Cubans have confronted Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla after he stated that without the U.S. embargo, the Island's gross domestic product (GDP) would have grown by 8% in 2023.
The head of Foreign Affairs held his annual press conference on the "blockade" and, as usual, tried to blame the current Cuban disaster instead of admitting the regime's responsibility.
"The current challenges of the Cuban reality would have better and easier solutions if Cuba could access substantial resources that the blockade deprives it of," he stated.
After decades of hearing the same discourse, Cubans are no longer deceived by false figures of material damage caused by the blockade. They know that the only responsible party for the crisis is the government, with its insistence on maintaining the planned and state-controlled economy, despite its evident failure, and its opposition to the emerging private sector.
"Without you, the GDP would have grown by 100%," said a Habanero.
"If the current political and economic system did not exist (which we still have not been able to define in reality what it is), we would have had a 100% annual growth in GDP," assured an engineer.
"And if the PCC and its antidemocratic system did not exist, Cuba could be a first-world country," emphasized a young person.
"This people are always inflating things. The 'blockade' is the excuse for their mediocrity," said a Cuban emigrant and father of a family.
"If communism did not exist, more than 8% of the population that contributed to the GDP would not have had to emigrate," recalled a resident of Cienfuegos.
"I'm not saying that the economic and trade blockade isn't part of the problem, but from there to saying that we would have GDP growth. With what? If we don't produce anything? Tourism? Hahaha. Since Covid, that hasn't recovered," said another engineer.
"If Cuba were free, we would have a country with great riches, because freedom brings that. The only blockade is the government against the Cuban people; they have nothing because everything is stolen and destroyed. The same small and medium enterprises have dismantled the lies they always tell. Why is it that they can import everything and all you have left to say is the blockade?" said an emigrant.
"The Chinese economy grew by 5.2% in 2023, one of the so-called emerging economies with the highest growth. 'How is it possible that Cuba, without infrastructure, without industry, without agriculture, without the production of goods and services, etc., grew by 8%?' questioned an internet user."
"If those leaders love their country so much, how is it that they prefer to see it die from lack of food and medicine, to see people struggle from lack of water, electricity, or transport, to see them leave due to lack of opportunities? Ahh, I forget that the leaders of this country don’t have any of these problems. But they ask you to endure and fight for your homeland; that’s very easy," said another.
"The Cuban economy will never grow as long as they maintain a centralized economy. Learn from China and Vietnam, learn before it is too late, although I already believe it is too late," commented an agronomist.
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