The Cuban newspaper, “Juventud Rebelde” (Rebel Youth) – print edition – has a Readers’ Letters section, essentially to make known and find a solution to the problems that afflict the readers, who in the great majority write looking for help or explanations relating to work conflicts, excessive bureaucracy and many other issues.
Sunday January 15th of this year, the reporter José A. Rodríguez published an article titled, “The executed agreements”. According to what Rodríguez himself said, he gave a vote of confidence to the complaint mailed by the architect of the Habana del Este community municipality, Mr. Alejandro González, who said that he was given construction license in 2010 along with 7 other people, and at the height of construction work in 2011, the licenses were cancelled by the Provincial Housing Investment Unit (UPIV) alleging complaints and violations of process.
Despite the protests of neighbors and those affected, according to Alejandro Gonzales, the UPIV justified its conduct considering that the place will be turned over the “microbrigades”. It is not clear if the aforementioned “microbrigades” belong to the City of Havana Microbrigades Enterprise, now called GECAL Group (Havana Construction Business Group).
Since June 10, 2011, the court of the Municipality Diez de Octubre granted a demand for File 174/10 that was filed in the year 2010 against the Havana Microbrigades Enterprise, now GECAL No. 2.
The director of the mentioned organization,Nelson Cordova Pita and his managers refused to render a judgement on various pretexts. Now they are threatening that my property could be damaged. In addition, they demanded a property that doesn’t belong to them legally, since it was always part of my house.
After the ruling (June 2011) I have gone to court on three occasions to execute it and on the third time (January 12, 2012) presented to the court reasons inconsistent with those legally established. I should clarify that my case in court appeared filed and and completed.
Is it a coincidence, what has happened to Mr. Alejandro Gonzalez and me? I don’t know what to say. “The decisions of the institutions with regards to the citizens should be put in writing, and no sense ephemeral, fading over time,” writes journalist J. A. Rodriguez.
My claim began in 2004. Agreements,and even letters to the Central Committee of Communist Party of Cuba, were useless. I could win the case with the intervention of the Law Association of Cuba, led by Mr. Wilfredo Vallin. The judgment No. 17 is not executed, similar to almost all multiple civil judgments in Cuba which are never complied with. How should an agreement be complied with between citizens and the government? A common joke among Cuban lawyers refers to the case in which a citizen wins a lawsuit against the state: You can win it… wait for it to be carried out… it’s like a fight between a lion and a monkey.
“Problems can not be resolved at the level of thinking in which they were generated,” said Albert Einstein at some point. So I think that behind all this mess with a veneer of everyday life, the ultimate goal is to prejudice my activism with Cuban children, and what better solution damage my property? So I get what I deserved for defending my rights and those of children; and in addition they keep what belongs to me. Everything is against me, I am a women, I am of African descent and I am a civil society activist. It’s as bad as it can be.
For those who believe I am exaggerating, look at the history of Cuba after in 1959, some minister of Public Health, or chancellor. I invite you to quote me as a woman of African descent in the first row of the Government. I do not believe in coincidences. I hope my readers don’t either.
January 31 2012