The Cuban Revolution's next generation
Between May 23 and June 2, 27-year-old ALEJANDRO HERRERA AGETE visited Sydney as part of a speaking tour. Agete, formerly a computer engineer and currently a full-time member of the Havana City Province Bureau of the Union of Young Communist of Cuba (UJC), was interviewed by ROBERTO JORQUERA and MARA OCHOA for 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly.
Can you explain the structure and the kind of discussions that are had in UJC meetings?
The structure of the UJC has different levels, from the national level to the local cells, called base committees. In between these are the municipal and provincial levels. The National Bureau is made up of 25 companeros; it is the highest authority of the UJC. Its first national secretary is Maria Victoria Galasque. There is also a second national secretary and various professional members who do other tasks. On the provincial level, there is a similar structure with a first secretary, a second secretary and those who attend to issues relating to education, health, youth, science and work centres.
This structure is the same on all levels: national, provincial and municipal.
In Havana the UJC has 73,000 members. There are large municipal branches of 8000 to 9000 members, and there are small municipal branches with 2000 to 2500 members. Nationally there are about 400,000 members.
Presently,the main thing being discussed in Cuba is how the youth can best help the revolution. The discussion varies depending on what function they have. For example, the youth involved in tourism are discussing at this moment in each cell of the UJC, what is the best way in which young communists can help the development of tourism: more efficiency, better treatment, more professionalism in the workplace, better economic indicators in the workplace, decreasing the costs, evaluation of the quality of services, decreasing stealing.
These discussions are had by the members of the UJC, and they discuss how these issues can be promoted among the youth who are not communists. In each centre of work, there is a group of militants who are the vanguard.
The discussions in the base committees is directed towards what can be done to improve the support for the country and how to take the decisions that are made to the youth who are not members of the UJC. The discussion regarding tourism has to decide how it will be promote it among young people who are not members of the UJC. The same happens in the construction centres regarding construction, particularly with foreign investment. How can it be done with the fewest cutbacks possible, with the least costs, with better discipline?
The situation in which the country is living economically is also discussed, and how to encourage people to continue working with greater strength and more confidence in the revolution.
The decisions that are taken by the country and the party that most reach young people come through the work of the UJC and the base committees. They meet with young people and explain and talk to them of what the country is doing, what orientation the party is making, how we have to organise ourselves to face the situation the country has found itself in. Though the country is in a deep economic crisis, there still exists a majority of young people who have a lot of confidence in the revolution. The message of confidence and sacrifice for the revolution is fundamentally transmitted through the UJC.
International topics are also discussed in UJC meetings. The economic blockade, the world economy, for example, with what happened in Mexico with the lowering of the value of the Mexican currency. We also orient ourselves to national discussions encompassing the country's different possibilities. These are the principal things that are done in the UJC. The message that is never lacking is that of sacrifice and resistance.
What are the ages of members of the UJC?
You can be between 15 and 30 years of age, although when you first join, you must be under 28.
What is the relationship between the UJC and the party?
Though we are an independent organisation, we still constantly have joint meetings. But the political line of the country comes from the party, and what the UJC does is adapt that political decision to the youth. Many activities, marches and festivals are initiatives and creations of the UJC and supported by the party. The party keeps in touch to see what we are organising, how we are doing, what activities we are planning, how the meetings are going, who is attending. The UJC base committees meet on a monthly basis.
Do all members participate in the monthly meetings?
Coming to the meetings is an obligation, because being a member is voluntary, where members are in agreement with the regulations: you have to pay dues, you have to attend meetings, you have to maintain yourself as part of the vanguard, be a good worker, be an excellent person, get along with your companeros, be humane. These are some of the requirements.
How often are the UJC's national congresses held?
Every five years. The next one is in 1997; the last one was in 1992. It still hasn't been decided in what month it will be held, but it is likely to be in April to coincide with the UJC's anniversary.
What is the role of the Committees to Defend the Revolution (CDRs)?
They were set up in 1960, when the enemy started their attacks on the revolution. They started attacks in factories, in work centres and the economy. They put dynamite, bombs, Molotov cocktails and set alight our industries, so it was decided that the Cuban people needed to support the revolution themselves, which was the maximum assurance of the country's security.
Each street organised a Committee to Defend the Revolution. The majority of the revolutionaries in each street were part of these committees. Today the struggle has changed. Now it's not used so much to stop bombs being set off in the cities, but to stop stealing from the economy, to stop any manifestations that can be harmful to society like delinquency.
There is not 100% involvement; in some areas it's around 60% participation. There are a number of people who do not participate in their activities, who do not give it much importance and who are a bit careless. Havana has 62 Committees to Defend the Revolution, which continue defending the revolution and fighting the economic war.
There have been discussions about how to elect members to the National Assembly. Will they be elected directly, or will it be decided through the delegations of the provinces?
Elections of National Assembly members are direct, like at the last election last year. The electoral system functions in the following way. For each electorate a delegate is chosen, each electorate having around 100-200 people. In each municipality in the country there are a number of delegates dependent on the number of electorates. All those delegates form the Municipal Assembly. All the decisions that relate to that territory are therefore discussed with the delegates who live in those neighbourhoods. The Provincial Assembly is then made up of delegates from the local level.
Are there any members in the National Assembly who are not members of the Communist Party?
Yes, there are. There are members who aren't in either the UJC or the party. They are the ones that people want to represent them, so they have to be members of the assemblies.
Silvio Rodriguez, a famous musician, for example, is not a militant of the Communist Party, but he is a member of the National Assembly. Yet, has anyone defended the revolution more than Silvio? No, yet he is not a member of the party.
Is there any unemployment in Cuba?
There is sub-employment. There are people who are subsidised by the state so that they are not left on the streets. In this period it is becoming more difficult. These people receive about 60% of their prior wage. They also are called on to do casual work when it comes about. But in frank terms and global terms, yes, there is unemployment. Because these people are waiting to get work.
What role are the youth playing in defending the Cuban revolution?
In tourism the average age of workers is 27 years. In the science sector, which is already contributing very much to the revolution, the average age is 24 years. I don't know if you know that a Cuban vaccine for hepatitis B was exported last year and brought in $120 million. That is only one vaccine, and 500 of them are being researched. If this industry takes off as we hope it will, we will be sitting down laughing about the US blockade.
If the youth did not agree with the revolution, it would be very easy for them to sabotage it by simply not responding to this very difficult situation. The youth are leading the new developments in all sectors of the economy, and thus the first ones acting in defence of the revolution.