The Civil Society: A Key Factor for Democracy
Fernando Palacio Mogar
Cuban Liberal Solidarity Party Havana, Cuba
I
s it feasible to invigorate the civil society in Cuba, where exercising the right to independent association is strictly forbidden? And if the civil society eventually gains strength, what impact could it have on politics: progress or regression? Is it common and normal to speak about civil society in Cuba nowadays? The obvious answer is no. The term itself is poorly understood, even by people with certain quotas of power. For many of those seeking— through associations independent from the State— to do their bit in building a free and democratic society, strengthening the civil society is a great challenge. In the current social context, the life intensely breathed in the streets is marked by the general discontent of citizens with the form of government. Different positions are taken in regard of democratic change. Some have fallen into paralysis, because they think there is so much to do that it ´ s better to do nothing; others have decided to escape, even at the risk of their own lives, because they think that there is no solution for achieving the fundamental freedoms and human rights. Some economic reforms have been taking place since years ago, in an attempt to overcome the great crisis and to mitigate the social tensions, but the results are clear: ongoing shortages. Cubans must do a juggling act to put food on the table. After more than 50 years of socialist system with no progress in politics either, we are stepping back in time and I wonder: Is the government responsible for this crisis? Furthermore, when will the government demonstrate its wisdom by steering its policies toward the commitment with the body of creditors known as the people, and more specifically with civil society? Everything changes in the course of life. Even without yearning for change, the latter happens anyway because everything is constantly changing and mutating. But if we let change happen in a spontaneous way, we are irresponsibly giving up our own ability to choose and regulate the ways of change. Here we are referring to choose the appropriate ways, since social changes should essentially occur through peaceful means in a gradual manner, not through violence and trauma. The project # Otro18 has been embraced by more than twenty groups of the civil society. It opens the way for taking, from the civic perspective and within the legal framework, the first steps towards a democratic and deliberative exercise leading to the rule of law. There is a wide range of groups within the civil society. Far from weakening it, their different views and opinions enable civil society to find solutions to the problems of the country. The diversity of these groups does not lead to perpetual unsolvable conflicts. Likewise, the lack of diversity within the ruling elite does not lead to perpetual absence of conflicts. Hence the civil society bet on a diversity based on confidence in order to remove the sus-
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