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Op-ed by Roland W. Bullen, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i.
Now is the Time for Democracy in
Cuba
Next year citizens in the Dominican
Republic will head to the polls to choose their President, and citizens
in the United States will do the same. In both countries citizens,
journalists and opinion makers will fill the airwaves, Internet and
newspapers with healthy debate about the issues and candidates. These
electoral campaigns and processes will vibrantly display democracy in
action.
However, for nearly fifty years one
country in this hemisphere has denied its citizens the right to freely
elect their leaders as well as the right to debate freely. That country
is Cuba. On October 24, President Bush reminded the world that Fidel
Castro and his brother Raul are the faces of a brutal and repressive
regime. The President spoke alongside family members of four political
prisoners in Cuban jails. The President described the grim reality of
life in Cuba, where people are jailed for such ambiguous crimes as
“dangerousness” and “peaceful sedition,” which the regime can define
however it wishes.
In his speech President Bush announced
measures to help prepare Cuba for transition to a democratic future,
including a new initiative to develop an international multi-billion
dollar “Freedom Fund.” The fund will give Cubans access to grants,
loans, and debt relief to rebuild their country as soon as Cuba's
government adopts fundamental freedoms.
The President also announced that if
Cuban rulers will end their restrictions on Internet access for the
Cuban people, the United States is prepared to license nongovernmental
organizations and faith-based groups to provide computers and Internet
access to Cuban students. Furthermore, President Bush said the United
States is prepared to invite Cuban young people into the Partnership for
Latin American Youth Scholarship Program. That program will give them
access to greater educational opportunities—if Cuban rulers allow these
students to participate freely.
The U.S. government recognizes that
the Cuban people will determine their own future. President Bush’s
vision for a free Cuba is a promise that the United States will marshal
our resources and expertise to support Cuba when the inevitable
opportunity for genuine change arises and the Cuban people seek our
support. President Bush called on other nations to follow the lead of
the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland in supporting democratic change
in Cuba by opening their embassies in Havana to pro-democracy leaders
and inviting them to events; using the lobbies of their embassies to
give Cubans access to the Internet, books, and magazines; and
encouraging their country's nongovernmental organizations to reach out
directly to Cuba's independent civil society.
Friends may disagree over the best means to help the
people of Cuba. But as President Bush said, “Now is the time to support
the democratic movements growing on the island. Now is the time to stand
with the Cuban people as they stand up for their liberty. And now is the
time for the world to put aside its differences and prepare for Cuba's
transition to a future of freedom and progress and promise.” |
