Cuba adhered persistently, more than usual for this season. On the Malecón, the beach promenade of Havana, you got a vague sight of the masses, that had followed the call of demonstration for the socialist system. After the central demonstration in the capital it took a whole five hours, until the 1.2 million people had left again. In other cities of Cuba the picture was similar. Remarkably, many young people took part in the mobilization; after all, it was about their future.
Three weeks after the intimidation attempts of the US president, George W. Bush, the Cuban people met, in order to give a common answer to the US president. Bush had selected, of all times, the 20th of May -- the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the neo-colonial republic--for his speech before members of the exile-Cuban municipality. His words described the past and should have pointed towards the future: "If Cuba's government takes all the necessary steps to ensure that the 2003 elections are certifiably free and fair, and if Cuba also begins to adopt meaningful market-based reforms, then, and only then, will I work with the United States Congress to ease the ban on trade and travel between our two countries."
What Bush's fair and free elections meant to the Cubans is obvious. According to even, independent estimations less than a per cent of the population turns against the existing political system or faces it indifferently. This explains the phenomenon of how oppositional fragments are formed outside of the system.
The Cuban people are very aware of their history. Every worker knows that the so-called dissidents in Cuba are aiming *towards the establishment of their hallowed US system. Between both alternatives there is neither place for the "dissidents" nor for the US government . With that, Bush clearly denied those delegates of the US congress, who support a loosening, or the abolition of the economic blockade against Cuba, to ensure the export of medicines or food. With this, the right-wing extremists exile-Cuban groups are satisfied. And that is urgently necessary, because the governor of Florida, brother of the president, Jeb Bush, is dependent on those roughly 700,000 voices of this municipality.
Therefore, he may have success in the USA but not in Cuba. There you could have witnessed on Wednesday, such substantial mobilizations, that are only comparable with the demonstrations on mayday.
The clear support for a change of the constitution was demonstrated, which was suggested by the political guidance of the mass organizations. The signers belong to trade unions, youth organizations, women organizations, and professional associations. In the first chapter of the 1976 secret vote of the people, the accepted constitition shall be considered in the future as: "Cuba is an independent *socialist workers' state and sovereign, and under participation of all, and for the well-being of all as an indivisible and democratic republic, on the basis of the political inviolability, social justice, individual and collective social rights and the human solidarity."
The reference to Bush's new raids becomes clear in the last part of the constitutional amendment, in which it resolutely denies the change of the economic, diplomatic or political relations with other states under menace by aggression or threats. The suggestion will be submitted to the Cuban parliament soon. The delegates will most likely agree, because the real vote already took place on the streets.
First published by German newspaper Junge Welt (http://www.jungewelt.de).
http://www.jungewelt.de/2002/06-14/006.php
Translated using Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com), revised, edited by Menshevik.
(Edited by Editor at 5:09 am on June 15, 2002)