Translating Cuba

Who Will Be Named President of the Republic of Cuba in 2028?

The outcome of any of the scenarios presented here is subject to Raul Castro’s ability to make decisions in April 2028, two months before his ninety-seventh birthday.

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, 15 April 2024 — The most depressing arguments against the possible scenarios presented here actually taking place can be summed up in two popular expressions in plain and simple language: “You know that these people do whatever they want” and “anything can happen here at any time.”

Putting aside these truisms, another (though unlikely) scenario which would be one in which Miguel Díaz-Canel successfully completes a second term as president. In this instance, we must try to address what academics refer to as “the scientific problem” as expressed in the next question: Who will be appointed president of the Republic of Cuba in April 2028?

With four years to go, it seems premature to make predictions. However, this is the time when movement — or rather big shifts — could happen, leading to “the great designation” that will come as a no surprise to anyone.

In any presumably democratic country where presidential elections are held, speculation about the possible winner is based on how seemingly willing the electorate is to choose one candidate over several 0thers. To win the voters’ approval, politicians must campaign for office through the media and at public events. They offer campaign promises and eventually prevail over their opponents.

That simply does not happen in Cuba. Nominating commissions made up of organizations claiming to represent civil society but which are controlled by the Communist Party are the ones who nominate candidates for executive office. In the ten times that the National Assembly of People’s Power has met, not a single candidate has ever been rejected at the polls. It is the members of the newly chosen assembly who vote to approve the candidate proposed by the presidential nominating commission as President of the Republic.

The joke that bests reflects this situation would be one that asks, “What do polling results show?”

Current electoral law mandates that, to be president, a candidate must be a member of the National Assembly, no older than sixty at the start of his or her first term in office and no younger than thirty-five. Each term is to last five years and no one may serve for more than two terms. These strictures are enshrined in the Cuban constitution.

Since the president is inevitably the Communist Party first secretary, it is obvious that the designee must be a party member as well as an official who already holds positions in the party and government, though that is not stipulated anywhere in writing.

Miguel Díaz-Canel’s second term in office ends in April 2028 so it is relatively easy to figure out who would meet the the age requirements by that date in order to be eligible. The data is publicly available. One need only type “Parlamento cubano” into the Google search engine and add a name.

The figures below are current as of April 15, 2024.

Of the 471 names currently on the roster of National Assembly members (this includes those who have died, resigned or been fired), only 348 would meet the presidential age requirements in 2028. To be more precise, of the current members, ninety-three would be over sixty years of age and thirty would still be under thirty-five by that date.

Members of the the eleventh National Assembly will be take office shortly before the next president is chosen. One can assume, however, that it is unlikely that a “new arrival” — a junior legislator — would be elected to high office. Therefore, any analysis or speculation about who the most likely candidates for president might be will have to be done based on the current list of Assembly members.

Of the 348 members who will meet the age requirement, one belongs to the Politburo and three to the Secretariat. Nine hold the post of first secretary of a provincial wing of the Communist Party. One is a deputy prime minister and another is a government minister. Fourteen are members of the Council of State, though four of them hold none of the other positions previously mentioned.

Keeping in mind that some of them hold more than one of the positions mentioned here, we are talking about twenty-seven potential presidents.

Of those twenty-seven, the ones who seem to have the best chances are these six members of the Communist Party Central Committee:

Gladys Martínez Verdecia (1970), who is also a member of the Politburo and first secretary of the Communist Party in Artemisa province.
Joel Queipo Ruiz (1971), member of the Secretariat and head of its Economic and Productivity Department.
Jorge Luis Broche Lorenzo (1970), member of the Secretariat and head of the Department of Social Services
Félix Duarte Ortega Martínez (1974), member of the Secretariat and president of the National Association of Small Farmers.
Beatriz Johnson Urrutia (1969), first secretary of the Communist Party in Santiago de Cuba province and member of the Council of State.
Jorge Luis Perdomo Di-Leila (1970), deputy prime minister.

Assembly member Susely Morfa (1982) could join the list if she does well in her new job.

The next four years could see promotions and dismissals that require significant revisions to this list. But the most radical reform, the one that could upend everything, would be a decision to change the age requirement.

With all that being said, let’s take closer look at the first two depressing realities mentioned at the beginning of this piece.

Article 228 of the Cuban constitution stipulates that,”when the reform refers to… the powers or the term of office of the President of the Republic… ratification is also required by a vote in favor by the majority of electors in a referendum called for such purposes.”

There is no obligation to put any changes to the age requirement to a referendum since only “the powers” and “the term of office” are explicitly mentioned, not the requirements. Therefore, it is older people, the ones already ensconced in powerful positions, who might entertain presidential ambitions. They might be tempted to promote this seemingly minor but decisive modification but they would have to propose it in the next four years, which is why it pays to be attentive.

Let’s say they propose raising the maximum age for a first-term president to seventy. That would still rule out the old guard, all in their eighties or nineties, but the pack of wolves highest up in the food chain would presumably still be in the running.

Of the thirteen apostles of continuity, these six members of the Politburo are first in line:

Roberto Morales Ojeda (1967), who is also the Central Committee’s secretary of organization and deputy prime minister.
Manuel Marrero Cruz (1963), who now serves as prime minister.
Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas (1963), major general and Minister of the Interior.
Ulises Guillarte de Nacimiento (1964), who is a member of the Council of State due to his position as secretary general of the Workers’ Central Union of Cuba.
Teresa María Amarelle Boué (1963), who is a member of the Council of State due to her position as the secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Woman.
Marta Ayala Ávila (1966), who is a National Hero of Labor.

Though several rungs down on the pecking order, these seven members of the Central Committee are worth keeping an eye on:

Inés María Chapman Wugh (1965), deputy prime minister.
Gerardo Hernández Nordelo (1965), national coordinator for the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, member of the Council of State and Hero of the Republic of Cuba.
Jorge Luís Tapia Fonseca (1963), deputy prime minister.
Liván Izquierdo (1967), member of the Central Committee and Communist Party first secretary in Havana province.
Rogelio Polanco Fuentes (1966), member of the Communist Party Secretariat and chief of its Ideology Department.
Homero Acosta Álvarez (1964), Secretary of the National Assembly and of its Council of State.
José Ángel Portal Miranda (1967), Minister of Public Health.

Assembly member Luis Antonio Torres Iríbar (1965) could join the list if he does well in his next job.

If the National Assembly agrees to do away with the age limit, we could see the return of Machado Ventura or the rise of Elián González.

The outcome of any of the scenarios mentioned above is subject to Raul Castro still being able to make decisions in April 2028, two months before his ninety-seventh birthday. If he is unable to express his will as he did in 2018 with Miguel Díaz-Canel, one can assume that the process of appointing the next president could be more rules-based and subject to consensus.

But, as everyone knows, these people can do whatever they and anything can happen at any moment.

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Three Arrested in Cuba for Killing Dogs and Selling the Meat as Pork or Mutton

An animal activist from San José de las Lajas published images of heads and other remains

The three detainees in an image shared by Yenney Caballero on her social networks / Facebook

14ymedio, Madrid, 12 April 2024 — The residents of San José de las Lajas, Cuba, went to bed this Thursday shocked after learning that at least three people were detained in a home after being intercepted with bags containing dog heads. According to an animal rights activist living in that town, Yenney Caballero, the individuals killed the animals in order to sell the meat, passing it off as pork or mutton.

