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Outrage grows in Cuba over lack of cash in ATMs

“Despite my calm temperament, I exploded, loudly stating that officials have the obligation to respond to citizens, since they are the sovereign,” said a BANMET user.

Cola ante las oficinas del Banco Metropolitano en el edificio Focsa, La Habana © Facebook / Jose A Alvarez
Queue in front of the Banco Metropolitano offices in the Focsa building, Havana Photo © Facebook / Jose A Alvarez

The lack of cash in ATMs in Cuba The patience of Cubans is increasingly wearing thin, as they begin to protest and show their dissatisfaction with a situation that affects their daily economy.

Social networks report a general malaise among a population tired of the actions of its leaders, which only aggravate theeconomic crisis and oneinflation that empties the pockets of workers and pensioners.

Screenshot Facebook / Jose A Alvarez

This Wednesday, a Cuban Internet user drew a picture that portrays the exhaustion of citizens who are torn between protesting the critical situation they are experiencing or accepting it in a resigned manner.

“At the FOCSA Metropolitan Bank, a line waits to withdraw cash from the ATMs. It's eight thirty in the morning and they haven't enabled them yet," he described inFacebook the user identified asJosé A. Alvarez, promoter of theInternational Anti-Dictatorial Coalition.

Faced with the wait, some citizens demanded explanations from bank employees. According to Álvarez, a person in charge of the entity answered that he did not have to "give explanations to anyone."

“Despite my calm temperament, I exploded, stating loudly that officials have the obligation to respond to the citizens, because they are the sovereign,” said the activist, acknowledging that the discomfort in this situation made him become “a fury.” ”.

However, the official ignored the user's protests and continued on, to which he harangued those present in the queue.

“I took the stand to remind the queue that the (filthy) Constitution confers sovereignty to the people. Someone told me that was just on paper. It's clear, I just laughed," Álvarez concluded in his publication.

His short chronicle portrayed a situation that is experienced daily in the queues and aberrant massacres that form for any reason in a country where it is increasingly difficult for citizens to survive and the concept of “creative resistance” is more and more insulting.

At the end of June, and in the midst of the transition towards electronic payment in Cuba, Cubans' social networks revealed theirconcerns about the shortcomings of this payment system and the impact it would have on the families who depend on it.

The use of magnetic cards as a form of payment was implemented due to the cash deficit in banks, but cash availability problems persist and worsen, affecting many workers who cannot collect their salaries in a timely manner.

In recent days, reports from several Cuban provinces indicated that the lack of cash in ATMs was widespread and aggravated the situation for thousands of families on the island.

From Santiago de Cuba, several municipalities in Holguín, Las Tunas and other provinces, users of social networks showed their desperation for having had to borrow money to feed their children, coinciding with the holidays on July 26.

Given the critical situation of cash availability in banks and terminals, the CIMEX Corporation, a state company belonging to the military conglomerate GAESA, announced this Tuesdaythe elimination of cash payment at gas stations Cubans starting September 1.

Failing that, clients must use, "at their option", electronic means of payment such as chip cards, national and international magnetic stripe cards that operate in the country, disposable prepaid cards, electronic pins through Transfermóvil, or the rechargeable chip card.

According to the corporation, electronic commerce "constitutes one of the strategic axes of the computerization policy of Cuban society" for which CIMEX implements it as a "strategy of gradual development throughout the network of service centers."

The measure was announced after the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers approved the Program for the country's banking services, through which the use of electronic collection and payment channels in the national territory is gradually "incentivized."

Although the company and the official press have not mentioned it, in the country there is a growing deficit of banknotes, which the authorities intend to solve with digital banking.

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