“The Beauty of This Difficult Time Is Knowing That We Are Part of An Invincible People”

Dear Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution;

Dear compañero Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of the National Assembly of People’s Power;

Dear members of parliament;

Compatriots:

This has been a true People’s Assembly, as young Representative Danhiz expressed here. It was so because its debates were the debates of today’s Cuban society about the enormous challenges we face, but also because they once again revealed the impressive willingness of this people to fight when things get tough.

Neither pessimism, nor defeatism, nor discouragement. What we found here were sober expositions, committed critiques, and, above all, concrete proposals and demands for change that must be changed without delay.

The wisdom and enthusiasm that has characterized virtually every intervention these days doesn’t surprise me; it’s what I’ve seen on my tours of the provinces. Right where the situation is most difficult, after long hours of blackouts, you always find the extra something from Cubans.

This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that the Cuban Revolution faces its “most difficult moment,” although it will always seem to us that nothing can be worse than what we face at the moment we face it.

I’ll cite a few episodes from Cuban history: the Pact of Zanjón after ten years of a bloody war that ended with the death or exile of its leaders; the fall in combat of Martí and Maceo; the Yankee intervention that robbed us of even the right to enter the heroic city and attend the signing of the Treaty of Paris, because there two empires negotiated our freedom; the neocolonial republic with its threatening appendix; and the Yankee military base where torture is practiced and human dignity is violated.

Then comes the Machadato regime, with its pomp and misery, and Mella assassinated, and the Revolution that went down the drain, and Guiteras massacred at El Morrillo for his profoundly anti-imperialist actions. And the corruption of the authentic ones, and Batista’s coup d’état, and the murders of “our children” denounced by Cuban mothers, and the repressed students, and the massacre of the attackers at Moncada, the Presidential Palace, and the Goicuría…

With all this legacy of heroism and frustrations from revolutionary struggles, the Centennial Generation entered history, with their defeat marking the victory in the assault on Moncada. They now had a program, an ideal, and a determination to pursue it to the ultimate conclusion. And so they did.

When we review all the periods of the Revolution’s 66 years in power, what we find, in addition to victories, are Third World challenges, enemy setbacks, and also our own mistakes and lessons learned, all fruits of the never-abandoned desire to achieve and sustain social justice as our supreme aspiration, in a completely adverse global context, since the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc ceased to exist.

If, despite all this, the Cuban Revolution is standing and fighting for the prosperity it can achieve, it is because of its authentic and genuine character. We are not an accident of history. We are the logical consequence of a history of resistance and rebellion against abuse and injustice that has very profound reasons to believe in its own strength.

That’s why those who play at comparing times to praise “how good Cuba was before 1959” offend national dignity, posting photos of the mansions and the elegance of its ladies and gentlemen, but hiding photos of the eviction, the machete plan, the misery, the children inflamed with parasites who worked when they should have been in school, the prostitutes, and the Italian-American mafias dividing up the loot from the whites-only hotels and cabarets in a mixed-race country.

Because the Revolution that finally took power in 1959 was initiated by a small group of revolutionaries, but it was carried out by an entire people. And the people who carried it out have defended it and continue to defend it today, tooth and nail, without a doubt! (Applause.)

Otherwise, its existence in this uncertain decade of the 21st century can never be explained, where dissent from the single-minded approach imposed by predatory capitalism is met with smart bombs, the destruction of entire nations, or suffocating economic blockades, like the one this small, brave country has endured for more than 60 years.

It is a profound insult to human dignity that those who use the internet in campaigns to denigrate the Cuban people do not react with equal indignation to the scandalous crimes of those blockading the country; they avoid naming the Israeli genocide in Gaza and Lebanon by name, and they do not protest, do not rebel, do not have the courage to point the finger at those responsible for so much xenophobia, so much war, so many weapons, and so much injustice, competing for news prominence with the uproar of pedophile billionaires and the deportation or imprisonment, without proven crimes, of tens of thousands of migrant workers and their families.

What we learned from the Cuban Revolution is that ideals don’t change because circumstances change; that the trench isn’t abandoned when the enemy siege tightens. We learned that only by having clear convictions as principles is it possible to sustain and win battles. And we also learned that we can fight our way out of the siege! (Applause.)

Compañeras and compañeros:

I won’t dwell on the topics already addressed. The gravity of the times demands more action than words, although we will always have the duty to say them and, above all, to honor them before the people who elected us. Our guide is the concept of Revolution that Fidel bequeathed to us: “Never lie or violate ethical principles.”