“What these unscrupulous elements did is criminal; they killed the vast majority of the community’s dogs in San José de las Lajas, in Mayabeque province. Also many of the animals belonged to families, who until today did not know the whereabouts of their pet,” said the activist, who says that there were many people, recently, who had reported the loss of their pets.

Although there is no official information about the event, the activist was able to record the entire police operation with her cell phone camera without the officers causing the slightest problem. Caballero questioned them about what happened and, although none of those present spoke before the camera, they did not try to eject the woman, who managed to access the interior of the house where the alleged criminals lived.

“This was where they put the dogs in and killed them,” she says, while filming through the hallways. Caballero warned that this Friday she will go to the San José de las Lajas landfill to verify the rumors that there are more parts of the dead animals there.

In a subsequent publication, the activist also posted photographs of the dogs’ heads and other viscera, as well as images of the alleged perpetrators sitting in the police station, which she apparently was also able to access without problems. “There,” she added, “families who bought the meat thinking it was mutton or pork are going there, there are children who are sick because of this issue.”

Caballero took the opportunity to ask, on behalf of the Animal Movement of Cuba, that “the full weight of the law fall” on the guilty and asked the population to be attentive to the food they buy. “These criminals who do not even deserve the air they breathe,” she added.

A few days ago, the provincial government denied news that was circulating about the sale of dog and cat meat in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo. The Administration Council of Arroyo Naranjo sent inspectors to verify the reported events and concluded that there was “no evidence of a criminal act related to the illegal production of this food product,” a mixed chopped meat sold in the capital.

“Once again, the truth makes its way against the insults that seek to foment panic and mistrust among the population and discredit the health control authorities and those of internal order,” the Government of Havana commented at the time.

In this case, Yenney Caballero justified the need to record what happened in San José de las Lajas. “So that you know what is happening, that it is not a lie, it is not gossip,” she claims in her video.

Those detained could be subject to sanctions under the Animal Welfare decree, but also to others linked to health regulations, if the facts are proven.

Cuba Fails in Pan American Softball With a Team of Veterans

Catcher Reinier Vera is pointed out as one of the historical players of the national team / Jit

14ymedio, Havana, 15 April 2024 — The failure of the Cuban national softball team in the Pan American Tournament of Sincelejo, Colombia, and in the Central American and Caribbean Games in San Salvador, where it did not win medals, will have consequences. “We will take action,” the National Softball Commissioner, Maikel Ibargüen Shue, journalist Guillermo Rodríguez Hidalgo insisted on Radio Rebelde.

The manager acknowledged the lack of international tournaments prior to the event in Colombia but denied that it was the cause of the bad results. “It wasn’t that, many things have happened,” he said, without indicating which ones. The team led by Leonardo Cárdenas ended its participation in Colombia with four wins and the same number of defeats. Cuba could not get any of the five tickets for the World Cup of the specialty.

However, Rodríguez Hidalgo estimates that part of the failure of softball internationally is due to “how little is played within our country,” where a national championship has not been held in the last two years. “To this we must add that we are in the presence of an aging team, in which the average age exceeds 35 years.” continue reading

The defeat, according to the Swing Completo portal, made the Island team face the “reality” that “it is no longer a favorite against the other teams in the area”

A fan identified as Juan Carlos agreed with the journalist that a renewal of the national team is urgently needed. Young people, who are usually the main competitors, have been moving away from a sport that has been forgotten by Cuban managers. “The headquarters in Ciego de Ávila is not ideal.”

The defeat, according to the Swing Completo portal, made the Island team face the “reality” that “it is no longer a favorite against the other teams in the area.” For Ibargüen Shue, all that remains is to “prepare for the new Olympic cycle.”

For its part, the Cuban official media Jit only highlighted the performance of Alain Román, from Ciego de Ávila, who opened the eight games of Cuba in the qualifying phase and achieved four victories. In addition, the national representative won fifth place in the last world contest held in Auckland, New Zealand (2022).

The best result on the Island was recorded in 1988, when it obtained fourth place in Saskatoon, Canada.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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More Than 86,000 Cubans Have Entered the U.S. Under Humanitarian Parole

Several families, mostly Cuban, at the Miami airport waiting for the arrival of their loved ones, beneficiaries of the humanitarian ’parole’ / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Mexico City, 18 April 2024 — The U.S. humanitarian parole program has favored 86,000 Cubans since its entry into force in January 2023. According to data provided by the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as of March, 84,000 people from the Island are now in the United States.

In addition, 168,000 Haitians, 77,000 Nicaraguans and 102,000 Venezuelans were also processed and authorized to travel. Of them, 14,000 from Haiti, 8,000 from Nicaragua and another 7,000 from Venezuela are expected to arrive in the United States.

After ending Title 42 – a rule created by the Trump Administration for the immediate return of migrants during the pandemic -in January 2023, Washington decided to open to applicants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua a special permit or humanitarian parole that it had previously initiated with Ukraine and Venezuela.

At the end of last month, the legal entry of 404,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants was recorded through the parole program. According to CBP, 54,000 Haitians, 69,000 Nicaraguans and 95,000 Venezuelans managed to enter the United States, after completing the selection process. continue reading

At the end of last month, the legal entry of 404,000 Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants was recorded through the parole program

The agency also reported that so far, more than 547,000 migrants have successfully scheduled asylum appointments on the southern border through the CBP One application. Of these, 44,100 applicants were processed at points of entry last month.

Similarly, in their report, U.S. authorities reported irregular entries of 19,000 migrants last March. Of these, 13,411 came across the southern border; 5,323 entered through Florida (Miami Sector and Miami Field Office), which includes an unspecified number of arrivals by sea. In addition, 631 arrived in Tampa, which reported 4,241 cases in the fiscal year that began in October 2023.

The U.S. Government also reported in the same month the admission of 110 unaccompanied minors, totaling 791 in five months. Last year there were 1,395, a record number.

The information comes after the controversy that arose over denials of humanitarian parole, which Cubans, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Haitians have denounced this month. A spokesman for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service told Martí Noticias that due to “a technical change to inform applicants more quickly if they are eligible, a large volume of non-confirmation notices were sent.” This is being improved.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Guyana Hires Cuban Engineers and Makes off with a Turkish Floating Power Plant Anchored in Havana Bay

Three Turkish ‘patanas’ (floating power plants) are anchored in Havana Bay: the ’Erol Bey’, the ’Suheyla Sultan’ and the ’Belgin Sultan’ / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 18 April 2024 — Ten Cuban engineers with “relevant skills” were hired last week by the Government of Guyana to help the state Power and Light (GPL) company solve its energy crisis. Also arriving to “cope with the blackouts” in Guyana is a Turkish “patana” (floating power plant) with 36 megawatts (MW) of power belonging to the Turkish company Karpowership. The coincidence of both events suggests that Havana will be involved – with experience and labor – in the installation of the floating power plant.

According to an article by the local media Kaieteur, the Guyanese president, Irfaan Ali, celebrated the arrival of the Cuban engineers and said on Facebook that he has “promised” the Cuban ambassador in Georgetown that he will “import” technicians.

