IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 8 ENGLISH | Page 143

picions and fears that hamper both the
transparency and the dialogue while
exacerbating the secrecy and the confrontation. Some minor changes had
occurred, they are not enough and had
not been the necessary ones either. The
genuine reforms needed, will not come
on their own or by magic; they will
arise from the efforts of the citizens and
the civil society, and also from the
inputs of those taking seriously their
responsibilities in any area of the social
life. Cuba deserves a democratic and
free society where human rights are
respected and citizens could enjoy
fundamental freedoms. Such a social
order should emerge in conjunction
with the impulse and performance of the
civil society. Many Cubans dream to
achieve the long-awaited change to a
participatory and democratic politics
along with a strong and efficient economy. It will depend on our influence
and participation in the political life, in
a peaceful manner that avoids the increase of pain and fear among the people. Anyway, the shift will result from
the working ability of the democratic
forces, their leadership and negotiation
power, as well as from the strategic
approach to the perspectives. Civil
society is a key factor to achieve such a
dream; it is a genuine representative of
the people´s living forces. It´s actions
will serve as the guarantor of the civil
liberties. One of its great challenges is
to ensure that the citizens can disagree
without being attacked; criticize without
being discriminated; provide alternatives to those of the ruling elite without
being sentenced to prison. Civil society
must secure free spaces for the citizens´
participation without detriment to diversity. It must promote dialogue to make
transitions based on active and free
engagement. The main challenge is to
choose between two very different
Cuba: a Cuba with fundamental freedoms and respect for democracy and
human rights, which demands us to take

decisions and actions right now; and
another Cuba that, on the contrary, will
be set by default if we are not able to
decide and act, or if we decide and act
erroneously. Civil society and the citizens at large pave the way for better
interaction, social maturity, and ability
to manage and work. Deliberative democracy will give citizens the opportunity to use tools in order to ensure
their well-being more effectively and, at
the same time, to help crafting and
preserving transparent, efficient, and
fair institutions. Thusly Cubans will
follow a way leading to an authentic
and well-grounded democracy, where
citizens will be the true social players
performing the tasks related to both the
citizensh and civil society. Such a longawaited democracy would be consolidated with a multiparty political system,
which should be able —in a timely and
appropriate manner— to response to the
challenges the country may face. And
the state apparatus should be designed
with separation of powers and rule of
law. We must incessantly work to become a real social force that promote
and make decisions. We have to
demonstrate our ability and strength as
well as our strongest will in order to
achieve our goals. By organizing and
empowering citizens, we can help to
provide solutions to the problems in our
communities. Let´s start to move further
down the road to a free society by implementing the process of deliberative
democracy, the citizens´ participation
and others actions that will bring us
together. Thus we shall take the places
that were taken from us. An independent civil society has and will have a
leading role in moving forward on such
a difficult and rough path.

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