The ratification of a single party state and the reiteration of Marxism-Leninism as the main ideological foundation of the process ended speculation that the 1st Conference of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) could constitute a shift that sent the Cuban nation off in new directions.
If someone continues to harbor illusions about that climate of maximum confidence and the need to accept differences of opinion, it was made clear that this will only work among those who agree with the system and if anyone believes that the promotion of democracy in our society will find its best examples within the party ranks, he can confirm his mistake by reading the brief Resolution on the Work Objectives of the Party which empowers the Central Committee to decide any modifications it deems relevant to the Statutes so as “to co-opt, for this time, up to 20% of the number of members approved in the 6th Congress approved.” Wasn’t it the Conference that was going to rebuild the Central Committee?
Raul Castro again appealed to his favorite words: Order, Discipline and Need (capitalized in the official version of the newspaper Granma) and reminded us once again that nothing agreed there should be seen as “the magic solution to all our problems.”
Cubans who want to find the patience and equanimity required to behave civilly in the face of a power which prevents those who think differently or who organize themselves politically to offer different proposals, will have to be wizards.
