Cuba and the High Cost of Political Apathy

Cuba and the High Cost of Political Apathy
August 12, 2013
Pedro Campos

"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be
ruled by evil men." – Plato

HAVANA TIMES — The debates surrounding Cuba's new Labor Law are starting
on the island. In this connection, it is not enough to express our
opinions, to say what we think at the meetings – based on the top-down
administrative model – to be held around the country. As this is an
issue that affects us all, we must, all of us, demand that the final
draft of the bill be subjected to a free and democratic nationwide
referendum.

Unfortunately, owing to the Cuban government's long-standing policy of
excluding the public from decision-making processes, many will likely
say: "I don't care what they finally approve. I'm indifferent to
everything this government does."

This is a serious mistake. The labor law is something that involves all
Cuban citizens.

Recently, my friend Felix Sautie, a fellow activist who is also
struggling for a participative and democratic form of socialism,
published an article on the patent lack of motivation he has perceived
in some sectors of Cuban society, as regards to participating in the
reform processes underway in our country.

This apathy is not only evident in people's response to the extremely
modest changes being implemented as part of the "reform process", but
also to Cuba's socio-economic and cultural ailments in general.

In effect, no few citizens opt to distance themselves from the country's
problems, aware that it is next to impossible to have any real say in
these processes, which the State-Government-Party attempts to control as
though they were a private affair and not something that ought to be
decided by each and every one of the citizens who are going to suffer
their consequences later.

The sad truth of the matter is that the profound disappointment that has
built up in Cuba because of the failure of the huge efforts of the Cuban
people and the insignificant progress that has been achieved at the
level of the majority's concrete, daily lives, has ended up convincing
many that nothing is really worth saying or doing.

The bureaucracy itself took care of propagating the conformist and
counterrevolutionary saying which goes: "no one can fix this, but no one
can change it either."

This is the way in which Cuba has been governed for over fifty years,
through methods that create spectators rather than political actors, for
everything is decided at the top and declared through abusive
presidential decrees.

Those who have taken action, proposing a different way of governing,
have ultimately been crushed by the apparatus, silenced and excluded, in
the best of cases, and imprisoned or exiled, in the worst. All the
while, the Party's "cadre policy" has taken care of promoting those who
are loyal.

The "revolutionary leadership" that has controlled the country,
government, State and Party for over 50 years has hijacked the nation's
politics and, since coming to power, anyone who has dared promote
policies different from theirs, be it for Cuba's economy or other
sectors of its society, have been and continue to be labeled
"counterrevolutionaries", "imperialist agents" and a whole slew of other
manipulative appellations typical of neo-Stalinist governments.

The fact is that there always exists a direct relationship between an
authoritarian government, such as Cuba's, and low levels of citizen
participation in decision processes.

Cuba's authoritarian government and undemocratic system have their roots
in the concrete military circumstances that led to the triumph of the
revolution in 1959, in the context of the Cold War, when a
State-controlled and centralized form of socialism was predominant.
These circumstances allowed the Cuban leadership to unfold its
authoritarian potential.

In this connection, a decisive aspect was the fact that the people
blindly trusted their leaders, accepted the indefinite postponement of
democratic elections and accepted the struggle for "social justice"
demanded by the Sierra Maestra rebel commanders as a priority.

This doesn't mean the people are to blame for their lot. What it means
is that the authoritarian government that still rules Cuba took
advantage of their nobleness and devotion. It is not those who refuse to
participate in political processes who are most to blame for the
country's apathy, but, rather, those who have impeded and continue to
impede others from participating, or to restrict such participation to
voicing opinions in the "place, time and venue" decided by those at the top.

We cannot, however, resign ourselves to a situation in which people do
not participate in debates, do not express their opinions, and do not
seek to take part in decision-making processes. If we did, we would also
have to resign ourselves to having authoritarian governments forever.

Bertolt Brecht once said: "The worst illiterate is the political
illiterate. He hears nothing, sees nothing, takes no part in political
life. He doesn't seem to know that the cost of living, the price of
beans, of flour, of rent, of medicines, all depend on political
decisions. He even prides himself on his political ignorance, sticks out
his chest and says he hates politics. He doesn't know, the imbecile,
that from his political non- participation comes the prostitute, the
abandoned child, the robber and, worst of all, corrupt officials, the
lackeys of exploitative multinational corporations."

If we want to move forward, if we want to break out of Cuba's current
economic, political and social state-of-things, then we have to take
action, we have to shake away the apathy of those who have lost hope,
encourage their participation in society, the voicing of opinions, the
struggle against the violation of other people's rights, against
impositions and authoritarianism and, of course, continue the struggle
for freedom of expression through all possible peaceful means.

All Cubans must feel free to express what they wish, no matter what
others think, no matter whether absurd provisions that impede the free
and respectful expression of one's opinions are in place.

All Cubans have the right to demand participation in decision-making
processes that affect them, beyond official debates, to demand, in all
possible places, at all podiums, at all meetings, their right to express
themselves freely, that laws cease to be dictated in the form of decrees
and that they be submitted to everyone's consideration and vote, by
referendum.

It is up to us, to all of us, to put an end to the generalized
oppression of our society, to a State whose bureaucratic elite controls
and decides everything.

Let no one level absurd accusations at us, saying that we are calling on
the people to rebel or anything of this nature. We are calling on the
people to peacefully demand their participation in decision processes.
What socialism could we even speak of, if they do not?

Given its importance, the workers, the entire population, must demand
that the labor law be submitted to a referendum.

The costs of political apathy are very high.
—–
To contact Pedro Campos: pedrocampos313@yahoo.es

Source: "Cuba and the High Price Paid for Political Apathy" -
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