HAVANA, Cuba.- A few days ago I heard an elderly man say loudly to another person in the street: “These people do not want to understand that this is not going to work and they keep looking for strategies, but the thing is that “the system does not work”.
Today, the main concern of Cubans is feedingFrom the ruler and first secretary of the Communist Party downwards, the entire leadership recognises that food production is insufficient.
The issue was acknowledged at the most recent meeting of the National Assembly of People’s Power. The causes of the situation are various: low remuneration for workers, lack of supplies, lack of control, corruption, waste, etc. But according to the authorities, the “blockade” is to blame.
The solution to this crisis, according to the regime, is greater labor effort to produce more and achieve a prosperous and sustainable economy in the shortest time possible.
We Cubans are asking ourselves, until that moment arrives, if it ever arrives, how are we going to survive?
The rulers have not given a specific date for getting out of the crisis. It is not known how long “the shortest possible time” is. This regime, which has already lasted 65 years, has a very peculiar way of measuring time.
Assuming that the proposed objectives are met within that indeterminate period of time, which is “the shortest possible time”, other problems will surely arise that need to be resolved. And then the leaders will again ask for time and urge the people to resist.
Although the food issue is the most crucial, it is not the only one affecting Cubans.
The insufficient public transport This is one of the recurring themes of the population’s complaints. But the Minister of Transport, on the few occasions he appears in the media, only talks about the lack of spare parts and the shortage of fuel. Solutions are conspicuous by their absence.
The continue blackouts, especially in rural areas, where they spend many hours a day without electricity. To inform the population, the National Television Newscast provides a daily report on the behavior of the country’s energy capacity, and forecasts that there will be blackouts. Cuba is perhaps the only country in the world with such a unique information procedure.
The medicines They are another nerve center of the problems that we Cubans face. Getting the medicines that doctors prescribe is almost a miracle, because pharmacies do not have them, and in hospitals they often do not exist.
Maintaining the homes is a challenge. Any repairs cost a fortune and building materials, controlled by the state, are almost inaccessible.
There are areas of the country, including the capital, where water supply is critical.
Standardized products, such as rice and sugar, take weeks to reach warehouses.
Facing the galloping inflation, The salaries and pensions that most Cubans receive are insufficient. Top management admits that this is the case, but they claim that it is impossible to increase income due to the acute economic situation.
The prices of the items existing in the SMEs are unaffordable for most people, despite the price caps imposed by the authorities on some items. Only those who receive remittances from their relatives abroad can afford these prices.
In addition to these problems that ordinary Cubans face in their daily lives, there is the lack of freedom. Let us remember that man does not live by bread alone.
Today, Cubans have the alternatives to emigrate, go to prison if they rebel, or remain silent and resign themselves to suffering endless agony.
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OPINION ARTICLE
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