From Havana    

Some aspects of President Raúl Castro's speech

Manuel Alberto Ramy

I've allowed the speech delivered Feb. 24 by the new President of Cuba, Raúl Castro, to rest in my mind. Although I recommend that you read the entire text, I felt it necessary to comment on some of the aspects that, in my judgment, are the most relevant.

I begin by describing as a surprise the election of José R. Machado Ventura as First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers. It was always felt he would retain his position as one of the five Vice Presidents, but it was not in the speculations of politologists and journalists that he would occupy the second-highest post in government.

Experienced observers insist that it is a clear message that the presence of historical leaders in key positions denotes a clear intention of continuity in the Cuban process. Changes are in the wind, announced by Raúl Castro himself, but they will follow the same ideological line toward the strengthening of socialism.

In his speech, Raúl Castro announced a reorganization of the state apparatus, because the current structure does not respond to the current needs of the country and lessens the efficacy of responses. Undoubtedly, the announcement indicates that some ministries will disappear and their functions will be absorbed by the remaining ones. That is one way to relieve the government of an excess of meetings, reports and a long "etcetera," and to make administration more efficient.

This, along with Raúl's statement that some problems can have local solutions, could point to some degree of decentralization in certain nonstrategic spheres of the economy.

Institutionality, mentioned insistently by President Castro, will be reinforced and it is a corollary of its definition that only the Communist Party of Cuba can replace Fidel Castro, with whom he will continue to consult on fundamental issues. At his request, Parliament granted the president permission to consult with the historic leader of the process the measures that are transcendental in the fields of defense, international policy and social development.

About the most pressing problems in Cuban society, Raúl said that some will be settled in the next several weeks. Others will take longer, because they will emerge from a serious process of analysis and gradual measures. But he said that "the satisfaction of the basic, material and spiritual needs of the population" has the highest priority.

In the event of the disappearance of the two units of currency that circulate at present, there will be a revaluation of the so-called "national currency," that is, the Cuban peso, which the population uses, the currency utilized to pay wages. In meetings throughout the country, called by the government so the citizens may state their concerns and complaints, the topic of the dual currency was almost a given.

Another of the economic issues mentioned by Raúl Castro was the ration book, which is used for the distribution of subsidized foodstuffs. According to President Castro, this egalitarianism -- regardless of the income earned by each consumer -- is inadmissible for the current Cuban economy.

But the elimination of the ration book and the subsidies for some foodstuffs also implies a reform in wages and prices, something that Raúl Castro himself and other high-ranking functionaries say will not be possible without an increase in productivity and economic efficiency.

Some of the problems will have to be analyzed in depth by the different institutions involved, he said, and the aggressive policy of the government of the United States will have to taken into account. On this issue, the president may have alluded to the permit needed to leave and reenter the country. We should not be surprised by the caution used when describing what will be needed to face the situation.

Raúl Castro reiterated his support for citizens to express their opinions and criticism. "In a society like ours, we mustn't fear discrepancies," he said. "The best solutions emerge from the profound exchanges of diverging opinions." And he announced that some of the problems to be solved would go through a dialogue with the sector or sectors involved, as has been done. If the issue deserves it, it could be the center of a nationwide consultation.

In other words, some issues of great transcendence could become the topic of a nationwide referendum. Therefore, it is not improbable to think that some measures could even become the motive for constitutional reforms.

Manuel Alberto Ramy is Havana bureau chief of Radio Progreso Alternativa and editor of the Spanish-language version of Progreso Weekly.