Cuban President stresses saving as a main source of greater material assets. Deputies evaluate 2005 results and prospects for 2006. Debates in Parliament resume on Friday

"Cuba arrives to the end of 2005 with an economic growth of 11, 8%; this year ranks as one of the most fruitful of the Revolution, since it has seen the beginning of important economic changes, associated to the real solution of people’s problems", stated vice president of the Council of Ministers, Jose Luis Rodriguez yesterday in his address to the ordinary session of the Parliament, presided over by Cuban President Fidel Castro.

Fidel Castro said the island is finding formulas and solutions that are useful not only for Cuba, but also for other nations, where irrationality and unbridled consumerism -among other evils- prevail, putting at risk the very existence of humanity.

The president, who had a very intense participation on the first day of the sixth ordinary session of the National Assembly of People’s Power (parliament) of the current legislature, reiterated the importance of saving as the main source of procuring the material and financial assets the nation needs.

According to Jose Luis Rodriguez, the economic growth predicted for 2006 is 10 percent. Rodriguez, who is also the Economy and Planning minister, was again vested with the responsibility of delivering to the deputies the overall results pertaining to 2005 and the perspectives for the coming year. Meanwhile, Georgina Barreiro, minister of Finance and Prices, described the budget performance of the fiscal year, and presented the budget proposal for 2006.

Numerous deputies as well as the parliament’s committee on Economic Affairs expressed their views on the reports by the two ministers. In the opinion of committee chairman, Osvaldo Martinez, the social and economic results of 2005 could be summarized, among other achievements, by the conclusion of some 700 projects associated with the Battle of Ideas -an ambitious program of the Revolution whose main goal is to seek the economic, social, cultural and spiritual betterment of the island’s people-, while the minimum wage, pensions and other social assistance payments were increased, directly benefiting 5.1 million Cubans.

Other highlights of the year were the steady implementation of new concepts on the power generating system, based on savings and efficiency; the frontal attack against corruption and crime, and the growth of the Gross Domestic Product. In Cuba, the GDP takes into account the real social and economic development and not just a mere growth of market transactions, stated Martinez.

The parliament session resumes Friday with the examination of the economic guidelines and the proposed government budget for 2006. The deputies will also elect the lay judges of the Cuban court system, for a 5-year term to be concluded in 2010.

Before the floor was opened for debates yesterday, a proposal by the president of the National Assembly and the Council of State to send a salutatory message to Bolivian president-elect Evo Morales was unanimously approved. The letter expresses the joy with which the Cuban people and government received the historical victory of the Bolivian people in last Sunday’s elections after the landslide victory of Evo Morales as the new president of that South American nation.

The enemy is doing its best to obstruct everything we do, but it is too late for that, assured President Fidel Castro as he explained the experiences collected as part of the energy saving program, which just this year, has seen an investment of 25 billion Cuban pesos.

We were prompted to its implementation by the results of the Strategic Military Exercise Bastion 2004, the breakdown in the summer of that same year of the Antonio Guiteras power plant, and the damage provoked by hurricanes. They all taught us a lot and showed the wrong concepts that were in place.

He said that in the field of power generation, all the provinces, islands and cays that make up the Cuban archipelago will gradually become independent, thanks to the setting up of a vast grid of synchronized groups of power generators. It is a very ambitious plan, he stressed.

That independence has already been achieved by Pinar del Rio province, where no more blackouts will happen as a result of a national generation shortage. By late March -announced the Cuban leader- Matanzas and Havana, among other provinces, will have no more power outages for that reason either.

In June, it is very likely that the entire nation will be benefiting from this program; however, the more we save the more we will have, he said. A new generation of energy saving electric supplies like water heaters, pressure cookers, hotplates, and refrigerators being distributed among the population will have a great influence on this purpose, said Fidel.

In July, he added, the national power system will have an additional one million kilowatts per hour, an amount similar to the power generated by three power plants like the Guiteras, when operating properly.

The Cuban president mentioned the gradual installation of emergency power generators at hospitals, warehouses, the food industry and other production and services facilities.

In Pinar del Rio, for instance, 216 out of 260 power generators (standardized and with spare parts) needed by the province are already operational, guaranteeing electricity to 245 economic centers.

There is no way they can block this program, Fidel said, even though some of the suppliers have had no choice but to give into the pressure exerted on them by the US blockade against Cuba, intensified by the Helms Burton law.

"If they have any sense of pride left," said Fidel, in reference to the US government, "they won’t mess with Cuba in any way. They are morally and politically bankrupt, and our country has answers to their lies, and is invulnerable militarily."

President Castro said that China and Vietnam are helping Cuba develop this new energy program and that this cooperation is growing.

The leader of the Revolution noted that the Cuban public has become more energy conscious, and pointed to the importance of continuing with this attitude. He explained how thermoelectric plants are being replaced with combined-cycle generators that use gas, and will bring savings of up to one billon dollars.

The commander-in-chief reiterated that the US Empire will not take over Cuba and that they have greatly underestimated the strength and will power of the Cuban people.

He said that recent programs to fight against corruption and theft are showing results thanks to the dedication of the young social workers and university students that are on the frontline of this battle and will soon be joined by several grass root organizations.

In this respect, he cited the recent example of some fishermen within the Gulf Fleet who, instead of fishing, sought to get rich by illegally buying and selling household electronic goods. He indicated that the road to easy money is a dangerous threat that, at times, can corrupt good people.

Responding to the now customary accusations from the US, Fidel Castro noted that the only place in Cuba where torture takes place is at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo. He said the hypocrisy of the US has reached such a level that at the same time that they continue to jail the Cuban Five —true leaders in the fight against terrorism—, the White House has refused to explain how the self-confessed terrorist, Posada Carriles illegally entered US territory. He added that it was only thanks to the insistence and groundwork done by Cuba that Posada Carriles and his accomplices were arrested.

