July 15th., 1997

From jail: The People's Council

There are many who have throughout history and now in the present criticized our people. Then, because we did not throw off the Spanish yoke at the same time the rest of America did. And now, because of the apparent passivity with which we seem to accept the tyrannical regime of Fidel Castro. Those who did, or who do, seem to ignore our present and future realities.

Our people are gentle, hard working, pacific and enterprising. Even when they seem to be dormant, their hearts are beating, blood runs through their veins with incredible force. When given a drug, the most aggressive wild animal becomes subdued. And that is the Castro-Stalinist system: a drug whose effect has its limits, and it is now our duty to put an end to this lethargic state of almost four decades.

When we decided to send a message to turn the 1997 elections into a plebiscite with the people demonstrating their will by canceling their ballots or not going to the polls, we did it consciously, as a result of a long study and our rehearsal during the last elections.

This is not an improvised or desperate action. It is not a coup de théâtre, but it is an action to destroy an absurd strategy. We are very conscious of the danger involved. We are aware of the strong possibility that before such elections take place we will be in jail for this cause, although to do it they will have to use any kind of pretext, as usual.

We have a lot of faith in our people. We fight for them, and we are convinced that our people will have the last word. Either they decide to fight for what they want, in a civic and pacific manner rebelling against things they despise and reject, or they continue their acceptance, crestfallen and pensive, going against what their hearts scream at them, waiting for the right moment to join, not knowing that we ourselves can make that moment happen, not as a huge action by a group of decided individuals, but as the sum total of a myriad of small actions carried out by each and every one of us.

Our people have the last word. Long live the People's Council! Long live freedom and democracy!