Miguel Díaz-Canel published on Wednesday on Facebook a segment of his radio program Criterio Compartido in which he urged officials to listen to the people and embrace "the concept of public servants", and the response from Cubans was immediate and resounding: frustration over a discourse they consider to have been repeated for decades without results.
The excerpt, taken from the fourth broadcast of the program aired by Radio Rebelde on November 4, was dedicated to the water supply crisis. In it, Díaz-Canel stated that "the problem is multifactorial and therefore the response must be comprehensive," and described as necessary "a virtuous circle" that involves listening to the population, visiting them, and seeking solutions.
"We must listen to people, visit them, build trust when we visit, assess the situation, and seek solutions; take on the responsibility and the concept of public servants," wrote Díaz-Canel on his official page.
However, the Cubans did not take the reiterated promise of the president appointed by Raúl Castro very well. "That's where the problem lies. You always Believe. 1-I Believe, 2-I Believe, 3-I Believe. It's not about believing, it's about (DOING)," responded a Cuban to Díaz-Canel. "It's always the same speech, we have to, we need to, we're going to, and in the end, NOTHING," pointed out another person.
Other commentators were even more direct about the historical accumulation of promises: "We have been listening to you for 67 years, asking for trust and making promises that you never keep. 67 years!" and "It's no longer a matter of listening; everything has been said and is known to all of you leaders. It's time to move beyond speeches. They've been heard for eight years, and in concrete terms, there is nothing."
"The biggest problem is that after they listen to you, they only justify the issues and blame the external situation," said one citizen. "There are so many things you don't know from down here; they paint everything nicely, but it’s a mess," another added. "The solution is not to state the obvious, but to sanction and remove bad public servants and swiftly address the problems with concrete actions," commented others.
In the same program on November 4, Díaz-Canel acknowledged that the U.S. embargo does not justify negligence or indifference from officials towards the population, an admission that also failed to quell the criticism.
Although Díaz-Canel asks leaders to act as "public servants," the reality is that the Communist Party (PCC) continues to shuffle officials without providing much explanation. Just this week, two governors in Cuba have announced their resignations. Jorge Enrique Sutil Sarabia resigned "from the position of provincial governor of Camagüey", after acknowledging mistakes made in the performance of his duties that were incompatible with his responsibilities," the brief official statement noted.
For his part, Díaz-Canel also approved “the termination of her duties” as provincial governor of Las Tunas from Yelenys Tornet Menéndez, “who made this request considering the family and personal limitations she is experiencing, which prevent her from continuing in the position.”
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