President Castro also spoke about Cuban doctors in Pakistan who, in a matter of weeks, have attended to more than 300,000 patients, calling their work in this far-off country in the midst of an intense winter a heroic deed. He regretted Washington’s refusal of Cuban healthcare professionals’ help in Louisiana which brought criticism from those citizens needing medical assistance.

Fidel Castro also spoke about Cuba’s offer to send doctors to Zimbabwe to help in the struggle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic that has killed millions of Africans. He challenged the US and the European Union to send 200 doctors —100 each—, instead of soldiers, to Africa, in order to contribute concretely in this tragedy.

In relation to the national campaign against corruption and waste, Enrique Gomez Cabeza, representing social workers, spoke about the results of several surveys conducted.

One of the studies, carried out at an agricultural firm in the western province of Pinar del Rio, revealed that up to 50 percent of the fuel designated for this entity was being used in non-labor related activities. Another, conducted with the help of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) equipment, demonstrated the misuse of state owned tractors and trucks in Holguin.

Among the list of irregularities revealed by the study were unreported thefts, the use of water trucks for non work-related activities and incongruities in the motors installed in some of the trucks and tractors compared to their documentation.

The Parliament session resumed around 7 p.m. with Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque who spoke about popular outrage in Bolivia over a Spanish radio program whose hosts, pretending to be Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, held a conversation with Bolivian President Evo Morales, who believed that he was speaking with the Spanish president.

Perez Roque said that the world over has interpreted this "interview" as an act of racism and a total lack of respect to President Morales, who received 54 percent of the vote in the recently held election.

President Fidel Castro said that the radio program will actually help to further radicalize the political situation in Bolivia.

Parliament chair Ricardo Alarcon asked deputies to continue considering reports presented by Ministers Jose Luis Rodriguez and Georgina Barreiro. Among those who took the floor to address these reports were Reverend Raul Suarez, Luis Carlos Suarez Reyes and Juan Jose Rabilero. Rabilero noted everything budgeted in Cuba including the economic investments are geared to benefit the entire population.

Carlos Lage, secretary of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers, spoke on the subject of drought. He said that after listening to the report he was impressed by the extraordinary effort of the Cuban people during 2005, the advances reached and the measures taken with a vision towards the future.

It is nice to know that all these efforts and results came despite the drought conditions facing the country, said Lage. He noted that the tendency is for the hurricanes to be more powerful, but that a good side of it is that they bring much needed water. He called the drought "silent disease" that causes great damage.

Lage explained that the country had to invest 250 million pesos to address the problems of drought during 2004-2005. He then made reference to additional urgently needed investments to supply the population and agriculture with water as well as water works for emergencies.

Recalling the most difficult moments of the drought, Lage said a total of 20,000 motorized vehicles –trucks, tankers, tractors– were used to distribute water, requiring a substantial outlay for fuel.

The situation was so serious that in 2004 the government decided to implement a special program to face the drought. Lage said that massive investments began this year and will continue through 2006, including those to improve water distribution in major cities.

Another program mentioned by Lage has to do with refurbishing urban water pipelines, where an estimated 50 percent of the water pumped is currently being lost.

Jose Luis Aspiolea, president of the National Institute of Water Resources was asked by Fidel Castro to report on the programs to reduce the losses of potable water. Aspiolea said the necessary equipment is on the way so that work can begin in 2006.

Fidel Castro pointed out that it is also necessary to help people reduce the water leaks inside their homes. He said some families do not have the means to repair their pipes. These are investments we have to make because the "little" things must go side-by-side the big plans, he added.

Regarding the water supply problems in Santiago de Cuba, Misael Enamorado, first secretary of the Communist Party in the province, noted advances in the building material industry which he said will make such public works projects possible in the eastern province.

Otto Rivero, vice president of the Council of Ministers, said it is very important how the political and administrative leadership is converting each project into a battle of the people. If we want to build a polyclinic in three months, we need 600 workers, 300 by day and 300 for the night shift.

On the topic of health, Fidel Castro spoke on the possibility of graduating some 100,000 doctors from other countries in the next 10 years. To give an idea as to the significance of the project, he said in the United States such an effort would cost at least 25 billion dollars. This shows the capacity of the Revolution, he said, noting that if you add what will be 40,000 medical students in Venezuelan taught by Cuba professors, the figure would be 35 billion dollars. However, he made clear that Cuba is not going to charge the Latin American students.

The president added that Cuba is also training doctors in rural Africa with the help audiovisual equipment including computers, televisions, videos, DVDs, and interactive programs. He said solar panels are being used for power in the many places off the power grid.

This gives an idea of what our country can do, he said. In 1959 when the Revolution triumphed, the island had 6,000 doctors, half of which left the country. I have no doubt the world will recognize the effort we are making, said Fidel.

Carlos Valenciaga, a member of the Council of State, read a statement by the first lady of Panama about the Operation Miracle eye-surgery program in Cuba. The wife of President Martin Torijjos said she was moved to see the patients operated on for free on the island, adults, the elderly, and children who have had sight problems for a long time.

Fidel Castro said all the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are going to have that same experience. Someday, he said, the surgical equipment and our personnel will need to be taken to other countries to avoid having to transport the patients.

At the end of the exchange, Francisco Soberon, president of the Central Bank of Cuba, noted the importance for Cuba to find its own socialist formulas to put in place and the dangers the Revolution would face if its economy isn’t sustainable.

(Granma) December 24, 2005