Amid one of the most complex periods Cuba has faced in decades, Miguel Díaz-Canel assured on February 24 that he is willing to “change everything that needs to be changed” in the functioning of the country's institutions.
The statement was made during the parliamentary public hearing for the 50th anniversary of the Popular Power system, held on a date filled with historical symbolism for the government.
According to Canal Caribe, the leader asserted that the anniversary should be “a turning point, not the goal,” and stated that it is time to act decisively in the face of current adversities.
After acknowledging the economic difficulties facing the Island, Díaz-Canel promised to fight, resist, and transform, insisting that the country will "overcome." "We will fight, we will struggle, we will resist, we will transform, and despite all adversities and imperial threats, we will rise and prevail," said the leader.
But beyond the usual slogans, the phrase that defined his speech was the commitment to transform “everything that must be changed,” always—with the aim, as he specified—of strengthening social justice, equity, and the conscious participation of the people.
The leader argued that the organs of the People's Power have been the direct link between "the aspirations and demands of every neighborhood" and state policies, and called for the anniversary to be viewed as a call to action rather than an exercise in nostalgia.
Her words come at a time when millions of Cubans are facing prolonged power outages, rampant inflation, shortages of food and medicine, deteriorating transportation, and an ongoing migration exodus.
Meanwhile, in the neighborhoods that the president himself mentioned, the question remains the same: what will really change and when will it begin to be felt at the dinner table, in our wallets, and in the lights that go out every night?
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