Spotlight: Cuban political observer hails CPC model of governance, discipline

Cuba has noted with admiration how the Communist Party of China (CPC) has successfully forged a culture of governance and discipline that could help with Cuba's own economic and social modernization drive, said a Cuban political observer.

Some of the CPC's political experience over the years "can be very important for Cuba to study, and to apply (...) to its current process of bringing the nation's socialist system up to date," Iroel Sanchez, a journalist and blogger, told Xinhua.

Despite major geographical and cultural differences between the two countries, Havana can learn from the way China built up its party to facilitate the future development of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC), Sanchez said.

The CPC's stress on strict governance, discipline and combating corruption within the party is an example of how a communist party should develop, Sanchez said.

"If we want to create a different and alternative society for the well-being of the majority, we must be uncompromising on such issues as corruption, just like the Chinese leadership has been in recent years," he said.

The PCC has over the years built up the party by establishing close ties with the grassroots, encouraging workers to not only choose members of the political organization, but also discuss major issues of national concern as part of a democratic process.

In the 1980s, the PCC led a national campaign to rectify political mistakes and negative conduct, which led to heated debates and criticism of some of the party's leaders and guidelines. The party also worked to ensure its members set a proper example.

"The Cuban Communist Party is not a massive organization. It is a selective institution based on the exemplary nature and political virtues of its members," said Sanchez.

The PCC, he said, has "moral authority" among the Cuban people because it has maintained national unity despite years of U.S.-led aggression, and never abandoned its ideals: to ensure social justice and the well-being of the majority of the people.

"The Cuban Communist Party is made up of workers, who are the vast majority in Cuba, and does not exclude other social sectors. It also guarantees the unity and independence of the country in historical, cultural and political circumstances that are increasingly complex in a globalized world," he added.

It is the party's role to build a political culture of dialogue, free exchange and criticism to further promote governance, discipline and development in Cuba, said Sanchez.

"The PCC is the organized political frontline of the nation and the forum for in-depth criticism, where the interests of the people and the nation lie. No one has more authority today in Cuba than the communist party," he said.

Sanchez also said the thaw in ties with Washington has not diminished the PCC's power, since it was the PCC that took the lead and guided the process of dialogue and negotiations with the United States, without "surrendering" Cuba's interests or sovereignty. Endi