• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 12 / 02 / 2010

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HAVANA, 2 DECEMBER, 2010: Cuba began national debates on the economic reforms undertaken by the government of Cuban Leader Raul Castro.

The debates are the preparatory steps for the 6th Congress of the Communist Party in April.From yesterday till Feb. 28, the new measures to "upgrade" the socialist economic model will be discussed in every nucleus of the Communist Party (CCP), the unions of the state companies and all the communities across the island state.

The CCP called Cubans to participate in the discussion process and to "express their point of view, without hindrance."

"The future of the nation is at stake," the CCP said in an editorial published by its official daily Granma.

The CCP will hold its 6th congress in April and the only issue to be discussed will be the new plan of economic measures with which the Cuban government seeks to overcome the serious crisis affecting the country.

The island is suffering a severe financial crisis, an imbalance between salary and production efficiency and a deficit of staff in some sectors but a redundancy in others, according to official figures.

The CCP congress seeks to strengthen the economic changes initiated by Castro, while proclaiming that socialism will be kept as the current social and economic model in the country.

"The economic policy in the new stage will correspond to the principle that only socialism can overcome the difficulties and to preserve the conquests of the revolution," the CCP said, adding that "the updating of the economic model will be based on planning and not on the market."

The congress will be held at the time the government is implementing a plan to eliminate more than 500,000 jobs in the bloated state sectors and allow Cubans to start small businesses in 178 different professions.

Cuba government launched an "unavoidable" process of economic reform this year involving a shift away from state-run to private business, with the goal of "updating" the socialist model.

The authorities said reform was an economic "update" plan for the island country, based on the ideological premise that "only socialism is capable of overcoming difficulties and preserving the achievements of the Revolution."  Bernama

Source: http://malaysiandigest.com/world/12883-cuba-has-national-debates-on-econ...