Contramaestrians Say Yes for the constitution, for Cuba

Contramaestrians say Yes for the renewed, enriched and tempered Constitution of the Republic of Cuba.

In the middle of a sunny morning, full of joy and tensions typical of a people immersed in the hustle and bustle of a Constitutional Referendum, a man named Diogenes Almenares Batista, in a young man’s attire but in line with the political moment his country is living, is ready to exercise his right to vote.

Almenares Batista does not talk about being the First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party of Petty Officer and having immense responsibilities on his shoulders today. He simply directs his steps to the Electoral College to which he is entitled in Cabrera neighborhood and, as one more Cuban, he deposits his ballot in the box guarded by schoolchildren.

In a few minutes, we extract simple statements from this guajiro born in the municipality of the Segundo Frente Oriental, who thanks to the Revolution, majored in Agronomic Sciences and who today accompanies Contramaestre people in the exercise of the constitutional vote.

Journalist: Secretary, is this the first time that you have voted for a Constitution that has been practically completely renewed? What motivates this democratic action?

Diogenes: “First, I feel an immense commitment. Second, it makes me feel more like a Contramaestre’s son. To vote for a Constitution tempered to the new times in which we Cubans live, with novel changes in the economy, without the physical presence of the Commander in Chief (Fidel Castro), is a commitment.

“Fidel is not here but is his spirit, his example, and that is why I believe it is obligatory to defend it. Because that Constitution contemplates the protection of the human being, the family, the revolutionaries, and consolidates the process of building the Revolution.

“And today, February 24, when we commemorate the 124th anniversary of the Cry for Independence in Baire, for that handful of men who joined the war for the definitive liberation of Cuba, I believe that it should be a commitment of the young generation of leaders to keep the Revolution going.

“Especially in these moments in which a new conception of leadership of the country headed by comrade President Miguel Díaz Canell Bermúdez is opening its way.

Q: Consequently, what corresponds to the leadership of Contramaestrians at present?

D: “In Contramaestre it is up to us to continue working for the people. In a purely agricultural municipality, we must make more effort in food production, we must do everything we can to carry out the sugarcane harvest; we must continue to encourage the people to feel happy that there is harmony and discipline and that the standard of living is improving.

“We have to continue working to strengthen the defense of our country, in circumstances so complex that the world is living today, due to the threat posed by the government of the United States to Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

“I believe that voting Yes for the Constitution today constitutes a Yes for Socialism, for the Revolution, for the Homeland and that will put us in a better position to defend Cuba.

“And today is going to be a victorious day, not only for the Revolution but for the world progressive movement and for the Cuban people.

Q: In Contramaestre we have proposed to give a quality vote and stand out in Cuba. I trust that it will be like that, and you?

D: “It has to be like this, in honor of the patriotic feat and the chosen day. And on a day like today, February 24, the anniversary of the resumption of the wars of independence, we are committed. And Contramaestre and Baire are to that stand out in the whole country, for the quality of the vote, for the attendance, for the correct use of the ballots. That will mean saying Yes for the dignity of Cubans.