Cuba’s Communist Party Congress…at Last

Daisy Valera

A couple months ago I wrote in this blog about the continued postponement of the anxiously awaited and needed 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba.

Nonetheless, it seems that finally —after 13 years— the most important event of the sole party that exists on the island.

This past November 1st a document appeared on the country’s newsstands titled “Draft Guidelines for Economic and Social Policy.”

That title was in large white letters, while what specifically concerned the congress was in small blue letters on an also blue bottom of the page.

This announced, “The 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba – Amazing!”

Well yes, the congress is being organized for this coming April, and it will be held on the basis of those economic and social guidelines.

But after reading the guidelines, I can’t say I was satisfied – not at all.

The Cuban revolutionary process is of considerable importance, not only for those of us who are living through it, but also for the peoples of Latin America who see the Cuban experience as a path to follow.

Because of this, I believe that the Congress should go into great depth into issues that are absent from the pages of the Guidelines.

The congress of a communist party cannot be limited to addressing the fact that ration books will be gradually phased out, or that private ownership will increase, or that private businesses will be able to hire  wage laborers.

Although these issues are thorny for a country seeking to build socialism, there are others that —if ignored— no analysis will make any sense.

This is why it is important to raise the current situation of the world economy as a point of discussion, as well as to point to the possible harm posed by a greater opening to the world market.

Likewise, in the body of the guidelines there is no emphasis on the leading roles that Cuban workers should have in the process of change, though there is indeed discussion on the strengthening of institutionalization and changes in the government.

For the time being all that is left to do is wait and to zealously fight for each subsequent meeting of the Congress; because if there is something clear, it’s that this is the body that will bring deep changes to Cuban society.