MIAMI, United States. – The Cuban regime is facing a very delicate and dangerous situation regarding its remaining in power. On one hand, the July 11th protests in some 60 Cuban cities and towns showed just how fed up the population is of living under the longest dictatorship in the Western hemisphere and burdened with multiple economic and social disasters.
On the other, Havana is on the verge of economic bankruptcy, and the regime does not have even a minimal possibility of reverting that situation, already unbearable for millions of Cubans.
Recently, several members of the European parliament joined the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance in condemning democratic governments and creditors, like the Paris Club, which has just forgiven Cuba’s bankrupt economy the amount of US$ 8,500 million. Such indolence manifests itself behind closed doors, with its back to the Cuban people, and without demanding structural reforms in the island.
As was pointed out very lucidly by Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, president of the Cuban Democratic Directorate, those US$ 8,500 million were not used for development projects in Cuba, nor for urgent work in the country’s infrastructure. They weren’t used for solving the housing shortage, either.
Those loans were used to enhance and equip repression. One only needs to see the expensive equipment used by the Special Troops, the hundreds of patrol cars purchased for the police, and the amount of fuel used in the massive military deployments held on November 15th. In the meantime, hospitals are collapsing piece by piece.
The communist elite had always been certain that it could prevent any dangerous situation, through terror imposed via weapons against the population, its Special Troops, and with guaranteed impunity to beat people up, repress dissent. and even kill.
Any forgiveness of Cuba’s enormous foreign debt should be conditioned upon real changes in the country. If not, governments and financial institutions will continue to finance repression in the country. When the conditions are ready for democratic transition, Cuba will need the good will of many countries to rebuild its economy after decades of communist disaster.
Inexorably, Cuba will have to change. The majority so demands it. Last November 15th, in spite of the huge police and paramilitary deployment, several significant events took place, like witnessing priests and nuns leading groups that circumvented police control points and took to the streets; in addition to the many homes that displayed the message “Homeland and Life”, or balconies where white and yellow bed sheets were flown, as a symbol of rebellion.
ARTÍCULO DE OPINIÓN
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