Last Tuesday, in Havana, the 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba. On completion of these discussions, it is possible to analyze more specifically the impact of economic restructuring called on the Cuban revolution and dialogue with the many concerns that have been expressed regarding the changes in the economic system. In addition to the proposals on the economy, Congress also indicated changes in the political structure of the party and state, which will be discussed in a specific conference, to be held in January next year and seek to put the party and state in the pace of modernization proposal initially in the economic field. Therefore, I limit myself here only to planned changes to the economy.
First, you must be a primary. Much has been written about the character of the Congress and how it would be innocuous in the face of concentrated power in the hands of a "bureaucratic elite" that controls the party and state. I was in Cuba during the months of January and February this year and I could attest to the commitment of Cuban society in the preparatory discussions with Congress. In all districts, schools, CDRs, in the factories and political organizations - the Federation of University Students Central Organization of Cuban Workers Federation of Women - are actively discussing the impacts of proposed actions by the "Draft Lineaments of Economic and Social Policy."
So do not carry the idea that the congress was held only to approve what the Central Committee had already determined. Ultimately, Cuba does not live a "facade of democracy." Moreover, differences in debate freely circulated prior to the congress, and ranged from the proposed abolition of the famous "libreta" until the regime of productivity, passing through bimonetarismo problematic, and finding little consensus even among party cadres. Moreover, the result of discussions in various sectors of Cuban society, was presented to Congress the proposed reformulation of about 68% of the guidelines first introduced, which demonstrates the strength of social organizations in the preparatory debate to Congress.
One of the criticisms that the process of restructuring economy has been put on the fact that productivity in the center of the economic problem. Under the idea that "socialism is the equal rights and opportunities, not egalitarianism" Congress questioned the current economic system, modeled on the Soviet model of state and economy and based on the nationalization of all economic activities. The solutions presented, despite fears of sectors of the Latin American left, in no way resemble the opening of the Chinese or Vietnamese 70/80 years, much less may be anachronistic compared to a kind of perestroika
; late.
The Cuban economy survives despite its irrationality, but barely survives. On a farm in which five workers were needed to comply with quality production tasks, there was December Public service workers, with their daily eight hours, which goes away in the middle of the journey. Young completely uninterested in any profession that involves menial tasks or manual. Contempt for field work. These are just some of the symptoms identified in recent years.
How to cope with this situation? It is true that Cuba needs resources capable of maintaining the excellent services provided by the state. But the country is not self-sufficient in virtually any field of economics. To access objects indispensable to their survival, Cuba needs to appeal to the international market, where prices are determined by competition between large conglomerates and monopolies. To have access to these resources, Cuba needs to sell their surpluses, needs to produce more, sell more, and for this, to achieve maximum levels of productivity. This explanation, rather prosaic, it would be unnecessary were it not for the fact that large part of the analysis of the changes adopted by the 6th Congress of the CCP disregard this reality. In good "economy," Cuba needs to maintain a favorable balance of your checking account, which means export more, import less, creating more and dividend remittances. The language seems foreign to the rhetoric of the Cuban revolution, but is present as a goal of Lineaments (Chapter II, item No. 40) which were widely discussed by the Cuban society.
Let us give a concrete example. Say in a sugar mill, are necessary to achieve the goals production of a total of 30 workers. However, instead of 30, the plant employs 50. This situation lowers productivity and raises several other issues. The plant thus needs to reduce its workforce from 50 to 30 workers to adjust to productivity targets. This will compound a committee formed by employees and directors of that production unit. This committee will receive a proposal for workers with the names of 20 employees to be dismissed based on objective criteria. Once released from that production unit, the State will offer two options reoccupation labor:
a) receive credit for opening a small family business (a restaurant, a shoe store, a carpentry shop, etc.).
b) Replacement in another branch of government production - mainly in agriculture.
If the dismissed employee does not want to open your own business and not willing to continue working in another sector of the state production, yet the state would provide five months of social insurance. That, incredibly, is not present in most of the tests that have been published. They complain that the Cuban government is not willing to maintain indefinitely individuals who do not want to work and do not mention it, the state will offer at least two alternatives for immediate occupancy to the employee dismissed. A strange this socialism advocated by some analysts, where work occupies a secondary position in relation to the duties of a paternalistic state.
Finally, we must remember that many analysts who pray criticized the changes adopted by the 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, omit from their analysis the impact of the economic blockade imposed by U.S. for more than 50 years. Report published by the government of Cuba on Resolution 64 / 6 of the UN General Assembly, shows the damage blocking the country's economy. According to the "economic damages are mainly due to the need to purchase medicines, reagents, spare parts for medical equipment, instruments and other supplies in distant markets, often with the use of intermediaries, which brings an increase in prices." Only between April 2009 and March 2010, the blockade has brought a loss of more than $ 155 million in trade relations between Cuba and abroad, trifling sum considering the balance of trade in developed countries, but affects the fragile economy hard Cuban.
For all these reasons, it is evident that the changes approved by Congress do not threaten the essential achievements of the Cuban revolution or interfere in its character profoundly committed to socialism and social justice. The problems of Cuba are known and can not face them with sound bites or exits manual. It is the duty of the Cuban people reinvent their socialism. Until then, trust in men of Playa Girón.
is editor of the international political
and member of the National Party of Socialism and Liberty (PSOL).
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