“We have lived through an extremely difficult year, with the blockade intensified, but here we are. “We must talk about what is difficult, but also about what is heroic about these people,” highlighted the Cuban leader who participated in this conclave as a deputy to the National Assembly of People’s Power (Parliament) for this city in the center of the country.

In the assembly, held in the theater of the Marta Abreu de Las Villas Central University, the first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba stressed that in 2024 “we must make it a turning point. It must bring us closer to hope and give us more light.”

He highlighted that today we have three big problems: a tightened blockade, mistakes made and the accumulation of negative trends in various sectors. “We have to work, produce more and distribute what we achieve equitably, because that is Socialism.”

“I have seen here in Santa Clara and this province a positive response to difficulties, although they are still exceptions and not the rule. So, is it possible or not? It’s possible, we have to turn exceptions into the rule. Next year we must dedicate the greatest efforts to generalizing the best experiences,” he noted.

Regarding the Party’s projections, Díaz-Canel referred to that “we are designing a coherent work system to confront the negative tendencies of society and mitigate them. In 2024 we will make a comprehensive approach to economic, ideological and social issues.

He stressed “there is a perverse intention of the enemy to remove credibility from the measures adopted by the Government. They are not neoliberal measures, no one will be left helpless, since none will be applied without taking into account those most in need.”

He also added that “the basic basket will not be eliminated, but people will be subsidized, not products. Facilities will always be given to those who need it most. In this way the State will obtain more income, which will be reverted to the benefit of the majority. “All this should stimulate production.”

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