Fidel Castro: New leaders must fix Cuban economy

Posted on Monday, 04.18.11

Fidel Castro: New leaders must fix Cuban economy
By PETER ORSI
Associated Press

HAVANA -- A new generation of leaders must act decisively and without
hesitation to correct the errors of the past and lead the island once
those who fought in the 1959 revolution are gone, Fidel Castro said in a
column published Monday.

Nearing the close of a critical Communist Party summit called to chart
the course of the island's socialist system and right its flagging
economy, the aging revolutionary leader praised delegates to the
gathering. He wrote that he was impressed by their intellectual
preparation and he believes they are up to the task.

"The new generation is being called upon to rectify and change without
hesitation all that should be rectified and changed," Castro wrote.

"There is no margin for error," he added.

Divided into five committees and meeting behind closed doors, party
delegates are considering more than 300 proposals for economic changes,
many of which were first announced last year. They affect sectors from
agriculture, energy, transport and housing to new rules letting Cubans
go into business for themselves.

State-run Cuban news media have reported intense debate over several
points, such as the need for formal contracts to improve control and
payment of taxes in the agricultural sector; providing credit to
independent workers who need capital to launch their businesses; and
eliminating the island's unique dual-currency system, under which
workers are paid in Cuban pesos, while many imported goods are available
only in a dollar-linked currency that is beyond most people's reach.

One committee gave initial approval to a measure legalizing the buying
and selling of private real estate by Cuban nationals, state television
reported in the afternoon. Islanders have been clamoring for years to
end restrictions which have been in place since the revolution.

Also on the table is a proposal to eventually eliminate the monthly
ration book, which provides Cubans with a basic basket of heavily
subsidized food and other goods.

The ration book is one of the most cherished of subsidies on the island,
but President Raul Castro has repeatedly said it is unsustainable, and a
disincentive to work.

Delegates are scheduled to vote in a full session later Monday on the
whole package of economic proposals, which have undergone extensive
revisions since they were first announced last year. The changes have
not been made public, meaning Cubans won't know precisely what has been
voted on until the measures are approved.

The Party Congress does not have the power to enact the changes into
law, but the suggestions are expected to be acted upon quickly by Cuba's
National Assembly over the coming days and weeks.

The party will also be naming its top leadership before the gathering
wraps up Tuesday following a speech by Raul Castro. At every Congress in
the past, it has ratified Fidel as first secretary and younger brother
Raul as No. 2.

But Fidel recently announced that he was no longer heading the party,
and had effectively been out since falling gravely ill five years ago.
Raul is expected to take his place, leaving all eyes focused on the
selection of a new second secretary.

During his opening speech, Raul proposed that Cuba implement term limits
for politicians at all levels, a stunning proposal in a country that has
been ruled by one Castro or another for the past five decades.

With change in the air, officials have repeatedly emphasized a message
of continuity amid transition to a new generation.

Even a massive civilian and military parade Saturday marking the 50th
anniversary of the Bay of Pigs invasion was dedicated to Cuba's youth.

Fidel Castro sounded the same theme in his column Monday as he advised
the party to stay faithful to his ideals.

"Their task is even more difficult than the one assumed by our
generation when socialism was proclaimed in Cuba, 90 miles (145
kilometers) from the United States," Castro wrote. "That's why
persisting in revolutionary principles is, in my judgment, the principal
legacy we can leave them."

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