These working sessions teach us an important lesson. This is the Assembly of the Cuban people, and everything discussed and approved there must connect with their feelings, needs, and demands. But let us not forget, as we rethink these days, the revolutionary ethic that Fidel taught us; let respect, not hatred, prevail in us after learning. We cannot, under any circumstances, resemble our enemies.

On the other hand, it would be neither realistic nor honest to commit to meeting all these ever-increasing needs and demands, where the main obstacle to achieving this is external. What we can and must commit is our energy, our effort, our tireless search for new paths and actions toward meeting these demands.

Since the main obstacle is not something we can overcome, all solutions depend entirely on the ability to foresee, anticipate events, and confront them with intelligence, effort, and innovation. But, above all, on the essential participation of our heroic people.

The recently launched Soberanía information and services platform and the proposal by several representatives to reach consensus and make transparent the Government Program’s measures to correct distortions are strengths of the digital transformation, which should accelerate processes that are still running too slowly for the gravity of the emergencies.

The Cuban economy operates under many risks for any decision, largely derived from the fierce enemy persecution. We cannot add to that with our own shortcomings.

We maintain the conviction reiterated by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz that we can move forward and overcome the current situation through our own efforts and results; but achieving this requires greater discipline, organization, awareness, and perseverance.

I believe the reports from the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Economy and Planning and Finance and Prices have been sufficiently discussed and have received observations and proposals that should be taken seriously into account.

An encouraging example is the fiscal results analyzed in this Assembly. I won’t go into the details, but I do think it’s worth remembering that we closed 2023 with a 35% increase in the fiscal deficit. Many will remember the alarm this caused and the fatalistic predictions of those who estimated it would take up to a decade to recover that figure. A year and a half later, the encouraging news is that we were able to achieve a significant reduction. We even posted surpluses during the first four months of this year, and to date, the current account has closed with no deficit, something that hasn’t been achieved in over ten years.

How was this possible? The main formula: discipline and strictness in the fight against tax evasion, in the collection of taxes and fines. The work is not yet perfect; this is an area in which much awareness and oversight are needed until we improve our tax culture.

This result, which is extremely important for the economy, has a significant social impact: it will allow us to redistribute this income to the most vulnerable sectors, such as our retirees. This has enabled us to raise their pensions to a level that, while not sufficient, does put them in a better position.

The main focus of fiscal policy is and will continue to be caring for those in society who suffer most from the country’s plight under the noose of the suffocation plan outlined in Mr. Trump’s Presidential Memorandum.

With the conviction that “Yes, we can,” we must turn to other vital areas for development, such as increasing foreign currency income, amid a very hostile environment in which the United States government is tightening its siege to increasingly prevent even a single cent from entering the country.

We cannot remain impassive, much less feel defeated. We must focus on all our export capabilities, which inevitably come from increasing production in every sector possible, to achieve sufficient production in terms of quantity and quality, allowing us to prevail against the global siege and competition.

It’s up to us, and only us, to be sufficiently efficient, even in the difficult circumstances of acting with our hands tied by the blockade that some are trying to circumvent. It’s a daunting challenge, but not an impossible one.

Here I return to what we encounter on every tour we make week after week through the country’s municipalities: how some, in the same circumstances of hardship, can overcome difficulties and show results.

An undeniable answer to that question, which we constantly ask ourselves, lies in the potential of leadership and the value of successful groups.

Photo: José Manuel Correa

This was a true People’s Assembly. The import-driven mentality that has eroded us for years, in addition to creating dependency—the negative effects of which are most felt in times of crisis—has hindered internal capacity and potential and facilitated persecution against Cuba.

We can’t say we’ll give up imports; they will always be necessary at some level; but we urgently need to change the matrix and work on the basis of consuming more of our domestic production than of imported goods.

We cannot expect these production processes, which we urgently need to streamline, to be carried out solely by large organizations or companies.

As a way to contribute to municipal development, we must commit to strengthening local production systems. Let’s once and for all defend the importance of municipalities taking their rightful place in national development.

Dear Members of Parliament:

We are facing a world in which the leading military and economic power is attempting to impose a hegemonic and neoliberal approach.

During this semester, we have consolidated foreign relations, which have grown stronger amid constant pressure from sectors with extreme anti-Cuban hatred to promote economic and political isolation, which they will never achieve.

Cuba remains a beacon of national dignity and sovereignty that many governments and peoples around the world look up to with admiration.

We have reached a new level in strategic relations with China, Vietnam, Russia, and other friendly countries, which are increasingly participating in mutually beneficial economic and social development plans.

Our support for the Bolivarian Revolution, the Sandinista Revolution, and the ever-sister nation and people of Mexico is permanent.

