Havana, August 9, 1996. (BPIC)- When I was a little girl, there were in my country, rich , very rich, and less rich people; and poor, less poor, and poorer people, but there was also hope, and we all knew the Christian Ten Commandments, even though we might not be Catholic. That is why there was a Code of Ethics. It was not written, nor was it called that way, but it existed, and everyone would try to comply with it so that they could be decent folks. In a Cuban family, everyone's shortcomings were accepted, and there could have been knowledge and concern, with silent complicity, of some problems, but not with the thief. The old people would say that they would rather have a dead son than a son who is a thief .
Today, the great majority of this country, is poor, and very poor. Those who are not can cease to be so, in the blinking of an eye, except some, of course. But also today, the Cuban people do not remember the Ten Commandments; almost everyone has ceased to believe in God, and many, do not recognize Him still, although it is worth noting that faith is coming back. Today, no one has anything in particular, and, as the Constitution states, property belongs to society. Then everyone is an owner, and everyone takes what he or she needs, and everyone steals, and no one wants them dead, since we all would be dead.
Today there is no Code of Ethics, even though it may be mentioned or written about in the newspaper, because old people are not respected, and it is common to curse even though it may be in mixed company. Today we don't know what will happen when our children grow. We cannot aim at owning a piece of property or a business, so that we can have a peaceful old age, because, with few exceptions, no one can be rich. We do not have the right to start a business in earnest, and if we start one, the business cannot grow, nor make a large profit, because it is taken away from us. That is why there is no Code of Ethics in my country, even though it may be mentioned or written about in the newspaper. There is no hope, and those of us who still keep hope alive, do so by risking going to jail.