Without offering the name of the newly rented 36-MW power plant, the Ali Administration explained that it is a “motor boat” that will be connected to the national network, chartered for two years to Karpowership through UCC Holdings, a subsidiary of the Power International Holding conglomerate, based in Qatar. These two companies have an alliance to operate in Latin America, with Turkish floating power plants in Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Cuba. continue reading

The Ali Administration explained that it is a “motor boat” that will be connected to the national network, chartered for two years to Karpowership

Although the Guyanese Minister of Public Works, Deodat Indar, said that the patana would leave Cuba, the announcement leaves several unknowns. First of all, the capacity of none of the power plants that the Island has installed coincides with that planned by Guyana (36 MW). For example, the Erol Bey (63 MW), the Suheyla Sultan (240 MW) and the Belgin Sultan (15 MW) are anchored in Havana. This Wednesday, 14ymedio verified that they are all in their respective enclaves. The constant monitoring by this newspaper of the ships that reach port in Havana Bay has not revealed that a new patana has arrived in Cuban waters.

However, the tug and fire boat Karadeniz One, which also belongs to Karpowership – and which has moved several of the Turkish power plants that Cuba rented – has been anchored in Havana Bay since the beginning of April. This could indicate that this is the ship that will transport the supposed patana. However, according to this newspaper, on Wednesday the Karadeniz One was still in Cuban waters.

A week ago, the Guyanese vice president, Bharrat Jagdeo, also revealed the price that his country will pay for the patana, for which Guyana will also supply the fuel for electricity generation. “There is a charge for capacity and a charge for operation and maintenance. Combined, that’s less than eight cents (dollar) per kWh (kilowatt per hour),” said the official, who did not offer the total figure. The data give an idea of what Cuba could be paying for each of these ships.

“We couldn’t produce there because the main transmission pipe can only send power to Georgetown”

As explained by the Ali Administration, the Turkish power plant will be installed on the Berbice River, which flows into the Atlantic, since Georgetown, the capital, cannot handle the wattage of the power plant. This problem dissuaded the Government from hiring a 70 MW floating power plant, as they had initially planned.

“We couldn’t produce there because the main transmission pipe can only send power to Georgetown. That’s why we’re thinking of taking the patana to the Berbice River at Everton. That way, we could send the energy (to the national network). We had to look at the river, the depth, the connection to the existing network, what has been done and the type of fuel (to be used),” Jagdeo said.

Faced with the local media’s doubt as to whether the hiring of the patana is “viable,” the Guyanese president, for his part, defended the deal with the Turkish company and blamed the previous administration for stopping the construction of the Amalia Falls hydroelectric plant (projected at 900 million dollars) for being expensive and defective. “We would have had 165 megawatts available from Amaila Falls to boost the energy we need now,” the president said.

For 2025, when the contract with Karpowership begins, the state GPL has planned the completion of a $2 billion project to convert gas into energy, which is estimated to deliver about 300 MW to the country. At the moment, the company has placed all of its hopes on the chartered patana to supply part of the electricity that two broken engines in its facilities, according to the local press, have left uncovered. According to the media I News Guyana, GPL generates about 165 MW of energy, 15 MW below the current maximum demand for electricity of 180 MW.

Cuba has not lost its footing in the energy situation in Guyana, which is in the middle of a dispute with Venezuela, another energy ally of the Cuban regime

The Government has also attributed the increase in blackouts to the entry of 2,000 new customers to GPL since 2020; to the rise in temperatures – which cause a more frequent use of air conditioners; and to the increase in hotel facilities in the country, which is undergoing a spectacular economic boom after the discovery of important oil fields.

Cuba has not lost its footing in the energy situation in Guyana, which is in the middle of a dispute with Venezuela, another energy ally of the Cuban regime, over the Esequibo oil region. Given the exports of Venezuelan crude oil to Havana – which have fallen by 39% in recent months despite the fact that Caracas has increased its exports – it is possible that the Island is looking for another supplier in the region.

The proposal to build a refinery for 2027 in Guyana, which is estimated to produce 1.2 million barrels per day, could be one of the reasons that Havana is tempted to do more and more business with Georgetown.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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‘Bancarizacion’ – Banking Reform – Has Not Reached the Level Desired by the Cuban Regime

In August 2023, faced with the shortage of banknotes, the Central Bank of Cuba approved several provisions to promote the so-called bancarización (banking reform) / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, April 8, 2024 — ‘Bancarización’* — banking reform — is stagnating in Cuba despite the many hours spent promoting it in the official media. Last year, 30% of banking operations were carried out in cash, despite the fact that only 77% of the 800 ATMs on the Island dispense it, according to data offered by the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC).

In a meeting held this Saturday attended by Miguel Díaz-Canel and Manuel Marrero, the banking authorities explained that at the end of 2023, 91% of state entities and 74% of “non-state management forms” maintained accounting activity in their accounts.

The insistence on getting the vast majority of operations to be carried out electronically has made an important advance, since 68% of them did so. However, this is not enough for the goal set, said Yamile Berra Cires, first vice president of the BCC, who explained that there are still problems. continue reading

Some 91% of state entities and 74% of the “forms of non-state management” maintained accounting activity in their accounts

Among them, she cited the resistance on the part of suppliers of goods and services to execute collections through electronic payment channels, inadequate organizational and control measures by regulatory entities and economic actors who do not regularly deposit or use their personal bank accounts for the economic activity of their businesses.

In August 2023, the BCC approved several provisions to promote bancarización in the face of the shortage of banknotes in the country. Among them, cash withdrawals were limited, and all economic actors were forced to offer an electronic means of payment to customers, which in turn would result in greater control of operations and reduction of fraud.

The resistance of the population is verified in the operations quantified by the BCC at Saturday’s meeting, to which the uncontrollable – and very high – amount of those produced in the informal market should be added, which would drastically reduce the official data.

The meeting was also a review of all the initiatives that the entity should have to boost the economy and “correct the distortions,” but according to the official press, there is no concrete measure.

The meeting was also a review of all the initiatives that the entity should have to boost the economy and “correct distortions”

Marrero indicated that “additional incentives should be sought to stimulate cash deposits in the country’s banks, improve the quality and provision of services, ensure the mechanisms for the collection of foreign exchange, seek external financing and increase the appreciation of risks in the face of cyber attacks.”

It remains to be known how the BCC plans to put the plan into practice, although a reader of Cubadebate says citizens could regain confidence in the system. “Start by establishing, and I’m not saying ’recover’, RELIABILITY in the banking system. Remove RIGHT NOW the limitations to the amount of money that can be deposited and the unnecessary tax on deposits; and the limits on the monthly amount of money that can be transferred and the amount of money that can be withdrawn… All that and more has upset the customers. And the money will flow towards the banks, which is what they were invented centuries ago.”

Start by establishing, and I’m not saying ’recover’, RELIABILITY in the banking system. Remove RIGHT NOW the limitations on the amount of money that can be deposited and the unnecessary tax on deposits

Juana Lilia Delgado Portal, minister president of the entity, also exposed a list of wishes to be fulfilled in 2024, among which the priority seems to be looking for projects that increase income abroad to capture foreign currency, as well as “implementing a new mechanism for the allocation and management of liquidity.” Nothing about this is clear either.

