Díaz-Canel Urges Communist Militants to Lead Problem-Solving Efforts, Cubans Respond: "You're the Problem"

Miguel Díaz-Canel provoked a storm of criticism on social media after urging members of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) to take the lead in addressing the nation's challenges.

"We resumed meetings with party members at provincial Plenums to discuss national priorities and the role our organization must play in leading the country. It's up to militants to be at the forefront of solving our problems," the leader wrote on X, accompanied by an image of the PCC.

Posted on January 22, the message quickly drew a strong public backlash. Within hours, hundreds of users criticized the government and Díaz-Canel himself, highlighting the gap between official rhetoric and the country's reality.

"The problems in Cuba are you, the communists; just stepping down would solve them," a user stated, capturing the general sentiment of the responses.

Others questioned the lack of self-criticism and the regime's insistence on maintaining the same political model despite decades of crisis. "What the country needs is democracy and food," one comment emphasized.

Some responses mocked the president's appeal: "Wasting time and resources on the same old talk," one response read, while another sarcastically noted, "Resumed? They've never stopped meeting to deceive each other."

Many Cubans expressed their frustration over shortages, blackouts, and a lack of freedoms: "What you should do is leave. Let Cuba be," a user wrote. Another added, "Solve hunger, housing, health, freedom. That's a task for others, not for you."

Amid the wave of criticism, messages of exile and warnings about the regime's decline also emerged. "Your time is running out. It's time to escape Cuba while you can," an internet user suggested.

The reactions reflect a social climate of disenchantment and distrust toward the Communist Party, which the government continues to present as the "guiding force" of the nation. However, for many Cubans, this political structure is seen as an essential part of the island's problems.

The leader's statements add to a series of recent interventions where he has insisted that Party members take more responsibility for the nation's decline. During extraordinary PCC meetings in Pinar del Río and Artemisa, Díaz-Canel called for changes "from the Party" and stressed that militants should feel accountable "for everything that goes wrong."

In PCC meetings in Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo the following day, the leader acknowledged a lack of unity within the Party, asserting that it cannot be "formal or uncritical." "We will build unity by having strong discussions among ourselves, but moving forward together," he said, defending the need for internal debates, even as the government continues to suppress open criticism.

Later, in gatherings in Granma and Holguín, Díaz-Canel reiterated the call to "change the import mentality" and increase domestic production, while acknowledging severe shortcomings in agriculture and the food industry. However, his messages have been met with skepticism by a population that sees no tangible improvements in their daily lives.

The official discourse is not supported by the current context: Cuba is facing one of its most severe economic crises in decades, with soaring inflation, chronic shortages, constant blackouts, and an unprecedented wave of migration. In this scenario, Díaz-Canel's repeated appeal to the Party as the "vanguard" in solving the crisis contrasts sharply with the popular perception that the Party is, in fact, at the heart of the problem.

While the regime insists that the "militancy" must lead the way out of the crisis, much of the citizenry perceives that the causes of the collapse are the same political and economic structures that Díaz-Canel himself upholds.