British businessman Sir Richard Branson, owner of the Virgin Group conglomerate, published an article on Tuesday in which he advocates that the governments of Cuba and the United States take concrete steps in search of a close up that allows the well-being of citizens.
The successful entrepreneur recognizes in the text that Cuba has been a country that has captivated his imagination for a long time, and that connecting British travelers with the island was one of the reasons that prompted the start, in 2005, of Virgin Atlantic airline flights to Havana.
We must not let history repeat itself. The US and Cuba must help the Cuban people – and entrepreneurship is its best way forward: https://t.co/k8UORLHtKa pic.twitter.com/4JnloisUjV
—Richard Branson (@richardbranson) February 14, 2023
Branson refers that the rapprochement fostered by the presidents Barack Obama and Raúl Castro, with measures such as the authorization for technology and telecommunications companies to operate in Cuba, the elimination of the limit on remittances, and general licenses for Americans to travel to Cuba, brought about a change.
He considered that in the midst of this panorama, the Cuban people found “hope and opportunity” for the first time in decades, but regretted that Donald Tump undid that opening through executive orders and other procedures.
“I hope President Biden finally follows through on his campaign promise to bring back Obama-era reforms and promote a more open relationship to benefit the well-being of the wonderful Cuban people,” Branson wrote.
The Briton explained that the “human cost and the terrible despair caused by the isolation of the Cuban people” have been lost sight of, which has been expressed in the more than 250,000 people who have left the country with the purpose of reaching the United States. in various ways, and in the dangers that this stampede entails.
«This massive exodus of more than 2% of the country’s population represents the most massive brain drain in the history of Cuba; it could take generations for the country to recover,” said the businessman.
For Branson, the solution to the current situation involves the commitment of the parties to improve the living conditions “of those who have been tragically caught in the middle of a 60-year political confrontation.”
From his perspective, the Cuban government must take “bold steps” to make the country viable for its youth, and first of all release the more than 600 young people detained after the protests, who “never had due process in court.”
He also considered that both governments “should unite to promote the nascent Cuban private sector, which the government has recently begun to liberalize, authorizing the expansion of small and medium-sized companies. “Cuba now needs to empower these companies to prosper by opening access to the global economy and creating avenues for foreign investment,” Branson argued.
He also believes that the United States must rise to the occasion, allow its citizens to invest in these new companies and that Cuban businessmen have access to digital payment tools and support infrastructure.
“The international business community must do its part and help cultivate Cuba’s ecosystem of start-ups,” he said.
The British businessman sees in the current scenario “an exciting opportunity” for all parties to reverse the status quo. “Cuba is only 90 miles from the shores of the United States, and if the United States does not engage with this beautiful country and its people, it will create a vacuum that Russia and China are eager to fill. We must not allow history to repeat itself,” she said.
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