In the Round Table discussion on June 19, the president of the Cuban Journalists' Union (UPEC), Ricardo Ronquillo, openly acknowledged that the way the Cuban regime had proposed its economic transformations over the years did not solve the accumulated problems.
"Now we are more mature to understand that the way we had envisioned the transformations, the rhythms, the timing, and the depth of those transformations were not actually going to resolve the serious structural problems that the Cuban economy has accumulated," Ronquillo stated.
According to him, the country now faces the urgent need to define not only what to change, but also how to do it and who is responsible for it.
The most controversial fragment was summarized in a single sentence by the moderator Randy Alonso: "The what is already there; now we need the how, the responsible parties, and to hold them accountable to the people."
The statement, made after the National Assembly approved the package of 176 economic transformation measures, presents an unusual admission in the official discourse: the announced reforms still lack a clear implementation mechanism and identified responsible parties.
To justify the timing of the reforms, the president of UPEC referred to a quote from Victor Hugo that the singer Israel Rojas had shared on social media: “Nothing is more powerful in the world than an idea whose time has come.”
On his part, Randy, with his usual servility, attributed the demand for transparency to Díaz-Canel: "We must be accountable to the people on how it will be done, who are the responsible parties for each action." He also quoted Raúl Castro with the phrase about keeping "one's ears to the ground and listening to the opinions of the population."
Ronquillo also pointed out that concerns about the reforms come from two opposing fronts: “Enemies are worried about a transformative project in Cuba that addresses the problem and demonstrates that socialism is not unviable, while revolutionaries are concerned that a transformative project in Cuba will lead the country to a destination that is not what the revolution envisioned with its socialist projection.”
He insisted that the package of measures "is not finalized," and that "it is an open debate" with society, although he acknowledged that the country's urgent needs require deadlines and clearly defined responsibilities quickly.
The official discourse attributes the worsening of the crisis to the U.S. embargo, although the participants of the Round Table themselves admitted that the structural problems of the Cuban economy existed independently of external pressures.
The 176 measures approved by the regime include the authorization of private banking, the conversion of state enterprises into stock companies, the removal of the limit of 100 workers for small and medium-sized enterprises, and the opening to foreign investment, among other transformations that require modifying more than 148 legal provisions and approving 32 new regulations.
Activists and critics of the regime, however, rejected the package of measures as they believe it does not address the political causes of the crisis nor guarantees fundamental rights for Cubans.
The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero acknowledged before the Assembly that the implementation of the plan will generate "contradictions."
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