Municipal autonomy is not a new idea, although some of the initial attempts at its implementation did not go beyond speeches and repeated references to feasibility and advantages, since the tutelage of the central or higher level continued to diminish its exercise.
Today the term is reiterated more strongly than ever and has legal backing that supports the actions of those who decide the destinies of these demarcations, considered the political-administrative unit where the main decisions are made and projects take material form.
The principle is firmly established at the center of economic and social debate in localities, because it is an important and decisive part of the resizing of the socialist state enterprise and of the Cuban State in general. It represents the reconfiguration of the national landscape in times of contingency, a situation expected to change with the 176 transformations approved and currently being implemented.
The decision recognizes the municipality as the heart of society and the economy in the nation, as the main stage for achievements that drive development in these spheres, which are vital to achieving the prosperous and sustainable socialist society to which the vast majority of the Cuban people aspire.
Managing well the human and material resources that the locality possesses and putting them to work for the improvement of living and working conditions is one of the main and most demanding challenges for the political and governmental authorities of each territory, who are called upon to maximize the use of existing potential.
It must not be overlooked that these decision-makers, now endowed with extraordinary powers they should always have had, are often the same ones who did not successfully carry out other proclaimed measures—for example, to save the sugar-agriculture sector, strengthen the socialist state enterprise, and others that did not bear fruit due to ignorance or negligence.
Those who lead must have diagnoses and deep knowledge of the natural environment of their performance, supported by research that brings them closer to the potential of the area and the expectations of the residents whose resources they administer.
In administrative management, transparency and accountability must prevail as guarantees of the popular trust placed in them as executors. They must honor this trust with ethical, responsible behavior and act so that the people feel well represented, with real participation in the design and execution of development projects.
Those who hold political and administrative power are public servants and, accordingly, must act with their ear close to the popular sentiment and seek alternatives to the challenges posed by these changes in order to satisfy expectations.
