Cuba enters the distant 65th year since the victory of the uprising dictatorship related to Fulgencio Batista. It is known in advance: there will be no flashy or grand speeches this January 1. The island is facing crisis odds: recessionthe failure of the economic program and the daily tensions of a society on the edge, everyday violence without precedent.
ghost social epidemic between July 11, 2021 struggling. the wounds of this protest The history is clear: 2,000 criminal charges for contempt and sedition. Punishment did not completely silence the population, which has redoubled its desire to leave since that incident. 425,000 citizens immigrated to Turkey in the last two years United States of AmericaIt represents 4 percent of the population. This heartbreaking statistic does not take into account Cubans who went to Europe, Latin America or Russia.
“It’s time to fix it once again,” the president said Miguel Diaz-Canel inside Christmas Eve between famine. Current leadership claims to have learned from this Fidel and Raul Castro “The importance of timely correction of any situation that may endanger the future of socialist construction.” The word “correction” is part of the state language, like “self-criticism”. Moments of regret acceptance failures these are repeated periodically.
Correction
Not for nothing Diaz-Canel He recalled that in 1986, in the midst of another complex situation, the late commander-in-chief began “the process of correcting mistakes and negative trends” and this did not bear fruit; Soviet Unionmain ally Havana along The Cold War. “In 2000, Fidel himself, with his sense of the historical moment, encouraged us to change everything that needs to be changed, and five years later, in 2005, he warned from the University of Havana: Revolution We can destroy it ourselves.”
The manner in which officials flagellate themselves in the face of a lack of results is familiar to an overwhelmed society. The new call to right the wrong coincides with unfortunate news. economy collapsed According to calculations, it will be close to two points in 2023. Minister of Economy, Alejandro Gil Fernandez. inflationInformed the National Assembly of People’s Power (legislative body), 30% per yearAlthough this is the perception of consumers Price:%s They raised more than officially calculated. Like Díaz-Canel, Gil Fernández was still confident that “this time” the right path would be followed. “The traditional victory narrative of the Cuban Revolution cannot be sustained under current conditions,” said digital publication ‘Joven Cuba’..
From failure to failure
The island is actually alive tourism international. They landed largest of the antilles almost 2.5 million visitorsMostly Canadians and Russians, versus an expected 3.5 million. Cuba has become a less attractive destination than other Caribbean destinations. This contraction affects the overall economic performance. However, the reasons for the gradual deterioration of living conditions are unknown scenes of hunger and povertyIt’s about the well-known fault of the call economic “order”. Under this name, monetary and foreign exchange union was achieved, which was repeated ad nauseam in the press as a guarantee of prosperity, followed by strong stability. devaluationincrease in prices and decrease in prices subsidies.
Diaz-Canel and his team had to leave their praise for the program, which was launched at the beginning of 2021, to the program whose effects are still ongoing. Pandemic. The president insisted that this defeat was inseparable from “a strangulation attempt designed and implemented by the most powerful empire in history against a small country.” The measures that the United States has established over more than half a century, and which were emphasized many years ago, tend to explain almost all domestic disasters by tolerance. “I draw the attention of those who would prefer we avoid this term.” block. I wish it would be removed from our daily lives and its threats and effects on Cuban society would be erased. “To do so would be tantamount to behaving like those who today deny Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
Adjustment time
Another program from frustration arising from non-compliance with the objectives set in the “regulation” “macroeconomic stability”a concept Latin American countries It is often associated with “adjustment” and shock policies. The president denied the measures had an impact neoliberal. As it is known, ‘package’, according to Diaz-Canel“A necessary step” for “more Revolutions and more” socialism“. Beyond the government’s incorrigible optimism, the new rules mean increases in fuel prices, public transport fares and utilities, and a definitive farewell to the booklet’s subsidies on food and other products. rationing.
“We will move forward with the belief that improving the current situation is the right way to go,” he said. Prime minister, Manuel Marrero. Long queues formed around gas stations on New Year’s Eve. Accustomed to waiting, the cars meander along, this time urgent due to advertisements hitting pockets. Waiting is a sacred verb Cuba He basically lives off the money he sends. immigrantsand crosses the straits with imagination, picaresque and resigned acceptance of the indelible codes of the black market. What seems like it can never be fixed.