Cuba, Freedom, Democracy, Elections

By Manuel Cereijo.

Freedom is the key for democracy. Freedom is the right to dissent, to walk in the town square, in public places and express one’s views without fear to reprisals, punishment, insults. If people can do this, they live in a free society, in a free country. If they can not, people live in a country without freedom.

A world without moral clarity, well defined, is a world in which dictators speak about human rights even as they kill, oppress, and violate human rights. It is a world where dictators demand no interference from other nations, while they are the first to interfere in those nations that do not think as they do. The concept that a dictator will abide to his words, that a dictator will act according to agreements signed in summits, is absurd, an aberration.

Countries can be classified independently, whether they hold elections or not, into two groups: countries with freedom and countries with fear; frightened citizens. In a nation under fear, where dissent is prohibited, the people can be divided into three groups. One group is made of those who remain in favor of the dictator because they agree with him, even to the extent of never recognizing when something is wrong. The leader, the caudillo, a bad guy? Never! Another group is made up of those who are willing to defy the prevailing order despite the risk of jail. A third group is formed by those who do not believe anymore in the dictator, but who are afraid to take the risk to dissent. This group lives under a constant tension between their thought and their words. Some call this group the double thinkers, or double morale group. Could it be no morale at all? In reality, when a government, a tyrant, is repressive enough-Cuba-it will appear to the outside world to consist only of true believers.

All people want to be free. Freedom does not depend on culture, race, or religion. No, freedom is universally desired, it is universally desirable. In whatever region of the world freedom prevails, that region will be more stable, peaceful, and more prosperous. Free countries, democratic countries must play an important role in expanding democracy and freedom in all nations. Some think that democracy and freedom can not be imposed from the outside. This is a false premise

The power of a government like in Cuba is not based only on its army, secret police, or Comites de Defensa. Of great importance is how to control what people read, listen to, watch; the lack of access to objective information, to the external media, and to the Internet. For those who live in free countries, it is hard to understand how the government can brainwash citizens. It is hard to believe that persons are allowed to go to libraries, but the stacks of books and materials are chosen and selected by the dictatorial government.

It is very hard to understand that the media-radio, TV, written-is completely controlled by the government. Even more, in this modern age, how the Internet is limited in access, and only to government controlled sites-an Intranet.

Democracies are closely linked in most people’s minds with elections. Surely, no one would consider a country democratic if its government were not elected. However, there are many features associated with modern democratic society: the rule of law, constitutions, independent courts, political parties, a meaningful opposition, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and so on. Elections are not a true test of a democracy. They are an instrument, one that can be applied well or badly. The same is true of a constitution. Elections can be meaningless in the hands of tyrants. Seeking the legitimacy conferred by democracy, they steal its most familiar set of clothes. But they never fit.

Cases like these just prove that democracy must always be protected. Dictators do not depend on their people; their people depend on them. Cuba’s tyrants are an excellent example.

There is also a belief by some that trade and contacts bring people closer together and that always spurs positive changes. This is an illusion of some in the free world. Contacts and trade have a positive effect only between free societies. It has never worked between free countries and countries under a tyranny. The contacts and the trade do not have any positive effect on the government that continues its oppression, its control over the people.

The transition from a fear society to a free society can be long and arduous. Stability is perhaps a word much used and abused by the diplomatic world. A fear society is always much less stable for its people and neighboring countries that a free society. However, the debate should be on how democracy can be established in a particular country-Cuba-and not on the erroneous assertion that democracy should never be established there at all.

September 4, 2009

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