Another priority is the recovery of remittances, which have plummeted in recent years in a scandalous way. Last year, emigrants sent just under 1.973 billion dollars to the Island, 46% less than in 2019, when 3.716 billion were captured, according to the NGO Cuba Siglo 21.

In 2020, Donald Trump’s Administration made the decision to sanction the entities that negotiated with Fincimex, the Cuban military bank. As a result, the main remittance shipping company, Western Union, decided to suspend services to the Island until the regime found a way to circumvent sanctions in the Orbit company. Although money is circulating again – with difficulties, such as the suspension in 2024 for an alleged hack of Fincimex – the volumes are no longer the same, and there are many Cubans who resort to unofficial channels, such as Zelle, to send money.

In many countries, the Central Bank is the key institution of macroeconomic policy. This is not the case in Cuba. The BCC will “accommodate” – with unbacked liquidity – the level of fiscal deficit ordered”

The BCC also mentioned its priority of “resizing the foreign exchange market,” a task entrusted to it by the leadership at the end of the year, but, as economist Pedro Monreal has pointed out on several occasions, the entity lacks independence and does not use the most “powerful” mechanism that analogous institutions usually use, such as the interest rate.

“In many countries, the Central Bank is the key institution of macroeconomic policy. This is not the case in Cuba. The BCC will “accommodate” – with unsupported liquidity – the level of fiscal deficit ordered,” he said this February.

*Translator’s note: Bancarización is a term used in Cuba and other Latin American countries referring to reforming the banking system. All economic transactions will be made by debit card, including cash withdrawals and the payment of salaries. The term does not have a counterpart in English so the Spanish term is used throughout this translation.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Salvador Valdes Mesa Reproaches Cuban Producers for Selling ‘To Whoever Pays the Most’

Salvador Valdés Mesa considers it an “indiscipline” for producers to shy away from State contracts. / Estudios Revolución

14ymedio, Madrid, April 17, 2024 — Salvador Valdés Mesa, annoyed, reproached Cuban producers on Tuesday for “getting used” to taking their products “to the highest bidder, the one who pays them the most.” The surprising argument encouraged a few days of bureaucratic meetings around the “Government’s projections to boost the economy” from which, despite having been informed profusely, no one made anything clear.

“The information given refers to a number of actions and identification of problems although it does not specify what they are or what they will be. He talks about a schedule that is not known. I was not satisfied with the information although what was discussed seems interesting,” a reader commented on the article published this Monday in Cubadebate about Manuel Marrero’s meeting with the Council of State.

The article was a string of figures about detected problems, implemented actions, productive programs, with not a single explanation of them. “The implementation of the projections and the advances require verifiable results. I don’t doubt that they exist but in this article I can’t find them,” was another of the many complaints that appeared in the comments.

“The implementation of the projections and the advances require verifiable results. I don’t doubt that they exist but in this article I can’t find them”

This Wednesday, the official press is once again dedicated to the same issue, although this time it is the consequent meeting of the prime minister with the provincial governors to transfer the content of the previous day. The curious article finished with the discomfort of Valdés Mesa over the fact that the farmers don’t want to contract with the State, to the point of considering it a personal affront if they seek someone who pays better. continue reading

“There are indisciplines that are becoming habits. It makes me mad, and we have to be more strict about ordering, organizing, controlling and disciplining. We have to reach everyone,” he scolded, after hearing Deputy Prime Minister Jorge Luis Tapia Foncesa say that the demand for food is not covered due to the low level of contracts with the farmers.

“One of the causes is the lack of demand, of control, the preparation of the cadres and the lack of systems. Today the production rate for contracts is only 60% for the farmers who are hired. To that must be added the quality of that process,” he said, ignoring the insistent claims of the farmers, who complain not only about the low prices offered by the State but also the high levels of non-payment and the legal consequences – penalties – in case of not being able to comply with the agreements, something frequent due to lack of raw materials, fuels, fertilizers and even thefts.

At the end of the first quarter, all the provinces were “in decline” in the Housing program

Apart from this, the only data that surfaced this Tuesday was the negligible fulfillment of the housing program in which, at the end of the first quarter, all the provinces were “in decline.” According to the general director of the area, Dilaila Díaz Fernández, the plan to recover the housing deficit in 10 years has not progressed. The loss of housing capacity continues, and the construction of basic units has not been completed for three months. The proposal to use the native red clay for building has not been adopted, and reviving the production of marble for export was also planned.

The official also regretted that “the social and State microbrigades have not been activated as the main housing construction force,” a proposal by Ramiro Valdés just a year ago. Yesterday an angry Valdés Mesa urged the recovery of the movement created by Castro in 1971 and in force until the ’90s, based on the idea that homeless workers build their own houses.

As for the economy, which worries citizens so much, little could be known. Manuel Marrero said that there is “dispersion in the way the measures are being implemented” and that it is necessary to be more dynamic and hardcore. “We are lacking a strong hand in many places; we need to take exemplary measures in defense of our people,” he warned. It can be assumed that he was talking about corruption and the diversion of products.

The issues addressed were a priority for Cubans, from food production, to the “resizing” – euphemism for reducing – the State sector and the future Business Law and electronic payment systems, among others, but the explanations were, once again, null. “We are updating the action plan from the content, structure, program … to guarantee the active participation in its construction by the organizations, the Osde (Higher Organizations of Business Management) and the territorial governments, because no projection is alien to the functions and missions that we fulfill from our institutions,” said Mildrey Granadillo de la Torre, Deputy Minister of Economy and Planning, speaking without saying anything.

“We are missing a strong hand in many places; we need to take exemplary measures in defense of our people”

Marrero added that the problems detected must be identified and classified to see who can solve them, and he took advantage of the moment to divert responsibility to the smaller administrations: “The work of this structure, although I do not generalize it, in a large percentage is insufficient, very weak, because they are not taking advantage of all the powers that a Board of Directors has,” he said, specifically referring to the “battle against prices.”

He followed this by criticizing the provinces, in his opinion better attended to by the Government than by local leaders. “They are not getting into the communities, they do not meet with the people, there is inattention to the communities in many places, and this is experienced by several of the national leaders who visit a place, a community, and people take the opportunity to transfer the countless dissatisfactions they have, because they do not always find that space.”

In the meeting they also apparently talked about the reduction of the fiscal deficit, the development of the country’s business system and the integration of all economic actors, especially the private enterprises. Also about the advance of the maternal and child program and illegal mining. What was said? At the moment, it’s a mystery.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The United States Has Processed 47 Cuban Rafters for Deportation So Far in April

The raft with 19 migrants was located on Monday by an air patrol / @CBPAMORegDirSE/X

14ymedio, Havana, April 16, 2024 — The United States Border Patrol recorded the arrival in Florida of 47 Cuban rafters between April 4 and 15. On Monday, the Coast Guard intercepted 19 migrants from the Island and handed them over for their deportation process, according to social networks.

The US authorities told the rafters that they would be returned to their country of origin. Similarly, they “they will not be able to enter the United States for a period of five years, in addition to not being eligible to apply for asylum.”

