Municipal delegates responsibility to their constituents sustains one of the key democratic principles that underpin our political system: Those elected evaluate their own performance before their electors, said Miriam Brito Sarroca, president of the National Assembly standing committee on Local People's Power Bodies, which reviewed results of the recently concluded accountability process.
During the session, which was attended by Homero Acosta Álvarez, secretary of the National Assembly of People's Power, deputies learned about the more than 68,000 meetings held, with an attendance of 78.4%. More than 215,000 proposals or requests were made by citizens, of which more than 110,000 will be resolved with the support of the community and just over 105,000 will be processed with the municipal administration.
According to Brito, these accountability meetings must continue to be improved, with greater participation and interaction, ideas reiterated in comments by the presidents of Provincial Assemblies in Havana, Las Tunas and Guantanamo.
In Havana, the process was considered positive, coinciding with celebrations for the city’s 500th anniversary. Work undertaken during the last year was directed primarily toward providing responses that had been delayed for some time, commented Reinaldo García Zapata, president of the capital's Provincial Assembly.
In his opinion, the effectiveness of popular control must be improved, delegates’ role strengthened, and relations with constituents strengthened, while administration must be more efficient and consistent in following up on issues raised by citizens.
According to deputies, accountability meetings must be more dynamic, with more debate on the issues that interest the population and greater prominence of delegates. Their essential preparation was, precisely, the most common issue raised by Committee members.
Another important topic, according to Miriam Brito, is the role of the administration in this process. The administration, she said, "must participate, yes, to hear the population's opinions about the entity under discussion, which it represents, in the name of the people; but the main emphasis must be on the delegate, on his or her capacity to analyze the work done, which must reflect the community.”
Perfecting the accountability process is, in fact, a key part of improvement efforts undertaken by the People's Power system, which will be of ongoing interest to the new Committee attending local bodies, whose work acquires greater significance given changes introduced in the new Constitution regarding the structure of provincial governments.
Issues frequently raised in accountability meetings:
- Repair of roads, highways, streets and sidewalks
- Instability in garbage collection, shortage of containers, and elimination of unauthorized dumps
- Improvement of public lighting
- Repair of potable water leaks
- Improvement in water supply
- Expansion of telephone services
In figures
- 68,652 meetings held throughout the country
- 100% of planned meetings held
- 3,782 meetings cancelled and rescheduled, 60% due to adverse weather conditions
- More than 215,000 proposals or requests made by the population
- More than 110,000 issues resolved with the support of the community
- More than 105,000 processed with municipal administrations.
