The Cuban-American historian Germán Miret rejected, with historical arguments, the thesis that Cubans "do not know how to govern themselves" and have "intrinsic roots of authoritarianism," a statement made by a viewer named Graciela during a live interview with CiberCuba.
Miret, 86 years old and a researcher of Cuban history and culture, answered candidly: "The Cuban people governed themselves quite well, with its flaws. They governed themselves very well during the republican era. We had a dictator, Machado, and he was removed."
The historian acknowledged that the republican governments "had their successes and their mistakes," with honest officials as well as corrupt ones, but insisted that those governments "knew how to govern themselves."
For Miret, the most compelling evidence of that capability is the Cuban Constitution of 1940: "It is proof that Cubans are capable of governing themselves. That constitution can still be put into effect the day there is a change in Cuba."
Regarding that document, he admitted that its main flaw was being "too meticulous, too detailed," but he defended it as a legitimate starting point against those who propose drafting a new constitution that would require changing 80% of its articles. "It can be improved. Changes will need to be made, but at least it is an instrument to begin with. You can't start without one," he emphasized.
In the same exchange, another viewer, William, asked which actors would define a transition: the military, the technocrats, or the streets? Miret was straightforward: "The spark will be the streets. After that, we need to look within the regime for those who are willing to cross over to the other side."
The historian warned that this moment will come late for many within the apparatus, but that their involvement will be necessary to maintain order. "You cannot have a leaderless revolution. There must be leaders, but ideally, it shouldn't be just one person; it should be a group of people, so that the ideas endure," he pointed out.
Miret also referred to the approximately 1,300 political prisoners currently in Cuba as evidence that the people have not surrendered to repression. "They have always used terror and danger, but the Cuban has always taken a step forward," he stated.
The interview takes place days after the first public appearance of Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as "El Cangrejo," grandson of Raúl Castro and colonel of MININT, who defended a supposed Cuban economic model of openness without any political transformation on June 19.
Miret dismissed the idea that these reforms represent any real novelty and was emphatic about the regime's credibility: "They have always been bandits. So, how can I trust a bandit?"
The historian also addressed the 176 economic measures approved by the regime on June 18, presented as the largest reform package in its history, and concluded that without a real political change, no economic opening will have a future: "You cannot have a democracy when a government is installed there for life. The only solution is to change the political and economic regime."
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