By Alejandra Garcia on March 25, 2024 from Havana
Arlene Rodriguez moderates the first Desde la Presidencia
The Cuban people are not alone. When on March 17, citizens from some areas of Santiago de Cuba took to the streets against the long hours of blackouts and the lack of food in the country, President Miguel Diaz-Canel spoke before the national cameras and assured that their demands, are being heard. “The authorities are not inert in the face of the people’s pain, we are doing everything possible to reverse the situation despite the obstacles imposed on us,” the president said on the same day.
A few days later, a new communication channel was launched with President Diaz-Canel as its main interlocutor, in an effort to diversify and expand the channels to reach the people. “Desde la Presidencia” (From the Presidency) was born in the emblematic Palace of the Revolution, from one of those places where so many stories and significant moments, that featured Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, are treasured.
The program is being premiered on the YouTube channel of the official site of the Cuban Presidency, and that is where the President will systematically address various issues of concerns and interest to the Cuban population. The first broadcast of the program was conducted by journalist Arleen Rodríguez Derivet. In this initial edition the President analyzed in a detailed and careful way the events of March 17, as well as the causes and conditions that led to it.
“The statements of a group of people were associated, above all, with the complex situation regarding electricity generation and the distribution of food. That reality was cruelly exploited by the enemies of the Revolution to show an image of chaos, call for the destabilization of the country and the fall of the Revolution,” the president commented in the first Desde la Presidencia.
According to the president, in order to carry out an objective evaluation of the events of that day, it is necessary to consider two dimensions: the real Cuba and the virtual Cuba.
“The real Cuba is that which has been marked in recent years by very difficult moments. Those moments have become more complex in the first months of 2024, in which there has been an accumulation of long blackouts that greatly annoy the population. The real Cuba also suffers from food shortages, with difficulties in the timely distribution of the standard family basket,” Díaz-Canel said.
“That coincidence of circumstances – he assessed – facilitated that a group of people, fundamentally in three localities of the country, gathered together on March 17 looking for the explanation, the argumentation and the answer to the complaint they had about those issues. Immediately, the main authorities of the Party and the Government of those territories appeared in those places to dialogue with those present,” he said.
The enemies of the Revolution wanted to turn everything into chaos, and took to social networks to show a Cuba detached from the fateful consequences of the inhumane blockade imposed by the U.S. Government on the Cuban people, which includes a fierce energy persecution.
The President of the Republic made a strong denunciation of the US government’s attempts to subvert order in Cuba, which continues to obey an old policy of imperialism, implemented almost 64 years ago. Back in that time, the U.S. stated that the Revolution could only be overthrown by suffocating its economy, so that the people could not bear the material hardships and would turn against the Revolutionary Government.
“On March 17, the far-right built a virtual Cuba for us, one of hatred for the Revolution, of slander, in which the permanence and magnitude of the facts were grossly manipulated with artificial intelligence techniques,” the Head of State asserted.
Was March 17 the day with the most blackouts in the country? No, it was a day similar to the previous ones, with blackouts lasting many hours. The situation exploded after an accumulation of unpleasant days due to the power generation deficit.
“There are many people working very hard throughout the National Electric Power System to improve the situation, and that effort has been translated into results. We were able to alleviate the blackouts at the end of last year, and the whole strategy of maintenance and repairs that was drawn up gave us results,” President Díaz-Canel recalled.
The president asked the people to trust in the Revolution. “The enemy only wants to see us in confrontation, and is not interested in the welfare of the people. The coming days are going to be better. Thanks to our people for their heroism and for the inspiration they provoke in us to do a better job,” he concluded.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English