“Opposition” in Cuba

Cuba has recently been in the news all over the world on the occasion of a series of celebrations to commemorate one of the most important victories of the Revolution, the 50^th Anniversary of the Victory of Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs), and the declaration of its socialist nature, also 50 years ago. However important those two anniversaries are, and as spectacular as the military parade and the million Cubans marching for socialism in Havana on Saturday was, the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, which ended on Tuesday with the historic presence of Fidel Castro at the closing session has, with no doubt, captured the attention of friends and foes.

Hundreds of articles have been written on the topic in the last three days, some favourable and full of optimism, others oozing poison and bringing up to the fore old woes, such as the infamous “dissidents”, who are labelled as “opposition” by distorted reports of news agencies that refuse to believe that indeed, as it has been proven again and again, these individuals have a close working relationship with foreign representatives in Havana, whose governments finance their activities against Cuba.

Enemies of Cuba, blinded by their irrational and pathological obsession to vituperate against the island, cannot not comprehend how strong the Revolution and Cuba have emerged from the Party Congress and from this 50 year old battle against U.S. aggression and hostility.

The Cuban Revolution has reached the political maturity it needed to handle change and use it to its advantage, which is to the advantage of the people of Cuba, the real people of Cuba.

Where is that ghost army of opponents that mainstream media, both in North America and Europe, insist is ready to take the streets in Cuba?

This is the Cuban people

The world saw the real people of Cuba, hundreds of thousands, up to a million, marching in Revolution Square, in support of their Revolution, the same people that has resisted for 50 years and has overcome difficulties, and the very same people that vote for delegates to Parliament every five years. Elections that are widely ignored by that same mainstream media.

Cuban Parliament

Here is some advice for would-be regime changers, within the context of the new model of Cuban Socialism, those so-called dissidents will have to do two things to be accepted as credible proponents of new ideas:

1. In any country, to officially oppose the government and change it, opponents have to use the channels allowed by the Constitution of that particular country. In Cuba they will have to get elected as delegates to the National Assembly (Parliament), and air their views in a constitutional manner.

2. But to be able to be trusted by their neighbours, and get nominated and elected to the National Assembly, they will have to stop collaborating with foreign powers to overthrow the constitutional government of Cuba, i.e., they will have to hold jobs and make a living as ordinary Cubans do, and stop receiving allowances from foreign governments in exchange for their dissent.

Once they get elected, I am certain that a viable and legal opposition will, most certainly, contribute to the betterment of the nation.