CAMAGÜEY.- “They aimed to kill us and we are alive” said the Cuban president Miguel Díaz-Canel when evaluating the result of the fruitless efforts carried out by the imperialist government of the United States during 2019 to strangle the Revolution through brutal, draconian measures, such as preventing the country from getting the necessary fuel to keep the national life functioning.
The head of state pronounced a closing speech for the National Assembly of the People’s Power, that worked during December 20 and 21 in Havana, in which, giving continuity to the process of institutionalization that is being developed since the approval of the new Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, the deputy Manuel Marrero Cruz was appointed as Prime Minister of the Republic of Cuba, as well as the remaining members of his Council of ministers and his secretary.
The plenary of the legislative institution acknowledged and sanctioned the Laws of Organization and Functioning for the National Assembly of the People’s Power and the Council of State and the municipal assemblies and its council at the same time as the economic results of 2019 and the proposal for the economic plan for the coming 2020 were presented.
In the balance of the year that is ending, it was noted that, in spite of the brutal intensification of the blockade of the United States, the financial prosecution, the activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act to deprive us of commerce and foreign investment, at the same time as the discredit campaigns against the medical personnel that provides their solidarity service abroad and the policy of sanctions to shipping lines to prevent them from carrying fuel to the island, besides the prohibitions that affect tourism which constitutes the main source for obtaining currencies for the country, the Cuban economy, rather that decline, as they expected, experienced an increase in 0,5 of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) exceeding even the number predicted by CEPAL for the region of Latin America and the Caribbean for the current period.
It is necessary to point out also that, amidst such adverse conditions, no neoliberal recipe was applied to pour on the people its harmful effects, but on the contrary, having only 50% of the fuel to cover all the productive and service needs, they chose to affect the investments for the development and other lines, and protect the population by guaranteeing the food basic supply, the school, health and assistance services to the point of avoiding the blackouts that inevitably should have occurred for the lack of power generation.
The government was firm in spite of the financial tightness to apply a salary increase in the budgeted sector that involved the outlay of about 700 million pesos annually, and benefited a million 400 thousand workers and increased the smaller pensions to improve the purchase power of the retired. It did not hesitate either in building, through the State and private effort, over 43 thousand houses.
If in 2019 we were able to advance such a distance as mentioned in general, it was, over all, thanks to the capacity of resistance of the people, to their monolithic unity with their Communist Party and their government and the conviction that we will defend our independence, sovereignty and dignity at all costs, it does not matter how many obstacles and difficulties we have to take down.
With this spirit of struggle and courage, we are aiming higher in 2020 since we are set to continue advancing in the consolidation of our socialist economic model and to do so, we will put into practice all the experiences and teachings, fundamentally in saving every resources, including the human, that allowed us to successfully face this hard and troublesome 2019.
So far, it is a purpose that the GDP grows 1% and to do so, we have the internal potentialities, without elevating the indebtedness, and within them the increase of the exportations in a 3,7% influenced by the revenues of tourisms (4 million 500 thousand visitors), Telecommunications, nickel, biopharmaceutical products, tobacco and sugar, among others, that will be joined by the investment process of about 12 billion pesos, the substitution of imports, foreign investment, productive linkage through the development of the national industry whose companies will have faculties and financing to perfect their work and results.
As for budget, it is enough to say that as it has happened in previous years, it maintains its social vocation, having destined about 46% to education, public health, social assistance, social security, science, the protection of the environment and other requirements as subsidy to the most vulnerable sectors.
The 61st year of the revolution is concluding and on January first we will be coursing the 62 anniversary of the triumph of 1959 and, as we did in 2019, we will continue in victory, it does not matter how much efforts the imperialist fruitlessly put in destroying us, because we have set our minds in continuing to deepen our ideological convictions, keep winning the battle for our economy, which shows how viable socialism is and to keep advancing in the institutionalization of the country through the approval of new complementary laws for the mandates in the Constitution of the Republic of Cuba.
- Translated by Elianna Díaz Mendieta