• Submitted by: manso
• Politics and Government
• 02 / 05 / 2011

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Havana, Feb 4 (Prensa Latina) Over six million Cubans to date have taken part in debates on the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines of the Draft Party Program at their workplaces and in their neighborhoods.

That document will be submitted to the final approval of the 6th Congress of the Cuban Communist Party in mid-April, and debates being held among party members, workers and the people in general, which started in December will conclude February 28.

So far, over 70 percent of scheduled meetings have been held, with free and open exchanges, and Cubans have examined each chapter of that important text, Granma newspaper reported.

The chapters that have provoked the most opinions and proposals are those of social policy; macroeconomic policy; economic management model; construction, housing and hydraulic resources, and transportation.

Among the most analyzed points are No. 162, regarding the elimination of the ration book, and numbers 61 and 62 on price policies, the newspaper stated.

Point No. 133, referring to quality and rigor of the education process; 278, on the application of flexible formulas for swapping, sale, and rental of housing; and 54, on the monetary unification process, have also received the most attention.

The current process of participation by the masses is based on the call made by President Raul Castro during a July 26, 2007 speech, when he called upon the people to express their opinions on the future of Cuban social and economic development.

The guidelines also include the spirit of correcting mistakes and negative trends, the logical continuation of the process begun in the 1980s which was delayed due to the emergency imposed by the so-called Special Period, the Granma article stated.

Source:PL