During his recent visit to Cienfuegos, leader Miguel Díaz-Canel expressed his confidence that Cuba will overcome the current systemic crisis it is facing, and his belief that this will be achieved through the refinement of the socialist model.
"Our country does not abandon its socialist construction model, which we must perfect, and in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, it will continue to work," reaffirmed the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) during his recent visit to Cienfuegos, as reported by the National News from Cuban Television (NTV).
In front of a small group of residents from that city, the leader expressed a puzzling optimism by stating that "Cuba will move forward" thanks to the "talent and participation" of its people, and made it clear once again that the Cuban regime does not intend to give up the propagandistic pillar of "socialism."
As Cuba increasingly distances itself from the ideological principles and economic models of the so-called "real socialism," moving toward an ever more savage and unequal state capitalism, the elite of the Cuban regime is determined to reinforce in their discourse the idea that socialism is "irrevocable" in the nation.
Established as such in the Constitution approved by the regime in 2019, the socialism of the Cuban regime serves as a pretext for the decisions made by the extractive elite that holds power in Cuba through violence. The pretext of socialism benefits the interests of a new oligarchy that is appropriating national wealth and selling the country at bargain prices.
"A socialist government will always have reserves to ensure that no one is left helpless," said Díaz-Canel at the end of January 2019, when a tornado devastated popular neighborhoods of Havana.
His words aimed to soothe the discontent over his government's attempt to monopolize the control and distribution of aid to the victims in the Havana neighborhoods of Regla, Guanabacoa, San Miguel del Padrón, Habana del Este, and Diez de Octubre, which were affected by a tornado that resulted in four fatalities, over 5,000 evacuees, 195 injured, and nearly 1,900 damaged homes.
In June 2020, Díaz-Canel published an article in the Academy of Sciences magazine, criticizing neoliberalism and defending nationalization as the only way to combat the coronavirus epidemic.
"We have confirmed the capacity of the planned economy and the health system of Cuban socialism in controlling outbreaks and providing safe assistance to the entire population," he said.
"There is no mystery in that skilled and talented force that works toward a common goal: it is socialism. An imperfect socialism still burdened with obstacles that we must gradually shed along the way, but essentially human and just, unlike any other system in history," he added.
In April 2022, he reiterated that changes in Cuba needed to align with socialism from a Marxist perspective, an idea he consistently repeats in every PCC report and during meetings with his ministers.
"The solutions and transformations proposed must respond to socialism and should be viewed from a Marxist perspective," he pointed out.
In October 2023, the leader reaffirmed that he will not give up on the dream of building 21st-century Cuban socialism despite the challenges the country is facing.
"We have always had to face challenges, and they have constantly tried to slow us down and stop our goals. But one day we will achieve it, Arleen, one day we will succeed!" he said to his great friend, journalist Arleen Rodríguez.
A month later, in response to the growing popular discontent and the worsening living conditions on the island, Díaz-Canel quoted a phrase by Vladimir Ilich Lenin about "patience in building socialism."
"It matters little to know when, within what timeframe, and in which nation the proletarians will complete this work. What is essential is that the ice has been broken, the path has been opened, and the direction has been indicated," was the phrase by Lenin chosen by the leader to commemorate the anniversary of the triumph of the Great October Socialist Revolution on November 7, 1917.
But, in addition to patience, the construction of socialism requires "awareness," as the leader explained impatiently last July during a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
"[We are here] with the conviction that all of us are here to save the revolution and to save socialism. And remember that socialist construction requires awareness... requires awareness... and involves the development of a person who acts differently within society."
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