Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has emphasized the importance of promoting citizen participation and grassroots oversight to address the country’s current situation.
The leader also underscored the urgency of streamlining operations and eliminating bureaucratic red tape in order to promptly resolve issues facing the population—problems that can often be addressed within the community itself.
Speaking on the Radio Rebelde program *Criterio Compartido* (Shared Views) on Wednesday morning, the Cuban leader highlighted that this forum for dialogue enables the creation of a collective agenda, as well as the identification and monitoring of the population’s main concerns and challenges.
He noted that, following the first broadcast two weeks ago, multidisciplinary teams have been working to find solutions to the issues raised by the 23 callers. Of these individuals, five could not be located, 16 were visited, and two are awaiting a visit.
Díaz-Canel explained that, thanks to public participation, several key topics have been identified for future broadcasts, including basic services—such as water and electricity—economic justice, citizen participation, social equity, food production, and the defense of national sovereignty.
The president noted that this week evokes particularly deep emotions, as he had met the day before with the families of the victims of the Barbados bombing and of state-sponsored terrorism in general.
He also described as outrageous the stance taken by successive U.S. administrations that seek to label Cuba a terrorist state, even though the Caribbean nation has itself been the target of countless acts of aggression. He also referred to the 59th anniversary of the death of the “Heroic Guerrilla,” Ernesto Che Guevara—which occurred on October 8, 1967—and to the commemoration of the start of the struggles for Cuba’s independence.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
