"May apathy not consume us": The new threat from the Cuban regime to local leaders

During a recent tour of the city of Bayamo, Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, the first secretary of the Party in the province, criticized the cadres and leaders, warning that as long as apathy, inertia, and the acceptance of the abnormal as something normal prevail, there will be no progress, a situation that she threatened would not be tolerated.

The official newspaper La Demajagua published an article this Thursday titled “May Apathy Not Consume Us,” supporting the harsh criticisms of the main provincial leader, without mentioning that she herself is part of the problem of neglecting urban spaces in the city.

During a tour of emblematic areas of the National Monument City, such as Los Elevados, La Plaza de la Patria, the Paseo del Prado, and the street of La Excelencia, it became evident that, despite numerous agreements being made a month ago, most of them remain unfulfilled.

This inefficiency is the result not only of the negligence of the responsible agencies but also of the lack of rigor, control, and demands by the municipal authorities, which demonstrates a worrying apathy in local management, the cited news portal pointed out.

The presence of weeds, garbage accumulation, dirt, lack of paint, broken lights, deteriorated benches, untrimmed gardens, fences in need of renovation, and stained marbles in Bayamo evidence the lack of control and negligence in the management of the municipal authorities.

"If we continue to be dominated by apathy, stagnation, and seeing abnormal things as normal, we will not advance, and we will not allow it," Ortiz threatened the officials and leaders present at the event. He also warned them that they must develop a "sense of belonging to the city that saw them born and to the people to whom they owe their loyalty."

Finally, according to the leader, these problems can be reversed if we "put our hearts into it" and work "with the neighborhood, the CDR, and the youth, involving them in this process," as she considered that their apathy leads to unsustainability.

It is not the first time that a Cuban leader points to another, especially one of lower rank, as responsible for the problems of a territory, without admitting that the regime's leadership is the true cause of the unfavorable situations or, at least, of its inability to seek solutions.

In September, the Cuban Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, criticized the management of regime leaders, whom he accused of being "sloppy" and of maintaining an attitude lacking sensitivity towards the issues that concern the population.

Gathered in Gibara with residents whom he claims to represent from his seat in the National Assembly of People's Power, the prime minister "became aware of their concerns and worries," according to a report from the official television news (NTV).

"The first thing we need to put an end to is carelessness and bureaucracy. There are even some leaders in the institutions who lack the sensitivity that is required in times like these to be able to speak with the people. And there are also those who are afraid to sit here, to listen, and to hear things that need to be said to their faces. We need to resolve that," said the prime minister.

Marrero himself recently called for more "concentration" from Cuban leaders to move forward with the "implementation of the approved actions aimed at supporting the Government Projections to correct distortions and re-boost the economy."

This was expressed during his address at the Council of Ministers meeting for the month of September, where the head of the Cuban regime emphasized the "responsibility" of local officials and leaders in the process and the results that the central government expects to achieve from its strategies and "projections."