We have continued respectful dialogue and cooperative relations with the member countries of the European Union, based on the broad legal framework and foundation provided by the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between Cuba and that bloc of countries.

Cuba will maintain its solidarity and cooperation with sister nations in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean that continue to denounce the blockade and arbitrary certifications, despite the diverse pressures they face.

At the important events we have participated in this year, such as CELAC, the Eurasian Economic Union, and BRICS summits, we have reaffirmed our understanding, sensitivity, and willingness to integrate and support Cuba in these international mechanisms.

We see in the public’s reactions many positive expectations regarding the consolidation of these exchanges and their results. Although it will take time to consolidate the incorporation into these mechanisms, they represent new and hopeful opportunities.

To achieve this, we must all work together, at all levels, with a strong sense of belonging, responsibility, and without the persistent bureaucracy that still exists and often hinders and frustrates important projects.

Any strategy for moving forward must take into account that the new US doctrine, which seeks to impose peace through force, is a latent threat to true peace at the global level, which poses, in the particular case of Cuba, a very dangerous scenario.

No one is safe when the most powerful empire in history flouts all the rules of international relations to impose its hegemonic will on countries it seeks to subjugate—even, as we have seen, its own traditional allies.

In our case, the desire to subdue us, much older than the Revolution, has intensified in recent years, and very recently the current Republican administration has taken it upon itself to formally and publicly declare it in a Presidential Memorandum on National Security.

The main measures contemplated in this Memorandum have actually been implemented since Donald Trump’s first term and are aimed at closing all access routes to essential financing for the normal functioning of the economy.

This brutal siege, combined with Cuba’s unacceptable inclusion on the list of alleged sponsors of terrorism, reinforces the blockade policy to unprecedented levels and causes a multiplied impact of coercive measures on the economy and, by extension, on the Cuban population’s standard of living. We cannot hide or ignore this effect, much less its destructive purpose.

The combination of limited availability of foreign currency, as already mentioned, the high dependence on imports, and the cross-cutting effects caused by the instability of the national electricity system are leading to a significant halt or slowdown in economic activity, forcing us to face a deficit in the supply of goods and services to the population and a contraction in exports.

Consequently, the capacity to import basic food supplies and the fuels needed for electricity generation and the functioning of the economy is limited. The limited availability of medicines, the decline in transportation services, solid waste collection, and water supplies, among others, make up the difficult situation our people face every day.

To overcome this situation, we have been forced to accept the partial dollarization of the economy, which undoubtedly, in some ways, favors those who possess certain capital resources or receive remittances, resulting in an unwanted widening of the gaps that mark social inequality.

In this context, we must increase the effectiveness of the State’s redistributive social function with public and fiscal policies that, without limiting solutions, prevent the concentration of wealth in a few hands, increasing inequality and poverty. And we must pay close attention to inflation, which, although it continues to slow slightly, is still very high, limiting the purchasing power of workers’ wages and reducing the income of pensioners and retirees.

It is urgent to reorganize relations between the state and private sectors to correct distortions, malpractices, and negative trends that deviate from the principles of socialist construction. Strengthen business ethics to prevent bribery, favoritism, and corruption.

It is precisely in this context that efforts are being made to enforce and support the Government Program to eliminate distortions and boost the economy, the progress, results, and projections of which Comrade Marrero presented.

It is essential to make it known, from its foundation to its actions, so that it is truly supported with popular participation and control.

The eminent scientist and member of our Council of State, Yury Valdés Balbín, vividly explained here the importance of public participation in the monitoring and control of all processes that impact their well-being, always from a perspective free of formalism and truly connected to the interests of those involved.

Participatory methods must be articulated and promoted in municipal and community spaces to meet citizens’ needs. Municipal management must be based on avoiding and preventing community problems, leaving behind tolerance and justifications and designing true and effective popular control, exercising it over compliance with approved public policies and their effective implementation.

Another crucial front for national sovereignty is the battle in the digital ecosystem. This is demonstrated by the constant operations to discredit the country; the networks of influencers, media outlets, and algorithms that amplify negative narratives; and digital weapons such as bots and fake accounts that saturate this space with distorted stories. This is also confirmed by the use of emotional techniques that seek to erode the credibility of leaders, institutions, and public media outlets.

Photo: José Manuel Correa

The Code of Children, Adolescents, and Youth is a source of pride for Cuba, as was and continues to be the Family Code. There, too, we must be capable of defending the truth with ethics, decency, ingenuity, optimism, confidence, and energy; go on the ideological offensive; seek international alliances that allow us to break the media siege; promote sovereign technological solutions; and, increasingly, build an articulated cyberspace of emancipation.

