Aleida Guevara, daughter of Che and spokesperson for the Castro regime, criticized Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and said that they are not fulfilling their initial mission to produce: "They should stop importing because in the end, during the Special Period, we all had needs, we all had shortages, but it was the same for everyone," she stated.
In an interview with the Latin American leftist project "Voices in the Struggle," Guevara acknowledged that there is a "serious economic problem" in Cuba, and that after disastrous economic policies, "instead of two currencies, now we have four" and the creation of SMEs.
As small private companies, these businesses have the privilege that the state does not have; they are not as affected by the blockade and therefore can import a lot of things. Initially, all these companies were formed with the aim of producing, but many have turned into importers. They import using black market prices, and the worker cannot compete with that," he argued.
He exemplified that she earns 4000 pesos, but a cheese costs 7000 and a carton of eggs 3000 pesos.
Then tell me, either I make it work somehow or I do something else, but I can't do everything, it's not possible, and even though the basic basket is still subsidized by the state, it is not enough to make ends meet. At the moment, Cuba's situation is very difficult, very, very difficult," emphasized Guevara.
He reiterated that the salary received by "state workers is not enough to live on, and that is a serious problem in a socialist society."
During the interview, he said that this issue needs to be resolved, and among the proposals he is making is price control for SMEs, which in the regime's view are not generating wealth for the country.
That needs to be resolved, I don't think increasing salaries is the solution, I believe it would be best to control prices. Some people say, "well, if prices are controlled, small and medium-sized enterprises stop importing," well, let them stop importing. After all, during the Special Period, we all had needs, we all had shortages, but it was fair. We need to find solutions," he emphasized.
The day before, the Havana regime set the price of six basic products but asked Cubans to work more to confront the high prices on the island, as it stated that these cannot be reduced "at whim".
The renowned Cuban economist Pedro Monreal analyzed the possible consequences of implementing price caps and considered that it could be another erratic measure: "instead of using the market to make 'the plan' more flexible, (the Cuban authorities) numb the market with the plan."
A few weeks ago, Guevara launched a new attack against SMEs, for which he is calling for increased surveillance by the CDRs, considering them a potential threat to national security.
SMEs entail security risks because they can facilitate the entry of drugs or other illicit goods into the country: controls by the CDR (Committees for the Defense of the Revolution) on what happens in Cuba need to be intensified," he asserted in statements to the Ilfattoquotidiano portal.
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