This April 16, 2021, the moral strength and vitality of the political vanguard of Cuban society has been felt, from the opening day of the VIII Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba until the subsequent working sessions in the three constituted commissions.
These are not euphemisms or exaltations motivated by the emotion of witnessing a momentous event, in which guidelines are established that reaffirm the path chosen since January 1959, but which unfolds in a highly complex context. It is without a doubt what is really perceived, if one takes into account the clarity with which the Central Report collects, with full critical and dignifying capacity, what happened in five years.
The impeccable transparency of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, who called each issue by name and urged to eliminate superficiality and naivety, because as he pointed out on more than one occasion, “they are questions that cannot be confused”. In the same way, the work commissions have put the check mark where it goes in order to emphasize those matters that may not be common because they are not repeated, because they would simply weaken and crack the work of the party organization and the own functioning of society.
The delegates check the progress and challenges in the implementation of the cadre policy and the guidelines of the economic and social policy of the Party and the Revolution, as well as the ideological work and the functioning of the Party and the confrontation with subversion.
The economic performance and its confrontation with continuous challenges, during the period 2016-2020, with the respective evaluation of the update of the economic model, constituted the main points of Commission 1, chaired by the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz, in the first day of session. For the second day, the debates in this commission focus on updating the conceptualization and guidelines for the next period.
For its part, Commission 2 led by comrade José Ramón Machado Ventura, Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the PCC, has had on its agenda the evaluations of the challenges that in the political and ideological field, it corresponds to lead the Party, guiding to society. The cultural and ideological war in digital networks, for which the potentialities of the growing computerization of the nation are enlisted, is a fact, or a “battle in real time”, as Víctor Gaute López, head of the Ideological department of the PCC, said. That is why he urged to renew, reinforce and manage the work in virtual spaces to deploy and position what he called revolutionary activism.
The recognition of institutional communication as a tool in educational and labor groups, as well as the permanent attention that the teaching of History and Marxism deserves, have been topics that were covered, because they also strengthen the ideological process and the preservation of ethical roots and patriotism of the nation. The quality of the militancy, the concrete and measurable tasks that must be assigned, the comprehensive training and work with young people and the confrontation with corruption are indicators that must be expressed in a work system that is always perfect.
Although the Cadre Policy is a strategic issue, as the President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez stated while he headed the analysis of Commission 3, it is also true that weaknesses persist in the pass through the subjective and objective order, related to preparation and training, and some improvisation at the promotion levels. Exemplarity continues to be vital, as Marcia Cobas, an official of the Council of Ministers, referred to the need for accountability of leaders through various channels, from the media to the meetings. The important role played by youth and their disposition in the performance of management tasks were recognized, but it is essential to assess their preparation, to avoid errors and it was stressed that the Cadre Policy cannot become a statistical matter.
This should be done on the basis of personal and professional merits and qualities. The cadres need to be measured by the results of their work, which is valid for the administration, for the Party, for the organizations.
This is a historic congress, for all that it carries. The opinion of the people, up to this minute, endorses its importance and shows the satisfaction of militants and non-militants, for the quality of the interventions and, above all, for their depth and coherence. To have a single Party, which, as stated in article 5 of the Constitution of the Republic (https://bit.ly/32rfrYC), “is from Marti, Fidel, Marxist and Leninist ideology”, it is to have the certainty that in unity is the strength of our nation and also the future of the Homeland, which we all want and build.