Compañeras and compañeros::

In the session that concludes today, four laws were approved, all with a gender focus, which will strengthen the country’s institutional order, playing a decisive role in the nation’s economic and social spheres.

The Cuban Sports System Law establishes and regulates the areas, objectives, principles, components, organization, and operation of the system, promoting its comprehensive development amidst current challenges.

The General Law on Contraventions and Administrative Sanctions includes amendments that bring its content more in line with constitutional principles and recently adopted legislative provisions relating to public administration to ensure compliance with and respect for the law.

The Civil Registry Law allows for the establishment of a single civil registry for the entire nation, contributing to more streamlined and efficient processing of public affairs by incorporating the use of new information and communications technologies.

They are all important regulations, but one, in my view, stands out among them all and reveals in all its beauty the importance of what we do as legislators: I am referring to the Code of Children, Adolescents, and Youth. By approving it, we are legislating on the most sacred rights in our society, based on the future that is already with us.

The Code is a guide and a tool. Everyone involved in the education of Cuban children, adolescents, and youth must imbue themselves with the spirit and letter of the law so that the future they symbolize can find its life project in the nation. And that this project can be saved from the terrible scourges of this era, such as drugs and violence.

This Code is a source of pride for Cuba, as was and continues to be the Family Code, in the midst of an increasingly hostile and aggressive world. It is also a tribute to Vilma, who dedicated her life to Cuban children, adolescents, and young people, and paved the way for us with her always humanistic, feminist, and, above all, revolutionary vision (Applause).

Nothing we dream of or do would make sense without our greatest treasure: the younger generations. Or, to put it more personally: our children and grandchildren. Their happiness and the better possible world we want to leave them is what the Code seeks to promote. Thank you to those who made it possible in such a short time (Applause).

On the other hand, the approved constitutional reform constitutes a legitimate and just act, reflects the current realities of the country, and is faithful to our history. The Constitution thus favors the possibility of a broader selection of women and men qualified to be elected President of the Republic. In short, we defend the future of the nation with the approval of this constitutional reform (Applause).

Compatriots:

Today, with only a few hours remaining until a new commemoration of that key moment in history, July 26, 1953, it is worth recalling what Fidel said at the Fourth Party Congress in 1991, the year that would end with the collapse of the USSR and the socialist bloc.

Faced with the challenging uncertainty that this scenario posed for Cuba, the Commander in Chief responded thus: “To those who say that our struggle would have no prospects in the current situation and in the face of the catastrophe that has occurred, we must respond categorically: The only thing that will never have prospects is if we lose the homeland, the Revolution, and socialism. It’s as if we had been told that we had no prospects after the attack on Moncada…”

His legendary optimism is summed up in that phrase, and in the solutions he always saw, not outside but within the people, with their tremendous intelligence, one of the greatest resources we have at hand. Aware of the absolute validity of those ideas, I reiterate today what Fidel told us then: “There are possibilities, that’s the important thing, there are possibilities, but possibilities are for people who struggle, firm people, tenacious people, people who fight; possibilities exist for a people like ours.” (Applause)

This is the Cuban people, represented by you, who have illuminated the days to come, doing so with just criticism and hopeful proposals, from the magnificent sessions of this Assembly, which have left us with lessons, learnings, heartbreaks, but above all, an extraordinary inspiration to undertake today’s decisive battle: to prepare to leap over the obstacles of the economic war waged against us by the greatest empire in history with its infamous Memorandum and its plan to suffocate our sacred independence and sovereignty.

On July 26th in Ciego de Ávila, whose hardworking people we congratulate, we will celebrate the certainty that “Yes, we can!” History says so, and the present confirms it! (Applause.)

On behalf of the Party and the Government, I extend my congratulations and deepest gratitude to all the people of Cuba (Applause). For their resilience in the face of so many difficulties. For their inexhaustible creativity. For never giving up when everything is lacking, sometimes even the essential communication we are obliged to provide.

In less than a month, we will be celebrating the beginning of Fidel’s centenary year, which falls in August 2026. The best tribute to the political and military genius, the educator, the scientist, the leader of just causes in Cuba and around the world, is the work of the Cuban people! (Applause)

Thank you, Cuba! The beauty of this difficult time lies in knowing we are part of an invincible people.

Surrender has never been an option. Independence or death, yes! Homeland or death, yes! Socialism or death, yes! Surrender, never! (Applause.)

This was confirmed by Commander Juan Almeida’s powerful voice under a downpour of bullets in Alegría de Pío:

Nobody gives up here…!

Homeland or Death!

We will win!

(Ovation).