The raft was detected in an overflight by the authorities who patrol by air to “deter” migration. Last March, the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, ordered the deployment of 250 police officers and soldiers to the Florida Keys to arrest the rafters, mainly Haitians fleeing the violence. continue reading

“We do not tolerate illegal immigration, much less anarchy at the hands of illegal foreigners,” said Ron DeSantis

In that same month, DeSantis signed projects that tighten penalties against migrants. For example, law SB 1036, which increases prison sentences for people convicted of serious crimes after having been deported for illegal entry; law HB 1589, which prohibits irregular foreigners from obtaining a driving license, and law HB 1451, which prevents counties and municipalities in Florida from accepting identification cards issued by other jurisdictions to irregular foreigners.

“We do not tolerate illegal immigration, much less anarchy at the hands of illegal foreigners who, in the first place, should not be here,” the Republican said.

Between January and the first week of April, the acting head of the Border Patrol of the Miami Sector, Samuel Briggs, documented the arrival of 83 rafters. On his social networks he reported a group of 24 migrants from the Island who landed on March 19 in Duck Key, in Monroe County, Florida. Another contingent of 20 Cubans landed on the last day of February in the Florida Keys, while 25 more made landfall in January in Biscayne National Park.

The Governments of Havana and Washington have a bilateral agreement for all migrants arriving by sea to U.S. territory to be returned to the Island, and since April 2023 they resumed deportation flights for “inadmissible” people detained on the border with Mexico.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Lack of Transport Limits the Delivery of Salt From Las Tunas to the Rest of Cuba

Workers of the Puerto Padre saltworks load bags of the product from the processing plant. / Periódico 26

14ymedio, Madrid, April 15, 2024 — The Las Tunas Puerto Padre saltworks employees are forced to walk 1.6 miles from the center of the mounds “where the sun burns mercilessly” to the factory several times a day due to the company’s lack of transport, said Periódico 26, the provincial newspaper, on Monday.

It is not the worst data for the “lost salt.” The salt pan produces so much that it could expand its goods beyond Las Tunas, Holguín and Villa Clara. If it does not do so, they say, it is “due to the lack of cargo transport to move the productions to their destinations,” a problem that has left the tables of the population understocked.

The saltworks of Puerto Padre is the second in the country in production, behind that of Caimanera, in Guantánamo. Annually, according to official accounts, it extracts about 80,000 tons, which converts into approximately 40,000 tons of salt, although the data are not entirely clear. The information published on Monday states that in 2023, the company produced more than 25,000 tons of salt, compared to the 40,000 that were announced in November of that year. continue reading

Annually, according to official accounts, it extracts about 80,000 tons of salt that converts into approximately 40,000 tons

For 2024, the plan is “similar”: to extract 32,000 tons of raw material to produce 16,500 of coarse salt that is destined for the Electrochemical Industry of Sagua la Grande, in Villa Clara, for animal feed, while 8,500 tons go to the basic basket and social consumption.

“Even in the midst of material and structural difficulties, workers hope to re-export the salt as they did years ago, given the quality of their product,” said Yenisleydys Domínguez Sánchez, technical chief of the factory.

The official said that at the Industry and Commerce Fair of 2023 they spoke with the representative of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) about the possibility of exporting the product. There was a potential customer, an electrochemical company, that might be interested, but for now it’s only an idea.

In February, the Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy pointed out that up to 9,000 tons of salt were in the warehouses of Cuba’s factories without being able to be transferred. “Problems with transportation have affected the delivery to consumers,” the leader said.

This April, the official media Cubadebate published an extensive report in which it addressed the situation in depth. The experts then said that the geographical and climatic conditions of the Island complicated the obtaining of the product in certain conditions: rains dissolves the salt pans and hurricanes devastate the facilities. As a result, Cuba had to import salt last year.

The managers of the salt companies estimate the demand for the basic basket at 7,300 tons per quarter, which is done unevenly

The managers of the salt companies estimate the demand for the basic basket at 7,300 tons per quarter, which is done unevenly. “The distribution is made according to the number of people living in each household. Thus, in the first month of the quarter, which is March, 4,100 tons are distributed, and all families receive one bag of salt per nucleus,” said the director of the Ensal Salt Company, Jorge Luis Bell Álvarez.

“In the second month of the quarter, 2,800 tons are distributed, and only families that have more than four people receive salt. In the third and last month of the quarter, between 900 and 1,000 tons are distributed, and many families receive salt plus those who are owed a bag from the last distribution,” he added, speaking about the rest of the year.

In addition, the CEO of Geominsal, Fabio José Reimundo, announced several investments with which they aim to increase the production capacity from four to ten tons per hour of salt. “We have already bought most of the equipment, but we need another 1.5 million dollars. That would help us increase the production and transport of the salt,” he said.

The authorities affirmed that the objective is to prevent the population from spending 150 pesos on a bag of salt, although this newspaper found that in many areas of the capital up to 250 pesos are charged.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Havana’s May Day Rally Moves to the Anti-Imperialist Platform, a Venue One-Fifth the Size of the Plaza of the Revolution

The main event of the International Workers’ Day will not be held at the Plaza de la Revolución to save on fuel

The Anti-imperialist Platform, which is completing remodeling works that began in 2019, is just over 13,000 square meters. / Cubadebate

14ymedio, Madrid, 15 April 2024 — The celebration of May 1, international workers’ day, once again dispenses with what was its usual venue for decades and moves to the Anti-imperialist Platform in Havana. The news was given by Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, general secretary of the Cuban Workers’ Union (CTC) this Sunday, who pointed out fuel savings as the reason for moving the event.

He indicated that, “There, we will ratify that the Cuban working class will continue to pay particular attention to everything related to the recovery of the economy, efficiently taking advantage of the resources we have to increase the supply of goods and services, as a way to rescue the purchasing power of salaries and pensions.”

The leader of the CTC, also a member of the political bureau of the Communist Party, explained that the intention this year is to celebrate the date “with gatherings in squares, towns and work centers that do not require massive use of transportation”. For this central event in Havana, the authorities are counting on the assistance of 200,000 workers and their families, residents of the municipalities of Plaza, Old Havana, Centro Habana, Cerro and the closest areas of Playa. continue reading

The CTC leader explained that the intention this year is to celebrate the date “with gatherings in squares, towns and work centers that do not require massive use of transportation.”

“This is another scenario in which we have demonstrated the spirit of unity, rebellion and struggle of the Cuban Revolution,” he stressed in relation to the location of an event which, in most countries of the world, serves for workers to demand from Governments the labor rights that they do not yet enjoy.

This is the second consecutive year in which the authorities renounce the traditional celebration at the Plaza de la Revolución for economic reasons, after last year’s event transformed into a march along the Malecón and small events in other municipalities and cities. On that occasion, Guilarte de Nacimiento attributed it to “the complex economic situation (…) and, in particular, the limitations of fuel assurance.”

A year ago, the leader called to “reformulate the celebration, maintaining its commemoration, but in conditions of rationality and maximum austerity”, but it is not the only problem that is resolved with these changes. The Anti-imperialist Plaform’s size is just over 13,000 square meters, compared to the 72,000 square meters of the Plaza de la Revolución, one of the largest in the world. Reducing the stage to a fifth of its former size makes it possible to overshadow the lackluster nature of an event in which there are fewer and fewer attendees, despite that the vast majority have been transported to the capital.

