The Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) openly acknowledged a topic that has become increasingly evident in neighborhoods across the country: the "shortage of leaders," a euphemistic way of admitting that fewer and fewer people wish to engage with the largest mass organization in the country.
In an effort to revitalize its image and internal structure, the situation was described as “one of the most debated topics” during the IV National Plenary meeting, according to the Cuban National Television News (NTV).
Participants at the event, held at the "Ñico López" Party University, agreed on the urgency of implementing strategies that strengthen the organization's foundation, especially by attracting young people and students.
In the words of one of the coordinators present, the challenge begins in childhood: “If we want to have a functioning organization and have leaders, the first thing we need to do is plant that little seed.”
The statement highlighted the need for the system to engage and indoctrinate from an early age the future defenders of a political project whose social acceptance continues to decline.
Disaffection: a symptom of wear and tear
Although official speeches insist on the "unity of the people" and an unbreakable commitment to the so-called "revolution," the need to publicly acknowledge the lack of operational leadership within the CDR reflects a deeper structural problem: the growing citizen disaffection towards an organization perceived by many as a neighborhood surveillance apparatus, historically responsible for neighbor denunciations and ideological repression at the local level.
The emphasis on attracting youth, the insistence on demonstrating a presence on social media, and the call to “revitalize grassroots structures” confirm the declining appeal of the CDR, even among its traditional base.
In neighborhoods where there are no committee presidents or where the structures are inactive, the official solution is to "devote time" to it and "strengthen" it, as if it were merely a logistical issue.
Propaganda and resistances
The full assembly also discussed the importance of "countering aggression" on social media, which reveals a growing concern about the discredit that the organization carries, even among the citizens within the island itself.
"We cannot talk about unity if we do not talk about the CDR, because we are all in the neighborhood," insisted the secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Party, Roberto Morales Ojeda.
However, that statement clashes with the palpable reality in many communities, where the committees are paralyzed or simply absent, and where the term “cederista” has lost the symbolic weight it held in the past, marked by a more cohesive repressive machinery that had greater influence within the Cuban totalitarian system.
The official stance remains unchanged: more control, more rhetoric, more enforced loyalty. However, the current crisis of leadership within the CDR shows that the organizational fabric of the system no longer finds the same willingness among a population weary of promises, controls, and slogans.
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