Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz has called for greater "focus" from Cuban leaders to implement actions aimed at supporting government projections to correct distortions and revitalize the economy. He emphasized this during his address at the September Council of Ministers meeting, underscoring the "responsibility" of local officials and leaders in executing strategies and achieving the goals set by the central government.
Addressing Economic Failures
Marrero Cruz reflected on the failures of the economic "reordering" planned by leader Miguel Díaz-Canel, which the state media euphemistically refers to as the "complex economic situation." He attributed the lack of results to both external factors, such as the U.S. embargo, and internal issues, including a lack of "organization and control."
"Amidst this reality—lack of fuel, foreign currency, and electrical energy—there are countless subjective issues we haven't resolved. We must focus on tackling these subjective problems despite the objective difficulties," Marrero Cruz stated, as reported by the Noticiero Nacional de Televisión (NTV).
Focus on Local Solutions
According to a summary by the official media outlet Cubadebate, Marrero Cruz insisted that "the first thing we need to do is concentrate on resolving everything within our reach. There is a lot of shoddy work and many issues that depend on us, which we are not addressing due to a lack of demand."
The prime minister extended his call to all regime leaders, especially those who listened to his speech via videoconference from their respective regions. "We need to address these subjective problems at all levels, in the tasks each one oversees, but also within the community, where problems are first resolved," he stressed.
Macroeconomic Indicators vs. Household Reality
The Cuban regime claims that macroeconomic indicators show "slight progress," yet criticizes local officials for not translating these supposed gains into improvements in the household economy. Despite these claims, Cuban households are still struggling with empty tables, rampant inflation, wages eroded by economic and monetary reordering, frequent and prolonged blackouts, collapsing public services, overcrowded and dilapidated hospitals, proliferating diseases, and paralyzed public transportation due to lack of investment and fuel.
However, Marrero Cruz asserts that government policies are "beginning to organize some elements." To make these results tangible for Cubans, he called for more decisive work. "It's a matter of organization and control," he concluded.