In 2016, about 600,000 people attended the event, according to official data, of which 200,000 (the same total number expected for 2024) were self-employed. Even in 2018 there were about 800,000 participants.

But just a year later, the event had visibly deflated and the cancellation of bus routes used to carry the marchers did not go down well with the population. On that occasion, to make matters worse, there was not even a speech: Díaz-Canel, already President, did not speak; nor Raúl Castro, dressed in a military uniform and saluting; nor even Guilarte de Nacimiento, head of the only union allowed in the country. The only thing that was heard was a speech by the deceased Fidel Castro played through a loudspeaker.

The arrival of the pandemic forced the day’s celebration to be suspended in 2020 and 2021, until its return in 2022, when an attempt was made to recover its lost brilliance without achieving much, despite having mobilized all the buses, which Cubans had not seen in months.

For this year’s event, Guilarte de Nacimiento foresees “a moment of reaffirmation of the unrestricted support of the vast majority of the people for their social project”

For this year’s event, Guilarte de Nacimiento foresees “a moment of reaffirmation of the unrestricted support of the vast majority of the people for their social project.” In addition, he wants it to be used to “denounce the criminal nature of the [US] blockade*, the main obstacle to Cuba’s economic and social development.”

The Anti-Imperialist Platform, where an event in support of Palestine was also recently held, is about to wrap up remodeling works that have been dragging since 2019. The renovations have undergone a myriad of calamities, among them, a shortage of cement. Last week, TV’s Canal Caribe dedicated a brief report explaining that the project is in its final phase, after native plants have been added and having completed the last modifications, though the exact day of the project’s completion is not known.

*Translator’s note: There is, in fact, no US ‘blockade’ on Cuba, but this continues to be the term the Cuban government prefers to apply to the US embargo. Originally imposed in 1962, the embargo, although modified from time to time, is still in force.

Translated by Norma Whiting

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Cuba: The Head of Comunales de Santa Clara Was Arrested for Reselling Garbage Containers

The trash collection containers were resold for up to 15,000 pesos, reported the official Fuerza del Pueblo website.

Citizens arrested for the diversion of garbage cans / Collage

14ymedio, Havana, April 15, 2024 — The head of Comunales de Santa Clara, in Villa Clara, has been arrested for diverting garbage collection cans for resale in the informal market. According to the state Fuerza del Pueblo page on Facebook, the official, Dianel García, was arrested along with three other individuals who collaborated with him.

The information indicates that García provided the containers to someone named Jorge Luis, presumably one of the detainees, who marketed them in the informal market at 12,500 pesos. Another citizen, whom they name as Felix, and his son-in-law, whose identity they do not reveal, sold them for 15,000 pesos. Fuerza del Pueblo points out that the origin of the containers is being investigated and if others are involved.

Among the many comments that the publication received, that of user Nancy Alemán stands out, who indicates that she resides in Santa Clara and works in Communal Services. “These garbage containers were stolen in areas of the Pastorita and XX Anniversary Buildings. I hope that the police will act on this case,” she says. continue reading

“Yes, there are containers. They should control the garbage more so that these things don’t happen”

Another citizen, Omar González Rojo, uploaded a photo showing a mountain of garbage in the middle of the street. “Look, we have gone through all the channels to solve the problem of the micro landfill on Peña Blanca Street [in Santa Clara], and they tell us that they don’t have any containers. Where did they go? Yes, there are containers, and they should control them more so that these things don’t happen. Isa’s Alley is still waiting for a dumpster to help the community,” he said.

Several users also commented that the garbage cans are bought by the so-called plastic collectors. After melting them, they use plastic to make various items: hangers for clothes, food storage containers (pots or storage containers) and broomsticks, which they then market.

The situation of solid waste collection throughout the Island is critical. On repeated occasions 14ymedio has reported the shortage of fuel and measures to collect garbage and the proliferation of landfills.

The residents of Playa and Luyanó have contacted, more than once, this newspaper to denounce the serious situation of the garbage dumps which smell bad and are overrun with rats. Another risk is that the mountains of garbage are being set on fire, causing serious consequences to the community.

On March 12, the official newspaper Escambray published that in Sancti Spíritus, the lack of personnel to collect the garbage is turning the province into a giant landfill. They also do not have enough transport: only eight of the 21 vehicles and none of their 25 tractors operate.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Vietnam Donates 1,650 Tons of Rice to Cuba

Díaz Canel met with the first deputy minister of Vietnam, Tran Luu Quang, who has spent two days on an official visit to Cuba / Revolution Studies

14ymedio, Havana, April 16, 2024 — Cuba and Vietnam agreed on Monday to a protocol that covers more than 50 new agreements to strengthen bilateral cooperation in numerous sectors of the economy, trade, investment and other areas, such as education and science. The document is the result of the 41st Intergovernmental Commission for bilateral economic and scientific-technical collaboration, finalized by the first deputy ministers of Vietnam, Tran Luu Quang, and Cuba, Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz.

“The occasion is propitious to reiterate the most sincere gratitude from the Communist Party of Cuba for the Government for Vietnam’s donation of 1,640 tons of rice, which will soon arrive in our country,” said Cabrisas, who is also head of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment.

The arrival of the product has been celebrated by all the senior officials of the Government, starting with the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero. “I want to thank you on behalf of the Party, the Government and the people of Cuba for the announcement of the new donation of rice for our country. It is an issue that has a lot of impact for the people in this complex moment that we are going through and is also part of that sensitivity that the Vietnamese leaders have had to contribute to the food sovereignty of our country,” he added during his meeting with Tran Luu Quang. continue reading

“It is an issue that has a lot of impact for the people in this complex moment that we are going through and is also part of that sensitivity that the Vietnamese leaders have had

Also in the appointment with the president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, reference was made to the donation, as well as to a credit granted for the purchase of the grain – “a very important gesture for us,” he said – which has guaranteed the distribution of the rice for several months through the family basket.

Although not enough to solve the demand for a fundamental product in the Cuban diet, free shipments of Vietnamese rice are common. In 2023, the official press announced at least three shipments, one of 5,000 tons in May, another of 2,000 in September and 1,200 at the end of October, in addition to the cooperation for grain production until 2025.

However, the collaboration of Vietnam’s technicians in the municipality of La Sierpe, in Sancti Spíritus, failed. The Asian professionals, who had come to Cuba 20 years earlier with equipment and machinery, never achieved the expected returns and ended up departing the Island in mid-2022, leaving the project mortally wounded.

Despite this, Díaz-Canel praised “the sensitivity and support of Vietnamese entrepreneurship, which has bet on its business in Cuba, despite all the financial difficulties” and reflected on its common history. “We are two nations that have heroically confronted our enemies; we are two nations committed to socialist construction; we are two nations that respect, love and admire each other,” the president said.

The rest of the agreements extend to all kinds of areas: from agriculture and fishing to biotechnology, health, construction, transport, finance, science, technology and environment; from culture, tourism, sports and education to industry, energy and mines; from information, communications, higher education and finance to customs, work, social security and justice.

