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ECONOMY WITH FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITYEditorial 19. Jan-Feb-2011. Convivencia Magazine. www.convivenciacuba.esCuba finds itself in a middle of a dilemma.Structural changes are needed and the fearof change paralyzes everything. Cuba is in amiddle of a terminal economic crisis and itdoesn’t want to open up itself to politicalchanges. There is a reluctance to transfer thepower even if the price for Cuba is not tohave and not to be. Cuba is in labor and itdoes not know for sure what it’s going togive birth to: it does not know either how thedelivery is going to be because thegynecologists and the obstetricians don’treach an agreement. Ones are afraid thechild will die and the others are afraid themother will die. Ones want to save theparents and the others want a new child tocome into the light.The worst thing is that time is over foreveryone. “The time to go around theprecipice is over” as it has been officiallyacknowledged.Facing this gestation which has been wished,expected and delayed for a long time, thegovernment has decided to undertakelimited economic reforms but not to open upthe legal framework for the right ofownership, wide and decisive enterpriseagency or civic and political liberties.The urgency of the crisis, the weakness ofthe proposals and the self-willed delayshould not paralyze the citizens whoembrace any way of thinking, creating,believing, acting; the citizens who embraceany philosophical or political trend in anygeographic place we are. Cuba is the onethat is at stake: its identity, its sovereignty, itsfuture and its progress.Many persons complain but a few are willing togenerate thinking for Cuba, viable scenarios,proposals for credible solutions, possible andefficient alternatives. It is true that it dependsin the first place on the ones who hold totalpower of decision but it is also true that thepossibility that this power opens up to theurgency of the reconstruction of Cuba is aresponsibility of all and every Cuban.There is a call to work but it seems that theyare only referring to the work for materialproduction. It is necessary to widen thisconcept of work for Cuba: Ones can work at theproduction of material goods; others can praywhich is a way of working; others can generatethinking, another way of working; others canmeditate, negotiate and make proposals andthis is also work. All of us can participate andexercise the criteria by expressing ourselveswith freedom and proposing with responsibilityas the Cardinal Archbishop of Havana has saidin the Mass for Peace which was held the firstday of this decisive year 2011.The debate has been reduced to the economicsphere and the proposal to solve the economiccrisis has been reduced to what the veryminister of Economics has called “chinchal” (1)and according to him, there’s nothing to fearabout these small businesses because theycan’t compete with the State which continuescentralizing, planning and restraining, as if itwere a “dike”, the state sector and the non-statesector as well, and here we are using the sameeuphemistic language used in the guidelines,Ediciones ConvivenciaPinar del Río. 201276