Pinar del Río treasures the tobacco that has so much prestige in the world- distinguishes San Luis, municipality, recognized the President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during his ninth visit to the westernmost province of the archipelago, accompanied by the member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Party, Roberto Morales Ojeda, and local authorities.
The purpose is to reflect on the implementation of the priorities outlined by the country’s leadership to overcome the main challenges, and to look for ways in which successful experiences, those that prove that it is possible to overcome problems, can be expanded to other spaces and collectives.
The first point of the tour in San Luis was the fourth base business unit, known as V-13-26. There he inquired about the working conditions of the more than one hundred women who, starting in May, will work for the benefit of the leaf.
Díaz-Canel was briefed on how the facility -restored by the Govea construction micro-enterprise after a fire destroyed it- has a warehouse to store and process up to 350 tons of the precious agricultural product.
The next stop was the Celia Sánchez Manduley children’s home, inaugurated on January 11 of this year. The center, the first of its kind in San Luis, has a capacity for 50 children, and today houses about 20. The benefit will be for the mothers of the Empresa de Acopio y Beneficio del Tabaco, and also for those who are part of prioritized programs and live in the area.
The dignitary was interested in the quality of the food and the conditions in general. In order to know the details, he talked with the authorities of the territory and with the educators, besides observing and asking questions to the children.
In the itinerary of the tour it was then the turn of the tobacco areas of the Cooperative of Credits and Services (CCS) Giraldo Valdés, where Díaz-Canel talked with the harvesters.
He asked about the progress of the current campaign, and about the impact that the working days have on the vegueros and their families.
He also spoke with workers immersed in the task of stringing the leaves that are then placed on wedges.
Before saying goodbye to the CCS collective, the Head of State pointed out the importance of “continuing to promote more areas, more yield, more quality, in order to be able to export more tobacco, which is one of the main sources of income in the country, one of the exportable items which, besides, distinguish us”.
The quality of Cuban tobacco is recognized worldwide, he said, “but there are still market niches we do not reach”.
The José Martí urban popular council – where houses have been built for families affected by meteorological events, and where urbanization must continue to advance – was the space visited, moments before, at the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party, the First Secretary of the Central Committee led a collective reflection on how the priorities outlined by the country’s leadership in 2023, and those designed for this year, have been addressed in the territory.
REFLECTIONS IN SAN LUIS
There is an eagerness that marks the political-ideological work of these times and, about that, in the meeting with the leaders of the municipality, spoke the member of the Political Bureau, Roberto Morales Ojeda: How to generalize the best experiences? How to make the exceptions become, by their success, a trend towards the depths of society?
The Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee of the Communist Party emphasized that, if it is about party work, “we can no longer continue talking about implementation”: it is necessary to concentrate, he said, the forces and the work in the fulfillment of everything agreed in the recent conclaves, the most important ones, of the vanguard political organization.
Morales Ojeda made reference to the importance of the political-ideological and economic-social strategies defined by the Communist Party, and in the same line of thought he alluded to a cardinal premise, such as the correct policy of cadres, which, he said, goes beyond discussing the filling of positions.
He also spoke about the value of strengthening the internal life of the Party, and warned that, if a sustained advance in this direction is not achieved, neither the combativeness nor the exemplary participation of all the militancy will be reached.
Growth has no numerical goal, said Morales Ojeda, and alluded to the purpose of adding as many as possible, without neglecting quality. To his interlocutors, he said: “If you have valuable young people, what can they lack to join the ranks of the militancy? What it is all about, he reasoned, is to interact and work with the future militants.
It is necessary to make them fall in love, to charm them, to explain what it means to be part of the vanguard, emphasized the leader, and stressed that the above cannot be carried out if there is no revolutionary conscience, if there is no belief in those ideas that must be defended.
Preparation of the cadres so that they have the art of interacting effectively with everyone -with militants and non-militants-; strengthening and defending the values that distinguish Cuban society; knowing that the political-ideological work begins by doing things well; not forgetting that in the youth dwells the continuity of the Revolution… the Secretary of Organization of the Central Committee reflected on such aspects.
For his part, President Díaz-Canel referred to the four priorities that motivate the current meetings that the country’s leadership is promoting: to continue strengthening unity; to perfect the ideological work; to politically ensure the implementation of the economic measures recently approved by the National Assembly of People’s Power; and to discuss systematically to solve and mitigate the effect of the negative tendencies that have proliferated in Cuban society.
Regarding unity, the President brought up concepts expressed by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, in his speech for the 65th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. He recalled the definition of the exceptional fighter, that unity is a strategic weapon; and in this regard he commented that the first thing Cubans should ask themselves is how we are going to achieve and defend it.
That premise -the President reflected- is closely linked to the issue of participation: If we all contribute together, that will undoubtedly consolidate unity.
The Head of State highlighted the value of advancing in a type of thinking according to which, in everything we propose, there is room for the population to participate, to propose and, in addition, to control, in order to avoid later deviations and distortions.
“I am convinced -he emphasized- that we can indeed get out of the situation we are in, but we will only do it by working”.
Díaz-Canel stressed that it is necessary to generate the wealth that the country needs, despite the intensified blockade. It is, he said, a call made of convictions, “because every time we visit territories we see experiences that express that it is possible, we see collectives that are working above the blockade”.
Regarding the economic measures recently approved by the National Assembly of People’s Power, the President said that “they are necessary and cannot be postponed”; that many of them call for savings and redistribution of income, and that they pursue economic growth with social development. These are not measures, he affirmed, that go against the people, but quite the contrary.
The dignitary denounced that, since these measures were announced, the enemy has been intoxicating the virtual networks; it has dedicated itself to sowing the communicational matrix that such decisions mean helplessness, distrust and displeasure. They have said – Díaz-Canel denounced – that this is a neo-liberal package.
Our measures -he stressed- are not a neo-liberal package; because such a policy, if it is neo-liberal, is applied all at once and it is every man for himself. The effect that these measures will have, he argued, will depend a lot on the way in which Cubans are capable of implementing them.
Once the meeting was over, and in front of the municipal headquarters of the Communist Party in the Pinar del Río municipality of San Luis, the people were waiting for the President.
As has happened in other districts, the President explained to his interlocutors the essence of the recently announced measures, rejected enemy disinformation campaigns, and was explicit in his conviction that Cuba will be able to overcome its adversities.
Edited by Liubis Balart
