Speaking before the Cuban Parliament’s Committee on Youth, Children, and Women’s Equality, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, emphasized the utmost attention given to social issues, particularly to individuals, families, and communities in vulnerable situations.
He expressed his disagreement with statements made yesterday by this Committee regarding issues related to addressing “a real and unwanted phenomenon in our society: he existence of certain expressions of vulnerability. Such as homeless people or those who are street vendors.”
He said that “these people, whom we sometimes describe as beggars or those linked to begging, are in reality concrete expressions of the social inequalities and accumulated problems we face. And I say this because I do not share some of the opinions expressed by the committee on this issue.” I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t share with you what I think: it’s counterproductive to make judgments like those.”
The president commented that these statements were made during a working session of two National Assembly committees focused specifically on addressing these types of problems in Cuban society and evaluating the implementation of a program. A government initiative aimed at resolving economic distortions and boosting the economy with a social dimension.
“Let’s remember that Fidel always maintained that economic growth alone was not enough. Any country can grow economically. In Cuba, the essential thing is that this growth be linked to development. Especially social development, which implies a fair redistribution of wealth,” he emphasized.
If we are acknowledging that this problem exists and that there are actions to address it, we cannot denigrate those directly involved. Doing so reveals a lack of understanding of the reality the country is experiencing. I would venture to say that it reflects a superficial approach and a misguided focus on the complexity of the phenomenon. These are phenomena caused by multiple factors: economic, social, familial, and, in some sectors, by a breakdown in the structure of values.
The president insisted that “we cannot ignore that this issue has been looked at seriously, that the problem has been acknowledged, and that its existence is not denied. Furthermore, there are provisions expressed in the governing documents and fundamental programs of our society. Even in the Program for the Advancement of Women—the central theme of the Commission’s work this Tuesday—which advocates preventing women from being in vulnerable conditions or homeless. All of this responds to a humanist vocation of the Revolution,” he said.
If these are our problems, then the vulnerable are ours, the homeless are ours, the vulnerable families and communities are ours. And it is up to us to address them from the Party, because the Party—unique and socialist—represents all Cubans. “From the Party and the Government, we work to address all problems, as do the bodies of People’s Power. We are public servants, representatives who represent the people, and we cannot act with arrogance or arrogance, disconnected from the realities we live in,” he added.
The president emphasized that as public servants, “we must act with sensitivity, seriousness, humanism, and through participation, foster unity. This humanistic vocation must be expressed in actions: welcome, assistance, solidarity, respect, humility, human warmth, and ethical and decent behavior.”
He stated that in his administration, he has always insisted on sensitivity to the problems of our people. “If the heart does not vibrate in the face of social pain, there will be no energy to face the challenges. Especially in such adverse conditions as those we are experiencing due to the intensification of the blockade, the hatred, and the contempt we face.”
“We recognize that the economic crisis has exacerbated social problems. “This tenacious aim to afflict us economically also seeks social collapse, rupture, disunity, and the fall of the Revolution,” the president denounced.
He emphasized that there are many actions that prove that attention to social problems has not ceased during the Revolution. Also “they are being recognized to act on their causes, beyond simple patch-ups.”
In this regard, he referred to government programs against discrimination, for the Advancement of Women, and the Family Code. “And now we are discussing in committee a Code for Children, Adolescents, and Youth, which is comprehensive, humanistic, for the present and the future, and involves us all.”
He also noted that during the parliamentary debates, there has been talk of comprehensive care for life, treatment for those disconnected from school and work, and the more than 30 social programs targeting various vulnerabilities. Which—he emphasized—“are financed with a budget besieged by coercive measures.”
“This demonstrates sensitivity, political and governmental will. Because here, politics and government action go hand in hand,” he said.
The president reiterated that in Cuba, social inequalities are being addressed, facilities are being created for working mothers and mothers with more than three children—such as children’s playhouses—and a program of social transformation for our communities has also been promoted.
“We must continue to reaffirm that the Revolution leaves no one behind. The well-being of the people is our main motto. And this Assembly demonstrates that there is a priority to overcome this difficult time with intelligence and collective creativity. That is the legitimacy of this Assembly: because it represents the people and nourishes the soul of the nation,” he emphasized.
Díaz-Canel added that “we nourish that soul when, with courage, we recognize the problems and propose to overcome them. When we collectively build public policies to move forward. This desire to multiply the happiness of the people leads us toward the prosperity they deserve.”
I cannot agree with certain expressions that have been expressed or with certain criteria that distort the recognition of realities that actually exist. And the issue is not confrontation; I am not going to confront a vulnerable person. I am going to care for those in vulnerable situations. We are going to care for them. These people are not our enemies. They are people who are in a situation for which the Revolution was not conceived.
“The Revolution does not want these types of problems to exist, but it recognizes that there are causes that have led to them, and, having recognized them, it also has the duty to present how we are going to solve them.
We know that it is a long struggle, one that requires time and effort. We must work together, transversally, in multiple areas of society: economic, social, family, and educational. But we cannot disqualify or absolutize criteria that do not correspond to reality,” he insisted.
The president was categorical in stating that “these manifestations do exist. We are not ashamed to acknowledge it. They exist, but we address them. We feel for the people who live in this situation. We have the will to overcome it. We have the will to transform it, because otherwise, we would not be revolutionaries.”
“We know what the root causes are, but we cannot deny that the problem exists,” he concluded.
With information from Cubadebate
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