MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Impatient Raul Castro calls on Cubans “to clear our heads of ideological rigidity”

The three Inca basic principles: do not lie, do no steal and do not be lazy, according to the Cuban president

Cuban President Raul Castro is increasingly impatient with the slow implementation of his economic reforms, which he publicly blames mostly on bureaucratic sloth and resistance to change.

In public statements, he has accused government cadres of laziness, corruption, neglect and ideological rigidity and has repeatedly urged them to reject old revolutionary dogma and embrace new ways of thinking.

“Let us clean our heads of foolishness of all kinds. Don't forget that the first decade of the 21st century has already passed, and it's time” he sternly told the National Assembly on August 1.

His more than 300 reforms, some already in place, but most still pending, will liberalize Cuba's struggling, Soviet-style economy by emphasizing greater private initiative, reducing subsidies, decentralizing government and slashing a million people from government payrolls.

The goal is to assure the future of Cuban communism after he and his elderly leadership team are gone.

While he has counselled patience in implementing the changes, he told the National Assembly that global economic problems required faster improvements.

“The biggest obstacle we confront ... is the psychological barrier formed by inertia, inflexibility, pretence or double standards, indifference and insensibility,” Castro said.

Last December, Castro spoke bluntly to the National Assembly about dishonesty among the ranks.

“We must struggle to eradicate once and for all lies and deceit from the cadres' behaviour at all levels,” he said.

He cited the three basic principles of the Inca civilization -- do not lie, do not steal and do not be lazy -- and said: “Those are correct principles aren't they? Let us try to bear them in mind.”

”I warn that all bureaucratic resistance to strict compliance (with the reforms) will be useless,“ he said.

”I have never been in favour of pressuring or of abrupt changes ... but faced with violations of the constitution ... there is no alternative but to resort to prosecutors and the courts, as we have already begun to do,” Castro said.