Raúl Torres' reaction to ETECSA's rate hike

The singer-songwriter Raúl Torres, affiliated with the Cuban political power and the author of multiple songs dedicated to officials, has publicly defended the unpopular measures of ETECSA, justifying the new limit on top-ups in national currency (CUP) as a desperate response from the State to the "anguish caused by a lack of foreign currency."

"Behind that unpopular measure -as harsh as parched land- there is a painful truth that hurts even more to remain silent about: Cuba is dying for lack of foreign currency. Our hospitals need medicines that can only be purchased in dollars," claimed the composer of "Cabalgando con Fidel" at the beginning of an extensive text he published on Facebook.

Torres acknowledged that ETECSA's decision has caused dissatisfaction and admitted that there was a mistake in the way it was communicated to the public.

"They were wrong not to speak clearly. Opacity is the enemy of the people. But the measure arose from a real emergency", he pointed out.

The artist then went on to criticize those who have denounced the company’s price hike, which leaves millions of Cubans with limited access to mobile data.

"Now I see some of them -the usual ones- sharpening their blades with easy criticism. They talk about 'betrayal,' about 'incompetence,' from the comfort of their certainties. But what have they sown, besides discord? Pointing out mistakes is fair, but denying the intention to save lives is mean-spirited. Be careful! Behind those voices, sometimes there are only interests that are not ours!" the singer-songwriter warned.

Raúl Torres presented the measure as a necessary sacrifice, a narrative in which the state company is a victim of circumstances, rather than being responsible for failed policies or inefficient management.

"The factories, the thermal power plants are waiting for parts trapped in ports due to debts. Even our daily bread depends on wheat that we purchase from abroad. How can we ignore it? How can we stand by with our arms crossed while the warehouses empty?" he questioned.

"ETECSA, with all its faults, tried to open a gateway to relieve this suffocation. It was not greed: it was a desperate attempt to gather resources for us. So that a grandmother can have her hypertension medication, so that a child doesn't study in the dark, so that the little harvest doesn't rot due to lack of fuel. Isn't that also a way to protect the people?" he added in his romantic analysis of the issue.

A muted defense of power: half-hearted criticism, total loyalty

Although Torres acknowledges mistakes in the management and in the way the measure was communicated, his criticism did not address the core issue: the structural lack of transparency in the Cuban government and the absence of accountability mechanisms.

He requested, however, that "the executives of ETECSA come down from their offices" and speak with the people, but he failed to question why, after decades of absolute control over the telecommunications sector, no real mechanisms for public oversight have been developed.

He also did not mention that the Cuban population, for the most part, relies on remittances from abroad not by choice, but because income in CUP is insufficient to cover even the current rates for phone and internet services.

Instead, the author accused those who criticize the measure, whom he claims are sowing discord: “Pointing out errors is fair, but denying the intention to save lives is mean-spirited.”

The revisionist turn: hotels, blockade, and ideological loyalty

In a second extensive post on the matter, Torres attempted to adjust the tone of his initial message, arguing that his criticism was misinterpreted by those who "ignore the context of imperialist aggression."

He then resorted to the old narrative of external justification: the blockade, sanctions, and imperialism.

He explained the construction of hotels that are now empty as a strategic bet based on the surge in tourism during the Obama era, which then went wrong due to sanctions, the coronavirus, and a list of other issues

“Was it a mistake? No: it was a legitimate gamble”, he said, without acknowledging that the tourist model dependent on foreign capital and volatile flows never guaranteed sustainable welfare for the country.

Moreover, he omitted to mention that this expansion was achieved at the expense of investments in hospital infrastructure, transportation, or food.

Returning to the topic of ETECSA, it was stated that the sanctions hinder the purchase of equipment and that cost overruns are unavoidable.

However, it did not mention that, despite being one of the most profitable companies in the country, ETECSA does not publish financial statements nor allow citizen audits.

Self-criticism or emotional propaganda?

Torres presents himself as a voice "critical from loyalty," his discourse faithfully reproduces the argumentative lines of the official stance: shifting responsibility, minimizing popular discontent, reframing unpopular decisions as acts of revolutionary heroism, and demonizing any direct criticism as betrayal.

He appealed to the epic of resistance, the one that Díaz-Canel is so fond of.

"This measure hurts, but total collapse would be a fatal wound," he wrote.

And he concluded with an ideological warning: “Let us never use the enemy's terms (‘regime’, ‘dictatorship’).”

In this way, Torres not only sought to contain public discontent but also to define the boundaries of permissible discourse: criticism is allowed, but only within the government's ideological mold.

Far from providing an independent reflection, Raúl Torres' texts represent a futile attempt to justify a deeply unpopular measure.

His words reflect the use of official cultural figures to soften criticism and reinforce the regime's narrative.

As the country plunges into an unprecedented economic crisis, what citizens demand is not a new revolutionary poem or an uplifting song, but clarity, transparency, and a genuine review of the management models that have led to the collapse of key sectors such as healthcare, food, and, of course, telecommunications.

Frequently Asked Questions about ETECSA's Rate Increase and Its Impact in Cuba