140 Chapter 6
MCL with continued repression, unremitting harassment, infiltration,
and delegitimization (ACI Press, August 13, 2007; ACI Press, April 22,
2008; ACI Press, June 19, 2008). Since July 2006, most of the media
attention around Cuba has focused on the transfer of power from
Fidel Castro to Raúl Castro, on the subsequent yet limited reforms, on
alternative dissident proposals (such as the comparatively well-publi-
cized and U.S.-supported “Agenda para la Transición,” launched in
April 2008, after most of the MCL work had been completed)
(FOCAL 2008), and on the human rights abuses perpetrated against
the prisoners of conscience. Thus, the Cuban public remains largely
unaware of the MCL’s proposals; their existence and their true content
has barely been mentioned in Cuba's national media (Pérez Roque
2003).
“Campaña Foro Cubano,” National Dialog 2009, “Unidos en
la Esperanza,” and the Varela Project, Revived
Having developed the core content of a legislative agenda, the MCL
then shifted gears to pursue implementation. In 2007, the MCL
launched the “Campaña Foro Cubano” (Cuban Forum Campaign),
which seeks to build an organization and infrastructure that can suc-
ceed in implementing the proposals of the Varela Project and the All
Cubans Program. The Cuban Forum Campaign has four priority
goals: 1) freeing the political prisoners, 2) achieving legislative
changes/proposals, 3) free elections, and 4) promoting national recon-
ciliation for all Cubans. With regards to implementation, the Cuba
Forum Campaign has a two-pronged structure. First, it seeks to estab-
lish a forum for Cuba’s civil society by organizing multiple local and
one coordinating Civic Dialog and Reconciliation Committees. Sec-
ond, it aims to promote a Cuban Forum National Meeting (no date
has been fixed) with participation from the civic committees as well as
the Cuban government. During 2007, over 400 dialog committees
were formed throughout Cuba (J. Hernández, personal communica-
tion, June 18, 2007). However, most of them have been systematically