Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, called on Wednesday — during the radio program “Criterio Compartido” (Shared Criteria) — for addressing issues related to the public water supply through concrete actions rather than rhetoric.
Challenges regarding the water supply, the impact of power outages, and the responsibility of institutions in responding to citizens’ grievances were the focus of the program’s fourth broadcast, hosted by Bárbara Betancourt and featuring the participation of Díaz-Canel.
The Cuban president acknowledged the gravity of a situation that affects the daily lives of families, urging that investments and technical solutions be combined with a systematic, sensitive, and responsible approach toward the public.
Díaz-Canel highlighted the respectful manner in which people express their concerns — even after long periods without service and despite all the resulting complications for their daily lives — and emphasized that those who reach out to the program are exercising a legitimate right.
“They are exercising their right to voice complaints, and it is our duty to listen with humility and to respond with actions, not rhetoric,” he asserted.
In assessing the factors complicating the situation, he pointed to aging infrastructure, the inability to carry out investments and maintenance at the necessary scale, the consequences of the [U.S.] blockade, and the shortage of fuel and electricity required to power pumping equipment.
He acknowledged that the problem “is real, serious, and complex,” explaining that a solution requires a comprehensive program and time to implement planned investments, ensuring they ultimately deliver the expected impact for the population. The Cuban President insisted that material difficulties cannot always serve as a justification for a lack of attention, delayed responses, or the absence of officials in affected areas.
“Nor should we dwell on external causes to justify a lack of institutional response,” he added.
In light of accounts from communities that have been left without explanations, he urged officials to listen, visit, share the situation with local residents, and seek alternative solutions.
He also called for accountability in cases involving negligence, indifference, or mistreatment of those affected.
“The public is not a nuisance; they are the very reason our institutions exist,” he emphasized.
During the discussion, concerns were also raised regarding the theft of pipes and the unauthorized tampering with valves.
Díaz-Canel directed that residents’ warnings be heeded and their proposals considered, in order to prevent the recurrence of problems they had already pointed out.
One of the cases examined involved a resident of Mantilla, in the capital’s Arroyo Naranjo municipality, who reported having gone more than six months without receiving the usual level of service—all while failing to get any answers from the authorities she approached.
Assessing the situation, Díaz-Canel noted that an investigation revealed issues with the valves—problems for which a technical solution could have been implemented in a matter of hours. However, bureaucracy and a lack of follow-up unnecessarily delayed the resolution, resulting in an unjustifiable prolongation of the issue.
The Cuban leader described the six-month lack of response as an institutional failure: “Six months of silence cannot be justified by any technical complexity. Technical challenges may exist, but silence is inexcusable,” he asserted.
The First Secretary of the Party cautioned that the institutional response must also reach those who do not call, are unable to get through, or cannot tune in to the broadcast.
“Addressing a case and finding a solution cannot depend on an individual’s media visibility,” he remarked. He explained that *Criterio Compartido* should help foster an approach based on listening, visiting, evaluating, seeking solutions, and embracing the role of public servants.
Nevertheless, Cuba’s president emphasized, addressing people’s problems remains a permanent institutional duty.
IMAGE CREDIT: José Manuel Lapeira Casas | Sourced from X (@CriterioComCUB)
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
