LITERARY CONTEST

Literary Contest

Liberalism in Cuba


essay prize 2009

Organized by the Liberal Cuban Unity Party, delegation for the Caribbean of the Liberal Cuban Unity Party, The Center UNESCO of de Puerto Rico Culture, The Magazine Dissident and the Enterprise Center of impermeability of the Caribbean.

Title of the essay: a philosophical approach, logical and ethical towards the Liberalismo in Cuba.

Author: Frank Correa Romero

Editor of the Informative Bureau of the Liberal Unity Party of the Republic of Cuba and the Agenda for the Cuban Transition. Marginated members of the Union of Writers and Artist of Cuba. Writer and Independent News Reporters.

Particular Address: 228 st. #306A, between 3rd and 3rdA, Jaimanitas, Beach, Habana City, Cuba.
Electronic email: beilycorrea@yahoo.es
Telephone: 271-3416 (vecina)

INTRODUCCION

As the philosophers said once:"The Liberals are the ones who have the cause of liberty in their hearts, the ones who are not scared", today we feel a quick urge to participate in the literary contest, confronting one more time the terrible totalitarian dragon, even though in a state of near death still has fire in his gaullet capable to burn and destroy through the basilic retinue which complies with its malevolent intentions

If for some reason it would serve this essay about liberalism through a philosophical approach, logic and ethical, which is to illustrate, unite and perfectionate the forces of the opposition in the commun struggle against the communist dictatorship.

Where liberalism in the world originated

Its inlightment started in England, at the end of the 17 century, where the rudimental liberal start of this deseable order which today we call liberal stream.

The idea of the Individual liberty submited to law originally inspired the liberal movement in Europe. great thinkers as David Hume, Adam Smith, Edmund Burke, t. B. Macaulay and Lord Acton, could be considered your tipical representatives, who influenced notably in the american political tradition.

Important Philosophers as B. Constant and A. Tocqueville in France, Inmanuel Kant, Friedirch von Schiller and Wilhem von Humbotld in Germany and James Madison, John Marshall and Daniel Webster in the United States. They analyzed and molded the bases of Liberalism which we know today and continue.

As a type of "induced birth", the philosophical stream which is the ingendered liberalism by nature in a sub generation, and is highly differential importance. For this, originally, the European continental tradition has defined also as "liberalism", he who decended directly and today revindicated his name in the United States. This last version, started out with the intent to imitate the first tradition, finish interpreting in the spirit of constructive racionalism, prevalent in France, converting it as so in something very different and, at the end, in stead of defending the limitations of the governmental powers, it came to sustain the idea of some limited powers of the mayority. Voltaire, Condorcet, Rousseau, are his maximum exponent, and the French Revolution its copula, converted into the future modern socialism.

Now in Cuba, maybe complying with the rigorous evolving laws which developed into one only nucleus, exist the same two liberal streams emerged from Europe in the 19 century. Later on we will analyze the particular spectre in which it move and how it coincide in the internal opposition against the totalitarian regime which governs the island.

Liberalism and Democracy, even though compatible, are not the same. The first proposses the limitation of the governments power, while the second worries in who the power should be placed on. We could percieve better the defferences that exist between both if we con look in its contrary respectives: the opposit of liberalism is totalitarian, while the opposit to democracy is the authoritarian government act over the basis of the liberal principals. The second type of "liberalism", which i have referred to before, has converted in reality in democratism more so then in Liberalism. At asking that the power of the mayority be limited, results in essentialy in anti-liberal.

Considerations and liberal concepts fitting to mention

Since a couple of years has existed a rebirth of the doctrine and the liberal politics. Even though it was forging for a long time it was not put into effect until the crisis of the sixties of the XX century, above all after the universal failure and without mitigating the planned economies of real socialism.

Also we can see a marked liberalism derived of the conservative parties and until the parties and socialist government of the developed countries, an act which requires to limit the concept defenition no always well defined as in the example of "liberal" and "conservative", after all now in days that many conservatives have approached liberalism for its commun opposition to socialism and its defense of the market economy, even though they do not share with the liberals not one more principal.

The liberalism requires that the state, by determining the conditions in which the individuals should act, fix the same formal norms for all. It opposes the priviliges sanctioning the law, to any governmental iniciative which grants special advantages to some without offering it to all.

The liberal is the one who is not scared to change neither to progress, because it disgust the inmobilism which is contrary to its open policy and confident. Understands that the social reality constitute the spontaneous fruits of the individual free actions.

Brief history of liberalism in Cuba

The first manifestations of the existance of a liberal stream in Cuba has been recorded in the XIX century, Exactly on april 4, 1888 it was made public a manifest in which was read: "...The Autonomous Liberal Party, the depositor of the hope and ideals of the cuban people, incarnated in the formula most depurative and persistent of its political history and only part of reasoning opposition in the country, its important to say what it thinks... The Liberal Autonomous Party condems all the disorder of the order, because its a legal party which has faith in the constitutional media and in the efficiency of the propoganda... But also, our party will never rip its flag, neither will it succeed the failed planted fields which have been worked, in making us hold ourselfs in the path of progressive peace, in ruining the land and shadowing the perspective of our destination with horrible spectres: the misery, anarchy and the barbarian..."

The documents where signed by José María Gálvez, José Bruzón, Rafael Fernández de Castro, Antonio Govin, Eliseo Gilberga, Herminio Leyva, Ricardo del Monte, Rafael Montoso and Francisco Zayas.

It should be recorded that the Autonomous Liberal Party was who won the elections commencing the Autonomous Cuban Party, in january of 1998. Spain in its intent of resolving the acute situation of crisis at the end of the XIX century with the war practicaly lost substitute as governor of the island Valeriano Weyler for General Blanco, who named his staff entirely composed of cubans and they granted autonomy to the island of Cuba.