“We are two nations that have heroically confronted our enemies; we are two nations committed to socialist construction”

In addition, it was agreed to promote the development of Vietnamese investment projects in Cuba, mainly those established in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM).

Cabrisas highlighted the purpose of increasing commercial exchanges with Vietnam on a “mutually beneficial” basis and contributing so that Vietnamese companies invest in priority sectors, such as agribusiness, tourism and renewable energies.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Residents in Manzanillo, Cuba, Receive Water Every 30 Days, and a Part Is Lost Due to Leaks

Puddles under the new plastic pipe are accumulating and now begin to fill with foam, stones and grasses / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Juan Matos, Manzanillo (Granma province), April 11, 2024 — With orders from the municipal company Aqueduct, a backhoe opened a long ditch in the central Martí Street, in the port city of Manzanillo. The objective: to install a new central pipe to replace the old one, which had multiple leaks. But the cure, say the neighbors, given the ditch and debris that make the street impassable – is worse than the disease. In its path, the vehicle not only tore off the pavement and the remains of the old pipe but also broke the secondary connections that take water to the houses. Asked by 14ymedio, the workers brush it off: “Those connections aren’t a priority; we’ll see what to do with them later.”

According to the workers, “a lot of water is lost in the main pipes,” which is why the State managers have made their replacement an objective. “We have positioned ourselves to eliminate the leaks so as not to lose water in the pumping process,” they explain.

Commenting on the shortage, the government’s Round Table TV program said this Wednesday that the water cycle – the frequency with which it is pumped into homes – is 10 days. The reality, however, is that the water is arriving once a month. The interval is painful and forces families to carry the water or, if the pocket book allows, to buy it. The replacement of the connection on Martí and other streets in the city center complicates the situation and has caused multiple complaints in the neighborhood.

The backhoe not only ripped off the pavement and the remains of the old pipe but also broke the secondary connections / 14ymedio

“They finished with the pipes of all the houses,” says Orlando, 47, while pointing to small tunnels on both sides of the ditch. The connections for each household passed through there, and in many of them you can still see fragments of the pipe. “I don’t know what problem they solved. The main continue reading

pipe water keeps leaking and doesn’t get to us,” he says. In fact, puddles are accumulating under the new plastic pipe and are now beginning to fill with foam, stones and grass. The neighbors know what they have to do until the arrangement is finished: “Carry water,” says Magaly, a housewife and resident of Martí Street. What many fear, she adds, is that the State will delay the solution of the problem and, in the long run, those who live there will have to solve it.

Nearby, at a neighbor’s house with a well, a group of boys gathers around the pump to fill gallon-jars and bottles, which they then transport back to their homes in construction trucks.

“They haven’t told us when they are going to redo what they have destroyed. As prices are today, it is impossible for us to fix this with our own means,” he says. Others look at the plastic structure with suspicion and predict little future. “There are still leaks there,” they insist, among the mountains of excavated earth that have already been blocking traffic on Martí for several days.

The neighbors know what they’ll have to do until the arrangement is finished: carry water / 14ymedio

The water situation, fueled by the terrible state of the pipes and the inefficiency of the Government, goes from one end of the Island to the other. The crisis does not reveal any leader, to whom – desperate for the lack of supply – the neighbors can come in the first place. In Santa Fe, one of the poorest neighborhoods of Guanabacoa, in Havana, officials do not agree on the reasons for the shortage. From the drought of the reservoirs to the pollution of the water, they spare no excuse for those who demand an explanation. In the mouths of leaders in whom no one believes, multiple causes are attributed to the same phenomenon. In the hard way, families have learned that the leaders only react when the same vessels they use to conserve water resonate during a cacerolazo*.

The hope of many is the water trucks, which the State sends sporadically and without the necessary equipment to pump to the tanks that families usually install on the second floors. The elderly of the neighborhood go to the tanker truck, without hoses, and carry what they can as they can, because they don’t want to resign themselves – neighbors told this newspaper – to “drinking from the puddles.”

In the case of Santa Fe, water comes more frequently, but the service is unstable. It’s “abusive,” the neighbors explain, that the State sends only one pipe for a whole block. From Santa Fe, on the outskirts of Havana, to the eastern municipality of Manzanillo, the feeling is unanimous: “Their pipe is worn out”

*Translator’s note: A common form of protest in Latin America where people beat on pots and pans

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Only Half of the Cuban Population Receives Water in Adequate Condition

4,500 people, spread over five rural communities in the municipality of Yaguajay, have to resort to costly water trucks or buckets. (14ymedio)

14ymedio, Madrid, 11 April 2024 — Barely 48% of the Cuban population receives water daily in conditions of quality, availability and accessibility. Despite the fact that the Government is committed by article 76 of the Constitution, which establishes that all people have the right to it and obliges the State to “create the conditions to guarantee access,” only 5,400,035 Cubans of the 11,089,511 who, according to official statistics, resided on the Island in 2022, enjoyed this human right.

The official media Cubadebate has convened for this Thursday at 10 a.m. an open forum in which readers are invited to leave their impressions, complaints and claims on this subject. There is no expectation of complacency; after the publication last March of a report on the water supply situation in Cuba, protests rained down on the newspaper.

To prepare the ground, State TV’s Round Table program – produced by Ideas Multimedios, the same group mentioned in Cubadebate – reviewed on Wednesday some indicators that make clear the bleak panorama. In part: 79.4% of the population has a supply, a total of 8.8 million people – always taking into account the official population data. Of these, 94.8% have intra-home service, 5% have reliable water trucks and 0.07% have easily accessible sources. continue reading

Some 94.8% have intra-home service, 5% have reliable water trucks and 0.07% have easily accessible sources

But in turn, we must break down the data of those who have service in their home, the “privileged,” which amounts to just over 8.3 million people; divided among those who receive it daily, just over 4 million; every other day, 2.1 million; in cycles of three to nine days, 1.6 million people; and, finally, the 566,000 who have it every ten days or more.

But there is still a worse rung on the ladder than the latter, those who do not have any supply service. That group is made up of 535,876 people, 6.1% of the population, who in turn are divided among those who do not have it because of: an “eventuality” (299,000); those with a service cycle greater than 7 days (386,530); those affected by catchment works (79,681); lack of electricity (4,110); and, finally, the large group: those who receive it intermittently in water trucks: 475,404 inhabitants who have water in periods longer than 15 days.

José Antonio Hernández Álvarez, president of the OSDE Agua y Saneamiento, offered all these data in last night’s broadcast and gave details about what the plans are to solve such a serious situation. “The main problems are in the eastern areas of the country, while in the center we have difficulties, especially in some mountainous territories and in the city of Santa Clara. Right now, the number of people affected in Cuba is around 500,000, although well below what was reported at other times.”

According to his explanation, there are three programs underway with investment – no figures provided – to replace the pumping equipment, improve the measurement and change the energy matrix.

“The main problems are in the eastern areas of the country, while in the center we have difficulties, especially in some mountainous territories and in the city of Santa Clara”

The official devoted part of his screen time to regretting that the water supply depends so much on electrical energy and only a few pumping systems have generators. “These systems are located in densely populated areas, but in recent years they have worsened due to their exploitation and present important problems related to the electricity supply,” he said.

