This June 12th, the 9th Congress of the Association of Economists and Accountants (ANEC) began in Cuba, postponed since 2019. What a congress, and what a time for the Congress!
Although there isn’t enough media coverage to reflect it, Cuban economists and accountants have been immersed in this perpetual debate about the current situation and the future of the country.
They have discussed, from their own workplaces and places of life — because it is very difficult to elude the neighborhood — even in chat groups, this reality that overwhelms us and the economic policy that often surprises us.
The debates ranged from sophisticated arguments to much less academic ones, sometimes reminiscent of a sports fan club.
This dissimilarity of arguments gives us an idea of the diversity of opinions, the heterogeneity of arguments and the raw sensitivity that these years of such poor economic results have brought to light.
It is always surprising that, given that the economy is the greatest weakness facing our country, only a couple of days are dedicated to this Congress.
Trying to address such a wide range of problems in less than 16 effective hours of work is a nearly impossible mission.
Information, transparency, knowledge
My aspirations for this 9th Congress are:
- To make known to the attendees the Program to correct distortions and again give a boost to the economy, which is so widely discussed and which for so long has remained in the shadows and is known only by a small group of people.
It is true that not everything needs to be published; it is also true that in economics, some measures lose their effectiveness if they are announced beforehand; but it is also true that our people deserve to be counted on, deserve to know how much more they must sacrifice.
The Cuban people have the right to know and participate in the construction of that future, no matter how difficult it may be to organize that participation. We have experience: the Workers’ Parliaments, which once became a giant congress.
The experience of the “ETECSA rate hike” should lead us to understand the decisive importance of participation. What occurred was not precisely a communication failure.
Strategies and results
2- That an examination of the country’s development strategy also be promoted, and that data be provided on the progress of that strategy, how they are progressing, and what the results have been of those macroprograms defined in each of the six strategic points. For example, in Institutionality and Macroeconomics.
It would be worth examining what has happened with the following programs:
- Macroeconomic balances and economic regulation.
- Government efficiency.
- Territorial development.
Or with that other strategic point of Productive transformation and international integration and some of its macroprograms, such as:
- Innovative approaches for productive restructuring.
- New technological platforms.
- Development of priority sectors.
Or with one as decisive for the country’s development aspirations as Infrastructure and its macroprograms, including:
- Infrastructure competitiveness and efficient service provision.
- Facilitating integration and competitiveness of the country’s economic and territorial system.
- Attracting foreign direct investment in infrastructure areas.
And how could we not examine, at an event like this, that other strategic point that is Human Development, Equity and Social Justice, and that macroprogram:
- Increasing well-being and quality of life.
Logic, rationality and coherence
If time were available, it would also be beneficial for our country if the delegate economists and accountants could examine the policies associated with these central points and macroprograms:
- WHAT HAS BEEN THEIR LOGIC AND WHAT SHOULD IT BE?
- WHAT HAS BEEN THEIR RATIONALITY AND HOW CAN IT BE IMPROVED?
- WHAT HAS BEEN THE CONSISTENCY BETWEEN THEM AND WITH THE STRATEGIC POINTS AND WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE IT?
- WHAT HAS BEEN THE SEQUENCE AND HOW CAN IT BE RECTIFIED?
It would be beneficial if at the Congress the authorities made public the goals that were set and the results obtained for each of them.
A public document
The reports that the Ministry of Economy publishes at the end of each year fall short of meeting this need because they logically focus on the immediate future, on the results of the past year and the goals/plans for the coming year.
In reality, there should be a public document outlining these goals, point by point, macroprogram by macroprogram, so that all our people, not just economists and accountants, could follow the progress of the country’s Development Strategy year after year, just as all municipalities are required to make public and systematically evaluate the progress of their municipal development strategies.
At this Congress of economists and accountants, we should examine policies associated with strategic sectors such as agriculture, the sugarcane industry, tourism and professional services, because coherence and consistency between cross-cutting policies and those targeted at specific sectors are also important.
Our delegates should have sufficient time to discuss the compatibility between this growing process of dollarization of the economy and the recovery of growth dynamics.
They should also be able to discuss their perceptions and experiences regarding the state of the business system — everything from state-owned enterprises to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises — and be able to contribute from their specific experiences and knowledge.
A day and a half
But our Congress of economists and accountants, surprisingly, will only last a day and a half, and although I’m sure the delegates will work intensively, the magnitude of the problems our country faces will exceed the time allotted to us.
And it’s not that I think the Congress will produce solutions, but it can enrich thinking and the arsenal of tools that will help in the tremendous task, as the Centennial Youth Column song says, of “turning this land around once and for all.”
