Eliecer Avila Defends His Right To Be Politically Active

Eliecer Avila Defends His Right To Be Politically Active / Lilianne Ruiz
Posted on September 9, 2013

HAVANA, Cuba, September 6, 2013, Lilianne Ruiz / www.cubanet.org. –
Recently, the Patmos Forum held its third conference. This time the
topic of discussion was The Quality of Life, in connection with politics.

The meeting was attended by about 30 people, gathered in the courtyard
at the home of independent journalist Yoel Espinosa Medrano, located in
the center of a Santa Clara favela (squatter settlement), a few meters
from the most important political plaza of the province.

The moderator was Gustavo Pérez Silverio, the historian and researcher
on racial matters, who maintains a working connection with the regime.

The special guest was Eliezer Ávila, who is slowly ceasing to be
identified only as the young University of Information Science student
who got into trouble with the former President of the National Assembly,
and is becoming known as a political leader who could have some role in
the future of the island.

Ávila began his talk by defining himself as "a Cuban citizen who wants
to exercise his right to engage in politics in Cuba."

The lack of civic culture was addressed as the key to the whole
question, recognizing that in the lack of civic responsibility lies the
problem of freedom for Cubans. "A citizen is a person who has power, not
someone who has to sacrifice themselves for a project in which they are
not involved in the decision-making process, "said Avila.

After his speech of over an hour, the floor was opened to audience
questions. Librado Linares, the former political prisoner from the Cause
of 75 (from the Black Spring of 2003), began by recognizing the invited
guest as a man with political talent, motivation, and strength. But he
said he was unable to discern in Avila's "We Are More" movement a
concrete strategy for enlisting citizens, overcome by terror and apathy,
or for dealing with the pattern of repression by the political police
against the Movement.

The We Are More Political Movement would bring together people of
different political persuasions, united by the common interest of
presenting concrete demands to the Castro government. It would not be
limited to Cubans living on the island, but would also welcome Cubans
from the diaspora.

"This is a project that I want to build with the views of as many people
as possible, because I do not want the people to serve one point of
view, but for the point of view to serve the people," he said.

The bloggers from La Joven Cuba (Young Cuba), labeled by the regime as
the "loyal opposition," had been invited to the Patmos meeting.

Regarding the absence of La Joven Cuba bloggers, Ávila told Cubanet:

"I don't believe that any political distance is healthy. I had hoped
this dialogue would occur, but at the last minute I was told that they
had no interest in participating and invited me to dialogue on their
blog. It is ridiculous for one Cuban to invite another to a discussion
on the Internet, knowing that we don't have that possibility."

The Patmos Forum, created in February 2013 by a group of activists led
by Baptist pastor Mario Félix Lleonart, was conceived as a space for the
discussion of various topics in which different schools of thought are
represented.

Previous events were devoted to the Origin of Life and the Right to
Life, consecutively.

On this occasion, Lleonart announced the adoption and adaptation by
"Patmos" of the Manual of Political Advocacy of the organization
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, with the intention of providing
workshops that equip Cuban believers with the power to influence the
country's politics, and end the myth that Christians are alienated from
partisan politics that affect their quality of life and respect for
human rights.

By Lilianne Ruiz, From Cubanet

Translated by Tomás A.

6 September 2013

Source: "Eliecer Avila Defends His Right To Be Politically Active /
Lilianne Ruiz | Translating Cuba" -
http://translatingcuba.com/eliecer-avila-defends-his-right-to-be-politically-active-lilianne-ruiz/