HAVANA, Cuba.- The widespread public complaints of Cubans, turned into street protests, due to the implacable living conditions with no sign of a solution, and the emergence of demands for freedom and changes are the most important events that occurred in 2022.
Even in the queues to buy the 60-gram roll of the daily quota, any stranger comments in a low voice that this is hopeless, that we have been worse every day for 64 years and changes are essential. Not long ago, whoever listened to these comments shouted slogans; now many people join the critics of him. Even more important have been the closures of streets with garbage containers by dozens of residents to the clamor for solutions, changes and freedom, such as the one that occurred on 23 and 15 in Vedado, Havana, where political leaders escorted by police and troops dissuaded specials. In Holguín and other provinces, many similar events have occurred. The spontaneous trigger of July 11, 2021 tours the country and the authorities are not convincing either by blaming the external enemy and the counterrevolution. As in previous crises, the Government manages to depressurize the exasperation by “escape”, now through the “journey”, and after a while family remittances will be received. A disastrous solution for Cuba with a very aging population, which is going through human decapitalization, much more difficult to solve than the obsolescence and disassembly of the entire productive apparatus.
The wide spontaneous break with the social environment of unconditional obedience and support for the revolution, the euphemism for government, constitutes an unprecedented event in the 64 years that have elapsed since the seizure of the only power known to almost 80% of the Cuban population. The discomfort due to hunger, food shortages, queues and high prices, increased as no solutions were in sight, only repressive laws and measures, with calls for greater sacrifices. Now the resistance must be creative, with a culture of detail, at the point of a pencil and an ear to the ground, to achieve the impossible. The blackouts of 12-18 hours a day, which exacerbated the discontent of the population, have subsided at the end of December, with great and costly efforts to fulfill the promise of President Díaz-Canel. However, it will be very difficult to sustain the expenses for fuel, repairs, the seven Turkish floating platforms and others. Meanwhile, food production continues without a substantial increase, prices are climbing by the hour and the products marketed by the Government are decreasing.
The Year 1965 began with dark omens due to the shortage of supply notebook (rather rationing), demonstration of the precariousness of the country. The most important document in Cuba, which the newborn receives to almost feed himself and in the past to dress, wear shoes, clean himself, increased its importance during the “Period of Continuity”. Now chicken, oil, detergent, mincemeat, sausages and cigars are also recorded, which were sold in stores for CUC, and until December they were monthly, but from January they will be by cycles without the commitment to sell as in the basic basket per consumer. Marketing systems vary according to the territories and local creativity.
Due to financial limitations, the arrival of the raw material for the preparation of the notebook was delayed, so that it has not been possible to deliver it in most of the provinces during December as usual, with a possible solution before the end of March, as announced by the Ministry of Domestic Trade (MINCIN). She travels the tortuous paths of the products of the Standard Family Basket, that is, the 7 pounds of rice, the 4 pounds of sugar, the 4 ounces of oil and coffee, the 5 eggs, the 1 ¾ pound of chicken that they “touch” each month, and they are being sold in installments due to lack of financing and the consequent delayed arrival of the ships. However, the MINCIN added that the pending distributions of 2022 will be recovered and the January products will be sold.
Social claims will increase due to shortages and rising prices, while the Government will lack the means to finance the current crisis, so it should open up to the free initiative of the population.
OPINION ARTICLE
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