Raul Castro: Economy Is Cuba's "First Order of Business"

Raul Castro: Economy Is Cuba's "First Order of Business"

HAVANA – Cuban President Raul Castro said that the economy is the "first
order of business" for all leaders of a country where it is necessary to
apply "true savings programs" and he insisted that the ideas of
predecessor and older brother Fidel "are the basis" for all that is
being done today on the communist island.

The head of state made his remarks at a weekend meeting of the Council
of Ministers to analyze the economic and budget plan for 2011.

"The first order of business for all the political leaders is the
economy and one has to fully throw oneself into its study, performance
and management," Raul Castro said at the session, which was also
attended by leaders of the governing Communist Party.

He also insisted on the need to implement savings programs in Cuba
"because it's the most rapid and secure source for obtaining resources,
avoiding waste" with measures that "only require common sense."

As he had said already a few days ago, he mentioned that the ideas of
Fidel Castro "are the basis" of the policies that are currently being
carried out, an allusion to the plan of cutbacks and layoffs to "update"
the socialist economic model.

He made this statement after alluding to a recent speech by his older
brother at a meeting with students, where the former president "rescued"
a 2005 address in which he warned of the risk of self-destruction for
the Cuban Revolution and the need to correct mistakes.

Cuba is presently immersed in the debate over the economic reform plan,
which will dominate the agenda of the sixth congress of the Cuban
Communist Party, set for the second half of April.

EFE

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