The reforms and the people

By Elsa Claro

“It’s a good sign that the suit was ready before the wedding,” says smilingly, a little slyly, and quite happily, an ordinary Julio Pérez I meet next to the newsstand. I return the wink, because not a month ago the Sixth Congress of the CPC concluded and the agreements, changes and all, are already circulating on the street.

The first impressions collected are revealing. It was the 10,492 opinions formulated in popular and Party assemblies throughout the country, the facts about the sale of property, donations from relatives and other options with regard to housing, that determined that Guideline 278, now 297, be amended, requiring major reforms in this area.

“I’ll be honest with you. My daughter wants to marry and if she comes to live with me I shall have to move the brother to another room. The two study music and so does the groom. If they practice three instruments in the same house, I’ll be kicked out of the building, I think,” says Rebecca, laughing. She makes no secret that if one single thing interests her about the measures that will govern matters essential to the lives of Cubans and national development, it is just this issue.

Given the housing shortage, it is natural that the topic should be among those that arouse the greatest curiosity and was the subject of much debate, apparently with extensive results because it deserved two of the 36 new provisions incorporated in the Sixth Congress.

The sale or transfer of vehicles is another of those social issues that attracts attention, very human and widespread, and the curiosity of some colleagues, but there are those who, with their feet on the ground, have a different perspective, not without personal reasons certainly, but equally legitimate.

Juan, no last name, almost jumps with joy at Article 25 which ratifies the creation of cooperatives as a form of ownership for different sectors, “through an economic organization with legal personality and its own patrimony, made up of people who associate and provide goods or labor,” assume the start-up costs with their income, with the objective of producing and / or providing services.

“That means they’re giving way to the small business. I’ve been waiting for that for a long time, and not just me, I tell you. Let’s see if I can operate an auto parts store that I have already in mind.”

“Look,” he says, pointing to the text, which he literally devours, “they’ll even grant credit.”

“I do not want any business, but I want a bank advance to fix my house,” says Yolanda Suárez, an accountant, who joins the previous dialogue pointing to another guideline suggested by more than a thousand people and three members of Parliament, regarding the concession of loans of various kinds.

The current news “disease” is contagious. I stumble on Trujillo, owner of a cafe, with whom I don’t need to broach the subject because he does so himself. “I was about to fold the business because the truth is that the taxes hit me hard. It says here that, depending on location and other things, not everyone has to pay the same.”

The text explains that, in the implementation of the tax system, the state “will take into account the economic capacity of the subjects applied for compliance and the characteristics of the territories.”

“Mantilla is not the same as Vedado, right?” Trujillo says, euphoric.

The rescue of the value of work, making the wages correspond to the individual production and not putting everyone into the same bag, continuing to work on the prices to achieve correspondence with average incomes, and moving towards the possibility of eliminating the dual currency are, among 313 new measures, other issues that cause comments and attraction.

It should be noted that the agro-industrial policy has 38 articles, which gives an idea of the importance attached to a subject that was prioritized three years ago, with the rank of strategic issue. The adopted measures include the formation or growth of the agro industry, substantial autonomy for the peasantry and the marketing of their products. These are flexibilities and concepts that should have a short-term outcome.

On the road I meet an extraterrestrial who refers to the several chapters in the Guidelines devoted to caring for the environment.

While Cubans are excessively witty, cheerful, and mocking about what affects them, they also have opinions in abundance. Here are others:

Yamilet, 31, computer specialist: “I’m interested in everything that was approved, but especially in the items regarding social networks in communications and the right to use the Internet. We cannot turn our backs on this reality, which not only connects individuals (which I insist is a right) but also offers broad benefits to operations as simple as paying utilities (electricity, telephones, banking, etc.). These possibilities could assist in the rationalization of staff in workplaces and services. The authorities would streamline them and we wouldn’t have to move, only the keys on a keyboard.”

Jorge, 19, a student at Havana University, but doesn’t say what career he studies: “When I read it, I hope to see sufficient clarification on how and with what resources we can advance the industrial production sector. Doors have been opened to services, but if that is good (and it is) the spaces open so far do not produce goods for domestic consumption and export. We know little about the development zones, which lines work well in addition to oil – investments and investors, etc. – and their impact on national life.

“I would also like to see if there’s something about the right to travel, the white card. Did Raul Castro refer to it in Congress when he said that some topics were not discussed because it was not the right time? As for the sale of houses and cars, very good although late. It is a right that if it had been recognized long ago would have prevented many corruptions.”

Ana, 36, university student: “I participated in the assembly in my neighborhood and kept the first Guidelines, which I shall now compare with the definitive agreements. What if any changes were made? How many new ones have been added? Have they added my ability to access the Internet? I think not, but I spoke about that in my assembly. And the right to travel without permission also is a constitutional right. It is written … isn’t it? I think there’s fear or resistance to certain changes and people forget that if we make reforms we’ll put an end to the apathy of many.”

Self-employed man, 39, declined to give his name: “I want to read it carefully and then opine. I confess that I have done quite well, but the issue of supplies is a headache. I watched the TV news summaries about the Congress. They should have shown everything, but I was satisfied with the discussion and the decision to give more authority to municipalities and provinces with respect to taxes. I appreciated the discussion of those who argued that there shouldn’t be equal taxes for all territories.”

This is a first contact, somehow battered by the haste. We owe you a lot more.