The One and Only Alternative for Cuba is Victory

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Friday that by counting on the (rich) history and the (brave) people of Cuba, the one and only alternative ahead is victory.

In his closing remarks of the Fourth Session of the Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power (Cuban Parliament), Diaz-Canel, also First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party, explained that the island is made up of many and small homelands where everyday life has been more difficult to endure by Cubans who write the most admirable pages of heroism.

In the presence of Cuban Revolution leader Raul Castro, the head of state put forth the stance of the island nation in the face of a world marked by sanctions, the contempt of the powerful for diplomacy, the increase of ultra-right trends, and where it is a must fighting to defend the Cuban social system, which is an alternative to the consumerism and selfishness threatening the planet.

Over the past months, the nation has faced a series of natural phenomena, including hurricanes and quakes which inflicted significant damage to local infrastructure, including over 50 thousand homes—20 percent of them have been restored—the electric grid and agriculture.

Despite the challenge posed by these events, the Cuban people keeps working with resilience and unity against the US economic, commercial and financial blockade and to overcome current shortages, a necessary struggle to keep up the principles of justice and social equality characterizing the Cuban Revolution.

The nation is not foreign to the possible implications of the arrival at the White House of a new US administration, which is an ally of anti-Cuba circles and politicians, but this cannot drive the focus of Cubans from immediate priorities to stabilize the country’s macroeconomic performance, Diaz-Canel pointed out.

He referred to some favorable events like the reestablishment of the national power grid and the development of a social and economic model chosen by Cubans on the island.

The hurdles posed by the aggressive US policy of Cuba does not free local authorities from self-criticism and the rectification of mistakes in facing the problems, and the attitude of some, who hinder the advancement of the local scenario already affected by the US economic siege.

Despite US efforts to isolate Cuba in the international arena and block the supply of basic resources for the island, Cuba was accepted as associate member of the BRICS group of countries, which opens new commercial, investment and cooperation opportunities.