By: Emily Rodríguez, Estern Free Press Agency (APLO)
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, December - In a recent document distributed by the Communist Party of Cuba, the people are summoned to combat the lack of social discipline, in other words, illegalities in general, breaking the law.
In the said document, a number of arguments and phrases are used with the intention of making the people understand the need to combat and report crime. But these are not convincing because they do not address the causes that originate the problem, and pretend that the individual contribute to eradicate these attitudes from society, based only on a sense of social conscience. The document, in one of its parts, quotes an analysis made by Fidel Castro on the slaughter of cattle, in which he states: "Clandestine beef, someone steals it, kills it, and of course, someone buys it, then maybe there is no beef for the children care centers, hospitals, the places where it is most needed, or the cow cannot produce milk for the children", and he added: "This is a damage we do to ourselves, and it is not only a moral damage, but a material one."
This does not speak well of our level of culture, it does not speak well of our quality as a people capable, on the other hand, of accomplishing great feats. But is the illegal slaughter of cattle the real cause for the lack of milk or beef for the children, and of the decrease in the total amount of cattle heads? No, we know this is not the cause.
The inefficient breeding system, poor feeding, lack of sickness control, among others, are the principal causes. And not providing meat and milk to the children is not the consequence of this, but its rerouting it to the tourist centers and to the leading nomenclature is.
That is why the final destiny of these beasts is not the people's concern, not even on the part of those who own cattle and breed them, since they are not real owners. This is only a small example, because many are the causes that have lead to a lack of values in this society.
We see it in schools, where fraud is a daily occurrence necessary to meet the goals. For instance, teachers must comply with a certain number of passing students, and what is important for the teacher is not that the pupil learns, but that he/she passes.
The unrealness of tax collection, which makes them too high, is another reason that allows for this civil responsibility to be evaded.
The low salaries that are not enough to cover the basic necessities of life, make the people give themselves the right to deviate the resources within their reach to obtain the necessary monies to survive, thereby turning a crime into a feat, since those that have the courage to deviate resources, or risk their lives by "stealing" something which they later sell, are considered heroes. For example: the so called "churrines", who by assaulting trucks on the road, extract from them wheat or other grains which they later sell, and which products constitute the food source the people use to feed their animals. The different treatment of foreigners, and prostitution as a means to acquire products, including those of the barest necessity like soap, toothpaste, etc., encourage stealing in alliance with corruption, in which even policemen participate.
In other words, the lack of societal values has its roots in the regime's breakdown, therefore, if a program capable of economically improving the country and going in search for those values should not exist, preaching through this document will not make the people react, and they will continue being part of these illegalities, lack of discipline and delinquency as they call them.
Meditate, dear reader, if under these circumstances, this preaching or summons could be given any moral credibility: "Meditate, together with your family, on what we have said, not only with the simple purpose of combating these arguments or disagreeing with them, but most of all to analyze in the sovereign collective, which is your home, if things are going well, and if you can give us a hand in the issues of the community, which are as much yours as ours."
On my part, I can only say that, even though the language is rather positive for the value it places on the family within the society, it is ironic to give it responsibility in the solution of problems which have their roots in the system's core. But draw your own conclusions.