A moral revolution

MIAMI – Raúl Castro recently said something very important for all Cubans. He said that the nation needs to take a moral step forward.

I believe that it should be clear to all of those who have heard or read his speech that his words were direct and without evasion, unlike the demagogy and hypocrisy that chiefs of state usually include in their speeches when it comes time to impart social criticism.

A more beautiful and decent world was not a principle used by ideologies in the past, so part of the Left’s discourse paid little attention to the subject of good manners, something that’s very necessary for social life.

Because the liberal Left struggled in the very heart of the Western world against opulent and conservative social classes, it often classified good manners as “bourgeois moral” and that could be one of the basic causes of such an oversight.

Raúl’s speech is timely and revolutionary as part of the struggle against all kinds of corruption on the island. Cubans of good will know that the path to a better homeland goes through an improvement of the levels of civility among Cubans.

In Miami – leaving aside the mediocre press and the tele-garbage – I have heard many comments praising the speech, above all because it touched on real and daily problems that affect us all. What decent Cuban doesn’t worry about the decadence of our customs?

In Miami, the Right must not claim victory, as if the Cuban Left were incapable of instilling moral values, because our community knows very well the “virtues” of our politicians and their bad governments, with their poisonous influence on the entire society.

We have suffered from election fraud to child-prostitution scandals, unable to reflect them with sincerity in our press because the private media are not prone to transparency when it comes to serving the community.

Customs in Miami are not better than in Cuba, and if young men don’t throw stones on the streets it’s because the police here have an iron hand and are quick to pull the trigger when faced with any civic indiscipline.

Conclusion? We need a moral revolution that will reach both the Cubans on the island and those of us abroad. Raúl’s speech is valid for all of us.