Their claws showing as they go into the final straightaway of the campaign, Miami's two mayoral candidates have pulled the last card out of their sleeve -- their Cuban patriotism.

Roberto Martín Pérez, who spent 28 years in prison in Cuba and is venerated by the historic exile community, appeared last week in paid political programs on Radio Mambí and WQBA-1140 with Joe Sánchez to praise the candidate, his family and his deep-rooted Cuban feelings.

Armando Valladares, another renowned former political prisoner, appointed by President Reagan to the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, appeared on La Poderosa with Tomás Regalado to talk up his candidate as a great man, a great Cuban.

These appeals by two prominent exiles seek to validate the candidates' legitimacy in the eyes of the voters, especially among Cuban retirees, who are most likely to vote.

Considering the gravity of the budget crisis in the municipal government, the negotiations with labor unions that are bleeding the taxpayers dry and the atrocious decline in city residents' quality of life, such old-style politicking no longer makes sense.

Obviously, it's an effective strategy for garnering votes. Just ask Joe Carollo and Xavier Suárez, who squeezed the Cuba theme down to the last drop, yet accomplished no change on the island.

Manny Díaz stayed away from such maneuvers, but it is no secret that he won the hearts of Cuban-American voters because he was the attorney for Elián González's relatives in their bitter legal battle to keep the boy in the United States at any cost.

Personally, I celebrate ethnic roots and the patriotism all of us immigrants and exiles feel toward our homelands. The place we came from is an integral part of who we are. But the argument is not valid in a campaign, because when we elect a public servant we are measuring his competence and his values, not his identity. To let oneself be guided by the latter is a sign of immaturity.

If you're a candidate ``in Miami, you still need to have credentials that you support the anti-Castro cause,'' said Darío Moreno, a political scientist at Florida International University. ``If you don't have a prominent figure among the former political prisoners who supports you, it could be a problem.''

Times have changed, though.

``Twelve years ago, this would have been the central theme of the campaign. This time, they pulled out the card at the last minute because they're desperate for votes,'' Moreno said.

The exile community's pain does not subside because the tyranny on the island has sowed despair for generations by violating citizens' human and civil rights. That is why the United States' policy toward Cuba is so important, because it has the ability to influence Cubans' future.

Still, let me repeat that this is an election for mayor of Miami -- not an election to remove the Castro brothers.

The day the dictatorship ends, it won't make any difference whether the mayor of Miami is Cuban or Chinese. Rather, what will be important is for Miami to be prepared when that great moment comes. Unfortunately, it isn't ready.

The first step right now is to exercise democracy by going to the polls. While Miami's demographic profile has evolved, the voter profile has remained static.

That's the reason why the candidates, even though they attempt to develop different campaigns, are compelled to return to old-fashioned politicking.

It's not the end of the world. The point is that, if the campaign of a future mayor resorts to such propaganda wiles, who can guarantee that his administration won't be based on vestiges of Miami's political past? It gives one chills just to think about it.

Miami has to be prepared for the big day. But, while it awaits that event, it must first prepare for all the other days.

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