It is very positive that Cubans have started to engage in exciting discussions about the future of Cuba, said researcher and analyst José Manuel González Rubines this Saturday in a video on Facebook. In his opinion, for the debate to be more fruitful, it should focus on solid political projects rather than on individual figures.
"We have begun to see on Cuba's political horizon the possibility that the faces will change and that along with them, everything else will change," asserts González Rubines in the four-minute and 34-second video, in which he reflects on the unusual climate of political expectation experienced by the Cuban community both within and outside the Island.
The analyst, who holds a Master's degree in Democracy and Good Governance from the University of Salamanca, points out that until just a few months ago, the political debate about Cuba was limited to analyses of the crisis and criticisms of the regime, and that the fact that there is now discussion of names and alternatives for the transformation of the country is, in itself, a significant change.
“Politics, if it doesn’t inspire, doesn’t work,” he asserts, adding that seeing so many names in circulation gives him hope because it shows that there are people willing to rebuild the country.
However, González Rubines introduces a central warning: the affiliation with charismatic leaders instead of programs is precisely what led Cuba to its current situation.
"Our affiliation with individuals rather than projects has brought us to this point. The 50 years of Fidel Castro's regime was more about allegiance to a person than to a project," he argued, recalling that this project transformed in terms of the economy, international relations, and foreign policy according to the convenience of the leader, a pattern that was repeated with Raúl Castro and the current designated administrator, Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The researcher calls for transcending the presidential figure and thinking about the comprehensive reconfiguration of the national fabric: "We need to rebuild a justice system that is deeply damaged, an electoral system that doesn't currently exist in the country, and the legislative branch that also doesn't exist," he enumerates, emphasizing that this reconstruction must reach every province, municipality, and town, from Pinar del Río to Guantánamo.
One of the most emphatic points of the video is the need to establish real checks on power to prevent the return of caudillismo.
"Do we really want a strong president? Notice that Cuba, especially in its republican history [...], is the history of strong men: Machado, Batista, then Fidel Castro. Do we want to repeat that?" asks González Rubines, who concludes that "we cannot allow the figure of the caudillo to rise again."
The video is published at a time of heightened political tension. This Saturday, a national survey with over 4,300 responses collected in 48 hours by a consortium of more than 20 independent media outlets and civil society organizations revealed that 94% of Cubans express complete rejection of the Government, with a confidence average of only 1.09 out of five. Díaz-Canel holds the worst individual result: 93.7% give him the absolute minimum.
This atmosphere of rejection contrasts with the propaganda campaign "My Signature for the Homeland", launched on April 19 by the Communist Party of Cuba to collect signatures in support of the Revolution ahead of May 1st, which analysts and opponents describe as a mechanism of coercion and a smokescreen in the face of the internal crisis of blackouts, food, water, and fuel shortages.
"I find it very healthy that we are discussing this. This indicates that we are envisioning the future, and I believe it is the first step toward beginning to build it," concludes González Rubines, in what can be interpreted as a call to transform collective hope into organized political action.
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