With the north american intervention mordernism was inagurated into the history of Cuba. Then commenced an institutional separation in the teachings, in the economical organization and social, gradualy implementing creations of notable interest in the developing avenues and urbanistic of the island of Cuba.

The liberal presidents who assure that in a matter of definitive assault in quality and quantity which in a few years put our country on the list of countries with the best conditions to develope into a modern society. José Miguel Gómez Gerardo Machado, even Fulgencio Batista in his joyful rule, they where noted by their progressive political ideals.

The Liberal Stream in actual Cuba

With the installed communist regime after the year 1959, emerged different opposit organizations which after 50 long years have struggled and struggle to return to the people of Cuba the liberty and their civil rights.

In our country, rigorously complying with the law of "induced birth" which projects a sub generation from the belly of the political order a desirable known as Liberalism, of the Liberal Unity of the Republic of Cuba (ULRC), was seperated the Liberal convergence, called essencialy Progressive Arch, a structure which is described as liberal and which only in a few points coincided with the ULRC. Its principals are based in fundamental phylosofies different, with a logical conception of treating all the phenomenoms as products of a deliberate design and with the idea of pasting again all the existing institutions according to the plan already prefixed.

The Pregresive Arch

According to the conceptualization which one of the members in a political report of july 20, 2008, during the First Convention of the Progresive Arch, "...it is the result if the efforts of the Socialdemocratic Coordinators of Cuba (CSDC), of the Party of the People (PP) and the Cuban Democratic Socialistic Stream (CSDC). They try to create a socialdemocratic political only party, widely, representative, vigorous and with ambition toward the future, opened those traditions of the liberal socialism and of the christian socialism, melted into a party of the left center, capable in offering a better alternative of change and democratic stability for the future of the cuban nation..."

In the practice, this liberal stream is nothing else but a spurious syncretism of the real liberalism, when we observe the origines, its objectives of struggle and has its projected inside the diaspore and circle of the organized opposition.

The Liberal Convergence, an extinct coalition which resurged at the shadows of the Progressive Arch, which feeds essencialy of various defined groups. First, of the rest of the Liberal Party of Cuba, founded by Osvaldo Alfonzo, who realized a meritorious labor and interesting in the dissidents, to the point that in the year 1999 this party entered has an observer in the "Liberal International". In the year 2003 during the represive wave known as the Black Spring, fell in occasion of the judicial farse of the "Group of the 75" and his posterior imprisonment. Finally he marched into exile, keeping the command of the party the expolitical prisoner Julia Cecilia Delgado González. This compatriot resigned because of family problems and passed the command to Héctor Maceda, independent news reporter who found himself in that moment (In is still found) imprisoned in a Castro Jail, void of autonomy and movilized power. In reality, who directs this group is Reinaldo Hernández Cardona.

It is added the rest of what was the Democratic Solidarity Party, presided by Fernando Sánchez, replaced, He is maintained with some few followers. Also it is added the Liberal Ortodox Party (practicaly extinct) of two or three members, who's leader, Nelson Aguiar, is in prison where he defined himself as a complete liberal. Concluded with two more small groups, one with attention toward prisoners. Even though these groups auto identify themselfs as liberals due to their programs, in the practice they are under the shadow of the communist Mr. Cuest Morúa, who directs the Progresive Arch and by extension the Liberal Convergence, for lacking this of leaders of freedom fighters.

The Liberal Unity of the Republic of Cuba

The Liberal Unity of the Republic of Cuba, embryon of what will be the great party of the cuban liberals; is an association of groups of liberal ideology, reunited in quality of iquals in one Board of Coordinators, which is its chamber of direction. Was founded in september 5, 2007 by who presides the board Héctor Palacio Ruíz, who was the first dissident who defined as liberal at establishing a group in this court, the Democratic Solidarity Party; together with him united various of the most distinguish opposers as are: the first vicepresident Francisco Chaviano González, who is the activist who has had more years being detained in prison because of the peaceful struggle; there are men of the stature of Jorge Luís García Pérez (Antúnez) who is the most distinguish political prisoner of the new generation; similar is the case of Guillermo Fariñas Hernández (El Coco), known for his hunger strikes, in claiming human rights, news reporter and distinguish writer. Also added are some prisoners of the Group of the 75 as in the case of Iván Hernández Carrillo, Félix Navarro Rodríguez and Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona. Presided by these added fighters, commenced with 10 groups, which have been growing and who are now 25; in which can now be found the most largest groups and active in the civil confrontations of the opposition, the most prominent being Antúnez, El Coco Fariñas, Emilio Leyva, President of the party 30 of November and José Díaz, President of the Opposers Party for a New Republic. This Liberal Unity is without doubt the largest united group and solid of the opposition.

From here came out the Project for the Transition made for the People, to make the people standing see themselves in change and understand concerning how they will benefit from the same.

From the Liberal Unity also came out the idea of creating an Agenda for the Transition, a project to unite all the opposition in one board in the form of a parliament with national directions, provintials and municipals. Without doubt the liberals of the Convergence should unit here, but the protagonist and the grudges has more standing then patriotism. They united with the socialist who's ideas are extremely opposit. Will end being absorbed by them.

Habana, may 1, 2009

Archives and consulted sources:

--Start of a liberal social order, by Friedrich A. Hayeck.
--In letters 2005.
--Exalted persons. Néstor Carbonell Rivero. Editorial Cubana. Miami 1999
--Political decision of the Convention of the Progresive Arch. july 2008.
--Considerations of liberal leaders of the oppition inside Cuba.


Translator: Eduardo E. Rodríguez Candelario, boricua member of the PULC and collaborator of the OCPI in Puerto Rico.