Eduardo Alvarez/Contributing Writer
In Cuba, the civic movement Convivencia (Coexistence) promotes freedom and dialogue through moot congresses under most repressive conditions.
We who live in democracy should learn from their example in order to be better trained for the political process.
The thought occurred to me when a few days ago the head of the movement, Dagoberto Valdés, and member Yoandy Toledo Izquierdo were arbitrarily cited for an interrogation.
Their crime? Peacefully organizing citizens in think tanks to prepare Cubans for their future republic.
A longtime activist, Valdés has published several journals in which he and the movement’s members detail their humanistic, reconciliatory ideas.
And the results have been promising.
Despite the hardships, Convivencia has compiled a great literature that will help guide the way when democracy comes to Cuba. From agriculture to constitutional rights, the will of brave Cubans are bound to help tame the post-transitional uncertainty.
These moot congresses are useful no matter what a country’s political situation is.
An in-depth feel of the debate, frustration, and intellectual rigor of passing laws and governing nations should come to the American university as a way of making our future congressmen and women better acclimated to their duties.
If Convivencia can do it, plagued by logistical difficulties, brutal repression and constant defamation, then surely we can.
FIU, which has similar projects such as model UN — and has even served as a venue for one of Convivencia’s assemblies — is better equipped than most to lead the charge in these new, embryonic senates.
Organisms like Model Congress already exist, but even though no branch has yet come to FIU, I believe we can go even further.
Like Convivencia, we can make our proposals more than mere tests, we can turn them into real, legitimate voices with which to petition our representatives and inspire real change. For this reason, I believe these congresses should deal mostly with local and state issues.
Think about it. What if FIU students — or all students for that matter — could act in the midst of our current border crisis by drafting Panther legislation that orders the reunification of families or delve into possible city code modifications in the face of natural disasters?
It may be the case that the actual congress takes notice of our ideas.
Men like Dagoberto Valdés and movements like Convivencia have much to teach us, especially in these times of political divide and social unrest.
There are always a million reasons and excuses not to do something worthwhile. But if an idea is truly worthwhile, then that’s the only reason that should matter.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash.
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