The first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) in Santiago de Cuba, Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, will premiere the radio program "En Confianza" this Friday on CMKC Radio Revolución, as announced by the official newspaper Sierra Maestra.
The program, with the slogan “The way things are!”, joins a series of shows modeled after the format that President Miguel Díaz-Canel launched on Radio Rebelde on September 23, 2026.
The program will air every other Friday at 1:30 PM, with a duration of 45 minutes, on FM 95.1 MHz and via audio on the internet. The first broadcast will address the care of individuals in vulnerable situations and water supply issues in the province, two problems that, paradoxically, have remained unresolved for years under Johnson's own management.
The format replicates point by point the "Shared Criterion" of Díaz-Canel, which had already been adopted by leaders of the PCC in Matanzas —with "Open Dialogue" on Radio 26, launched on November 7— and in Artemisa, where Gladys Martínez Verdecia introduced "Meeting Point" on November 11, acknowledging that it was created at the president's express instruction.
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The results of the original program are not exactly encouraging. In its fourth broadcast, on November 4th, Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged that of the 23 complaints received in the previous broadcast, only nine had been resolved. With that track record, the trust that the new program from Santiago promises seems more like a slogan than a commitment.
The launch also carries an ironic twist that is hard to overlook: Santiago de Cuba is experiencing one of the worst electrical crises in the country. Since June 2026, the Electric Company has reorganized the service into nine residential blocks with only one or two hours of daily supply. In July, some neighborhoods reported up to 26 consecutive days without electricity, and on November 6, residents of Circuit 7 reported almost 24 hours without power. Launching a radio program in that context is, at the very least, quite a bold move.
Cubans on social media were quick to point it out. "No electricity? I've lost faith," wrote one user. Another was more direct: "I'll say it again, I would like to. But there needs to be electricity and radio signal. That's a tough thing these days." A third suggested the logical solution: "They're going to have to distribute portable radios." And there was no shortage of those who summarized the spirit of the initiative in three words: "More circus."
Johnson's figure does not help to build credibility either. In August 2022, while serving as governor, she reprimanded a provincial food company official live on the television program "Santiago Hoy" who was trying to explain the bread crisis, saying, "How can you say that, girl? Are you crazy?". The episode circulated widely on social media. In March 2024, following citizen protests over power outages and shortages, she claimed that the population had "understood" the official explanations.
Some internet users wondered whether the program was real or just a meme. Another pointed out with surgical precision: "Was that a directive from the Central Committee?" The answer, judging by what is happening in Matanzas, Artemisa, and Sancti Spíritus, seems to be yes.
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