CUBA: Millions sign for socialism

BY REYNOLD RASSI

By midday, June 18, more than 8 million Cubans — out of a population of around 13 million — had signed in support of the constitutional modification bill, proposed by the leaders of the island's mass organisations.

The bill will be forwarded to Cuba's National Assembly and proposes that the following be added to Cuba's constitution: "The express will of the people that the economic, political and social regime consecrated in the Constitution of the Republic is untouchable."

The bill reaffirms that Cuba "is an independent and sovereign socialist state of workers, organised by all and for the well-being of all". The massive turn-out and overwhelming endorsement of the bill demonstrates the Cuban people's solid support for their country's democratic socialist system. The massive mobilisation was in response to Washington's recent political offensive against Cuba and its not-so-subtle military threats.

Speaking on television on June 17, Pedro Ross Leal, president of the national organising committee and general secretary of the Central Organisation of Cuban Trade Unions, explained that Cubans over 16 years of age had visited more than 129,500 locations to endorse the constitutional amendment.

[Abridged from Granma International. Visit <http://www.granma.cu>.]

From Green Left Weekly, June 26, 2002.

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From GLW issue 497