In a moment of high political tension both inside and outside the Island, Miguel Díaz-Canel stated that change in Cuba should begin "from the Party" and affirmed that the membership must feel responsible for "everything that is going wrong" and for the shortcomings that the country faces.
The ruler's remarks were made during the extraordinary plenary sessions of the Provincial Committees of the Communist Party in Pinar del Río and Artemisa, held on January 7 and broadcast by the official media.
The call came as Cuba faces a deep economic crisis, characterized by prolonged blackouts, food shortages, a decline in essential services, and rising social discontent.
"We need to ensure that our membership and grassroots organizations feel responsible for everything that is going wrong," said Díaz-Canel, insisting that every problem must be addressed from the party's foundation, with greater discipline, ideological firmness, and by going the extra mile as militants.
The speech took place just days after the capture of Nicolás Maduro, the main political ally of Havana, appearing before a federal court in New York, charged along with his wife Cilia Flores with narco-terrorism and cocaine trafficking.
That symbolic blow to chavismo marked the international context of Díaz-Canel's interventions. During the plenary sessions, the Cuban leader described Maduro's detention as an "imperialist and fascist aggression" and warned that what happened in Venezuela poses a threat to all of Latin America.
The controversy intensified when the phrase began to circulate on social media. The official account of the Presidency of Cuba published a denial against a foreign digital outlet, accusing it of manipulating the President's words. However, within the thread of the denial, the Presidency reproduced Díaz-Canel's statement verbatim, confirming that the statement had been made as it was disseminated.
That same day, the official website of the Presidency published a lengthy article titled "Going the extra mile as militants in today's Cuba", which emphasizes the idea that militancy should take on greater responsibility, act with more rigor, and not allow for silence or internal reservations.
The text emphasizes that commitments cannot remain just on paper and that the Party's base should be the primary stage for action.
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