At the premiere of the radio program *Criterio Compartido*—which will be broadcast by Radio Rebelde every other Wednesday—Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, First Secretary of the Party Central Committee and President of the Republic, explained the scope of the economic and social transformations, addressed public concerns, and upheld popular participation and oversight as key principles.
Describing the new program as a mechanism for listening directly to the people, he assured listeners that all calls and comments would be processed, including those that did not make it onto the air.
"Every voice in Cuba matters," he stated.
PRICES, PENSIONS, LAND, OVERSIGHT, AND FUEL
The program featured direct participation from listeners across various regions, who raised concerns regarding the implementation of measures, the cost of living, the situation of retirees, food production, and the energy crisis.
A listener from Cienfuegos highlighted the gap that sometimes exists between national directives and their local implementation. He called for greater oversight to ensure that decisions made at the central level are effectively carried out at the local level.
A woman recounted that she had been seeking access to a plot of uncultivated land in Arroyo Naranjo for over a decade in order to produce food. She noted that, despite a favorable assessment from the Ministry of Agriculture, the land had not yet been granted to her. She also explained that she is part of a network of 101 productive plots and spaces managed by women and asked whether the new measures would finally lead to a resolution of her case.
From Contramaestre, another listener focused on inflation and rising prices, asking how long the population would have to wait for the situation to improve. "Wages and pension checks aren't enough to live on," he stated.
Regarding the situation of some older adults, an 88-year-old retiree described the difficulties of meeting her needs on her pension and urged that the new measures specifically take their situation into account.
Someone asked the President directly whether there was any possibility of receiving fuel from friendly nations and if the government had taken steps to secure it.
"We have made every kind of effort to obtain fuel, yet no fuel is arriving from anywhere in the world," Díaz-Canel replied.
He added: "The measures taken by the United States government to intensify the energy blockade against Cuba have been given extraterritorial reach through the Trump administration's second executive order; frankly, despite our many attempts, we have been unable to succeed."
The calls highlighted several of the most pressing issues of daily life: prices, wages and pensions, food supplies, access to land, the functioning of municipalities, and fuel availability. The President assured that both the calls that made it to air and those that did not would be transcribed, organized, and handed over for attention and follow-up.
Díaz-Canel explained that these economic transformations are taking place amidst extremely difficult circumstances. He cited the electricity deficit, disruptions to the water supply, the shortage of flour in hundreds of bakeries, issues with liquefied gas, and the transportation situation.
Addressing those who attribute these difficulties solely to internal problems, he asked: "What is the cause of this reality? Is it inefficiency? Is it a failed state? (...) The blockade is criminal.
"It has been nine months since a fuel ship has arrived. How can the economy be sustained? How can work continue under these conditions? How can the services the population needs be provided? How can production be ramped up?"
"THE COUNTRY MUST PRODUCE"
One of the President's key messages was the need to restore national productive capacity. "The country must produce. It cannot keep hoping to solve everything through imports."
He also insisted that administrative price controls cannot replace an increase in supply: "The issue of prices is resolved by producing more, creating more wealth, and having a greater supply for the population."
The leader acknowledged that the public would evaluate these transformations based on their concrete effects on daily life. "Until we see the results of these transformations on the dinner table, at the pharmacy, and in the hospital, there will be no satisfaction."
He summarized the economic purpose of the measures in three concepts: "More production, more jobs, and higher wages."
"THERE IS NO RETURN TO CAPITALISM"
Díaz-Canel addressed at length a concern raised by several participants: whether the expansion of the market and the non-state sector implies a shift toward capitalism.
"These transformations are neither a turn toward capitalism nor a process of capitalist restoration," he replied. He defined them as "the updating of our economic and social model within a socialist framework—one that must also be innovative."
"The answer is clear, unequivocal, and direct. There is no return to capitalism," he declared.
I have argued that, even with the presence of the private sector, markets, and foreign investment, the ultimate authority lies with the people through their institutions. "And that does not change, nor will it change, nor can it be changed."
He also stated that "the market is a tool, not a master—as it is in capitalism"—and explained that planning, the role of the State, Party leadership, and popular oversight are the elements that must determine how those mechanisms are utilized.
PARTICIPATION, CORRECTION, PROTECTION
The President affirmed that discussions regarding these transformations would continue in workplaces and communities, and acknowledged that errors might be detected during implementation that would need to be corrected.
"There must be a capacity for dialogue, a capacity to gather and utilize useful suggestions, and a capacity for criticism; because there are things that will inevitably involve errors when implemented, and they must be changed. These transformations will truly work if we participate as a people, exercise oversight as a people, make demands as a people, and get involved as a people."
He maintained that everything must have a social dimension and avoid exacerbating inequalities, highlighting protection measures for retirees and vulnerable individuals—such as differentiated subsidies, specific treatments, and a social development fund.
21.4% OF ELECTRICITY GENERATION COMES FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES
Regarding the energy transition, Díaz-Canel reported that 1,418 MW of capacity has been installed across 144 photovoltaic parks, with the total expected to exceed 1,500 MW by the end of the year.
He noted that 21.4% of electricity is already generated from renewable sources. He mentioned the installation of photovoltaic systems in polyclinics, hospitals, maternity homes, nursing homes, and other institutions, as well as progress on a project to progressively decouple water pumping operations from the National Electric System.
CUBA'S FREEDOM ARRIVED ON JANUARY 1, 1959
At the close of the program, Díaz-Canel responded to statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Cuba—which he described as "utterly arrogant, high-handed, and interventionist"—asserting that they reflect "that genocidal, criminal mindset and the contempt directed toward Cuba."
Díaz-Canel emphasized that Washington is attempting to portray Cuba as a failed state in order to evade responsibility for the consequences of the blockade, and he concluded with a direct message: "Cuba's freedom arrived on January 1, 1959, with this Revolution; we are not going to lose that freedom—we are going to defend it."
