09/07/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-10114

CASTRO STALLS DEMOCRACY PETITION

Dictator Fidel Castro insists that the people of Cuba are a free people. But the fact is that Castro does not allow political dissent of any kind. Even a grass-roots effort to give the Cuban people some measure of freedom has been blocked.

The effort is the Varela Project, a movement that would allow a national referendum on whether free speech and other rights should be respected in Cuba. The project is named for Father Félix Varela, a Roman Catholic priest who fought for the emancipation of slaves in Cuba.

Project organizers used a provision in Cuba's 1976 constitution that permits a referendum if ten thousand signatures are collected on a petition. The referendum asks voters whether guarantees are needed to assure the rights of free speech and free association in Cuba. It asks voters whether they support an amnesty for political prisoners. And it calls for new electoral laws and more opportunities for Cubans to run their own private businesses.

During the petition drive, project organizers were harassed and even detained by the government. Nevertheless, over eleven thousand signatures were gathered. The signatures were presented to the Cuban National Assembly in May. But not surprisingly, Castro's surrogates are refusing to allow the referendum to go forward.

But in an effort to distract people from the real issues, Castro is allowing elections for the national assembly and for state and municipal offices to be held on October 20^th. But those elections are a joke. Castro's electoral law prevents Cubans from freely electing their representatives because it provides for only one candidate -- Castro's candidate -- for each legislative seat. These elections have been denounced for the sham that they are.

The United States supports the Varela project and other peaceful efforts by the Cuban people to bring freedom and democracy to their nation. As President George W. Bush said, "Focusing our support on activities that promote democratic values will go a long way toward accelerating the democratic transition of Cuba. History tells us that forcing change upon repressive regimes requires patience. But history also proves, from Poland to South Africa, that patience and courage and resolve can eventually cause oppressive governments to fear and then to fall."