PROCLAMATION BY THE
COMMANDER IN CHIEF
TO THE PEOPLE OF
As a result of the enormous effort entailed by my
visit to the Argentinean city of Córdoba, my participation in the Mercosur
meeting and in the closing ceremony of the People’s Summit at the historic
University of Córdoba, and my visit to the city of Altagracia, where Che spent
his childhood, as well as the fact that immediately after this I attended the
celebrations for the 53rd anniversary of the attacks on the Moncada
and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes garrisons, which took place on the 26th
of July 1953, held in the provinces of Granma and Holguín, and after days and
nights of non-stop work with barely any sleep, my health, which has withstood
every test, was put under extreme stress and submitted to the pressure.
This brought about an acute intestinal crisis with
persistent bleeding which made it necessary for me to undergo complicated
surgery. All the details concerning this health problem are contained in the
x-rays, endoscopies and filmed material. This operation has forced me to take
several weeks off, away from my responsibilities and duties.
Due to the fact
that our country faces a threat from the Government of the
1)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as First Secretary of the Central Committee
of the Communist Party of Cuba to the Second Secretary, comrade Raúl Castro Ruz.
2)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as Commander-in-Chief of the heroic Revolutionary
Armed Forces to the aforementioned comrade, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz.
3)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as President of the Council of State and
Government of the
4)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as the main driving force behind the
National and International Public Health Programme to the member of the
Politburo and Minister of Public Health, comrade José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera.
5)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as the main driving force behind the
National and International Education Programme to comrades José Ramón Machado
Ventura and Esteban Lazo Hernández, members of the Politburo.
6)
I
provisionally delegate my functions as the main driving force behind the
National Energy Revolution Programme being implemented in
The funds
corresponding to these three programmes, namely Health, Education and Energy,
should continue to be administered and given priority, as I myself have been
doing, by comrades Carlos Lage Dávila, Secretary of the Executive Committee of
the Council of Ministers, Francisco Soberón Valdés, Minister and President of
the Central Bank of Cuba, and Felipe Pérez Roque, Minister of Foreign
Relations, who have worked with me on this and who should form a commission to
this end.
Our glorious
Communist Party, with the support of grassroots organizations and the people as
a whole is given the mission of assuming the task entrusted to it in this
Proclamation.
The State and
Cuban nation should give the Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, to be held
between the 11th and 16th of September, their devoted
attention in order to ensure that it takes place on the envisaged dates and is
a glittering success.
I ask that the
celebrations for my 80th birthday, which thousands of people had so
kindly planned for the 13th of August, be postponed until the 2nd
of December of this year, which will mark the 50th anniversary of
the Landing of the Granma.
It is my request
that the Central Committee of the Party and the National Assembly of People’s
Power give their unwavering support to this Proclamation.
I have no doubt
whatsoever that our people and our Revolution will fight to the very end to
defend these ideas and measures, as well as any others that are necessary to
safeguard this historic process.
Imperialism will
never succeed in crushing
The Battle of
Ideas will go forth.
Long Live the
Homeland!
Long Live the
Revolution!
Long Live
Socialism!
Ever Onward to
Victory!
(Signed)
Fidel Castro Ruz
Commander-in-Chief
First Secretary
of the Party and
President of the
Councils of State and
Ministers of the
(