Hernández Álvarez explained that these systems, unlike electricity, take hours to recover after a blackout, since the pipes must be filled first and then the pressure rises and is distributed over distances of several kilometers, which complicates the situation. To alleviate this, batteries have been bought that support the generators and that, in his opinion, have moderately improved the problem.

Despite this, the solutions seem to come more from outside, since the official spoke of the “acquisition of pumping equipment,” the response that produces the most impact. “So far, 1,063 pumps have arrived, and we have already installed 803 of them in several areas of Cuba. The arrival of other equipment is expected in the coming months. In addition, we have had success in recovering 733 pieces of traditional pumping equipment since the previous year.”

One of the most common reproaches of citizens is that, since the Ordering Task*, the price of water has risen seven times, an excessive cost for the terrible service received. Hernández Álvarez gave signs of understanding the annoyance but argued that the cost for the entity has increased 16 times and for fuel, 19 times.

“This results in a real cost of more than 200 pesos, while the population only pays about 7 pesos

“The cost of one cubic meter of water is around 70 pesos, and one person consumes approximately three cubic meters. This results in a real cost of more than 200 pesos, while the population only pays about 7 pesos. This affects the company’s liquidity, and at the end of February there are nine companies that are registering losses,” he added.

The conglomerate, created in 2009 and employing about 24,000 workers, was made up of 29 companies of which 24 were in charge of water and sanitation and five of construction activities. Since 2022, two international economic associations, two subsidiary companies and state-run private companies have joined them, one of which “has the task of repairing the sanitary lines inside the homes.”

Leonel Díaz Hernández, general director of the Water Company of Havana, was there to talk about the specific situation of the capital, which has experienced many problems in recent weeks that improved, he said, after the rains at the end of March.

“We continue with the projects related to the use of renewable energy sources, and in the coming months we will acquire two other power generators from solar panels, while we introduce other equipment such as water trucks that work with this type of energy,” he added.

In 2020, the Mission of Cuba to the United Nations responded in writing to a note from the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment in which he asked about “human rights and related relations related to water pollution, water scarcity and floods.”

In it, the regime gave all kinds of details about the many measures (plans, programs, legislative incorporations, etc.) taken by the Government to provide water to the population and thus guarantee a service that in 2010 the UN declared “essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.” However, the last three paragraphs were dedicated to holding the United States responsible for limiting the Island’s resources, and this time not because of the “blockade” but “due to the illegal usurpation of our territory by the United States Government, with the imposition, since 1903, of a naval base in the province of Guantánamo.”

The text detailed: “One of the consequences of this illegal usurpation for the full enjoyment of the right to water and sanitation is that we cannot comprehensively manage the surface and groundwater that form in the mountains of the Santiago de Cuba and Guantánamo provinces because they conclude their journey in the occupied area.”

*Translator’s note: The Ordering Task was a collection of measures that included eliminating the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), leaving the Cuban peso (CUP) as the only national currency, raising prices, raising salaries (but not as much as prices), opening stores that take payment only in hard currency, which must be in the form of specially issued pre-paid debit cards, and a broad range of other measures targeted to different elements of the Cuban economy.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cubans, Between the Battle of Ideas and the Cultural Battle

The majority of Cuba’s young people — those who left and those who stayed — are no longer interested in mass rallies

Almost all the speakers whom Fidel Castro thrust into stardom later faded under the brightness of the four stars on his little brother Raúl’s shoulder straps / Centro Fidel Castro

14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, 13 April 2024, Madrid — Those open mass rallies in which Hassan Pérez Casabona stunned the crowds with his rapid-fire barrage of words are still fresh in the minds of many Cubans. At the end of each Saturday, the streets were a sea of trampled flags, empty plastic bottles and chewed-up chicken bones. People went home not understanding why these events were called “open.” In reality, they were a closed circuit in which every speaker just repeated what the previous one had said. A highly rehearsed monologue of multiple voices, it was the culmination of the Castro liturgy. Almost all the speakers whom Fidel Castro had thrust into stardom later faded under the brightness of the four stars on his little brother Raúl’s shoulder straps.

The vast majority fell into disgrace. For example, Otto Ribero, the former first secretary of the Young Communist League and vice president of the Council of Ministers went into a drunken, downward spiral before going through a public catharsis on Facebook. He proudly confessed on that platform to having personally signed the regulation preventing Cubans from leaving the island even though his children were already living overseas. Never before has the expression “other people’s shame” made more sense. That poor devil was full of praise for his executioners from the Ministry of the Interior, thanking them for every slap in the face, every kick in the groin.

Hassan Pérez Casabona managed to survive by sneaking away, lowering his profile by retreating into the basement

Hassan Pérez Casabona managed to survive by sneaking away, lowering his profile by retreating into the basement. He emerged two weeks ago in an appearance on the Venezuelan state television network Telesur, spouting the same rhetoric as before but now breathing like someone with chronic continue reading

asthma. He appeared gray and gaunt but with a belly acquired in the Communist Party Central Committee dining rooms. Hassan’s tongue has lost its former horsepower, which once allowed him to go from zero to a hundred in a matter of seconds. Instead, he attempted to distract the interviewer with quick hand gestures like those used by katas in Shotei-style karate.

Over a five-year period, dozens of these rallies were held, wasting the flow of oil that Hugo Chávez had given us. The last one took place on March 12, 2005, in Caimanera, thus concluding the cycle of a larger project: the Battle of Ideas. The emperor’s last act of madness worked like a temporary suppository. For five years the country had been entertained by demands for the return of a shipwrecked boy and the release of five would-be spies. From time to time Díaz-Canel tries to resurrect this ethos but, with no causes of his own, he has to inspire people by pretending to be Palestinian.

The majority of Cuba’s young people — those who left and those who stayed — are no longer interested in mass rallies. However, some have enthusiastically signed up for a new crusade: the Cultural Battle. Now the rhetoric is coming from the other end of the spectrum. Dozens of Cuban social media users spout paleo-conservative slogans with religious zeal. Some have become shepherds — instructing their flocks in the theories of some Austrian economist — with the same effusiveness with which others previously indoctrinated us with Marxist ideas. New mirror-images of Otto and Hassan have emerged, trying to impose absolute truths, worshiping new commanders-in-chief, or shouting “we don’t want them, we don’t need them” at those who do not think like them.

New mirror-images of Otto and Hassan have emerged, trying to impose absolute truths

First of all, I consider the ideology of these Cubans to be as valid as that of anyone else. I also believe they have every right in the world to passionately defend it with arguments, to choose the leaders they prefer, to share beliefs as a group, to participate in whatever public discussion they desire and even to win out in the end. However, the alarm bells go off when democracy stops making sense for them, when they reject pluralism or when they try to present themselves as the only possible option in a future Cuba. We have suffered from authoritarian thinking for too long. The best antidote to decades of dictatorship would be a diversity of opinions, a search for consensus between opposing views, and political alternatives.

Believing that we are right and everyone else is wrong is as human as blushing. But killing the tyrant we carry within us is essential to overcoming this long totalitarian period and building something truly different. Nothing is more boring than a meeting between those who think the same way and share the same opinions. Nothing stagnates a country more than the imposition of a single doctrine. That most beautiful word, freedom, should not be limited to discussions about economic freedom. It has to also be about freedom of mind and body.

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