The debate on self-management in Cuba

Browsing for news on the impact of hurricane Ike on Cuba at Cubainformación.tv (no relevant news yet: they seem not yet even aware of the four casualties reported in other media) I found a document that has some interest about what direction may take the reforms of the socialist system in the Caribbean republic.

Authored by Camila Piñeiro, the article is a reply to a previous one by Pedro Campos and some comrades at La Haine that suggest a radical yet deeply socialist reform of the bolshevik system that dominates Cuban economy and politics.

It would require a lot of effort on my side to fully reflect, via briefing and excerpt translation, this very interesting debate but the main point of Piñeiro anyhow is that, while there is agreement in the overall lenghty proposal and criticism of Campos et al., she is reluctant to cede property of strategical companies to the workers while emphasizing that decentralization and reform of Cuban socialism must fully incorporate workers into the decission process of such companies. She thinks that self-management does not necesarily mean workers' property, that this may be achieved via legal regulation and usufruct while keeping these essential companies ultimately as public property, allowing for the government to intervene if the production goals are not achieved, if the workers somehow defraud the greater interest of the nation.

It is really a pity, I insist, that I cannot really without huge effort translate this debate fully here for my English language readers, but those among you who have some knowledge of Spanish can read the full reply article: The participation of workers in decission making is not promoted. The most important thing I'd like to point out here is that, while the debate has been often delayed among the difficult circumstance of the post-Fidel transition, the debate on the future of Socialism in Cuba is going on, and that the Venezuelan experience is being taken as a valuable reference.

Hopefully the result of this debate will be a much improved, more democratic and participative, as well as a much more effective Socialist system in the island.