A recent post from the Electric Union of Cuba (UNE), in which it attempts to glorify the work of the team at the Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant with an epic narrative, sparked a storm of outrage, sarcasm, and ridicule in the comments on the Facebook page of the state-owned company.
Instead of generating empathy or recognition, the message was perceived by a large majority as an insensitive provocation in the face of the daily suffering of millions of Cubans who have been coping with prolonged blackouts, scorching heat, and spoiled food for years.
"In the industrial heart of Matanzas, where the roar of the turbines mingles with the salty scent of the sea, the Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant (CTE) fights a daily battle against obsolescence and the firm economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States government," the official text stated, in an almost literary tone.
Although it aimed to highlight the work of the Committee of Innovators and Rationalizers, the general reaction was unanimous: disbelief and rejection.
“The headline looks like a Turkish soap opera. How sweet! Poor town”, a user commented. Another, in an equally ironic tone, wrote: “The heat and the mosquitoes won’t let me cry”.
The comments were not limited to the literary style of the post, but rather addressed the content of the message directly. Several internet users questioned the repetitive use of the blockade as a justification: "For thermoelectric plants, there is a blockade, but there is no such blockade for building luxury hotels."
The phrase was repeated and supported by dozens of users, who pointed out the visible contradiction between the official narrative and the priorities of a state captured by a military and bureaucratic elite with particular interests that benefit from the network of state-owned and socialist enterprises, the tourism sector, and imports, constituting a kleptocratic mafia that dominates society through violence and its clientelist networks.
“The UNE hired a poet to write the notes,” one remarked sarcastically. “Poets of misery and hunger,” another stated flatly. Many accused the publication of being a mockery, especially since the blackouts have not stopped even in the province that houses the thermoelectric plant.
“A lot of enthusiasm, but the reality is different. Whether someone comes in or goes out, we continue to face the same blackouts.” “That column already has scoliosis,” they commented in reference to the designation of “the backbone of the electricity generation” used by UNE.
The criticisms also focused on the lack of maintenance and planning. "And what about the resources they've spent on hotels? Doesn't that have a blockade?" or "What they've spent on empty hotels, if they had invested that in electricity generation, it would be a different story."
“The only blockade is that of the Communist Party, which has never invested a cent in modernizing the thermoelectric plants,” many asserted emphatically.
While a few users attempted to express respect for the workers at Guiteras, the majority insisted that it is not the workers' sacrifice that is in question, but rather the policies on investment and energy management: “The people of Matanzas, having the largest thermoelectric plant in the country, come home to find themselves waiting for long hours without electricity.”; “For building large hotels, like Torre K, there was no blockade. Why wasn't the same method used to bring spare parts or to construct a new thermoelectric plant?”
Other comments combined frustration with sarcasm: “What is the name of this novel? ‘The Incompetence of the Dictatorship’?”; “I thought it was the beginning of a fantasy movie”; “Keep blaming others for your failures and you will never make progress”.
A growing number of citizens, exhausted by unfulfilled promises, directly called for the resignation of those responsible for the electricity sector. "Enough with the promises and empty talk. This people is tired, and you with your romanticism."
"We no longer trust you, the leadership of the country in general, and especially those who run this ministry. Have some shame and resign," demanded others.
Among the harshest comments, there were repeated calls to end the official discourse: "Let's take it step by step. What industrial heart are they talking about if all industries have been destroyed here?"; "They talk about the blockade, but they bought a private plane for 12 million to take joyrides"; "There is no blockade for bringing in modern cars and for tourism".
There were also those who turned to humor as a mechanism of criticism. "Arrurrú my child, arrurrú my love..."; "You all are making a poem out of everything, and here I am laughing my head off because for me this is a humorous place"; "Take all the money that all the leaders have stolen, plus that from Cangrejo and Sandrito, and build new thermoelectric plants".
Meanwhile, in Cuban neighborhoods, power outages continue to define daily routines. “We are dying slowly, without options,” summarized a user, capturing the sentiment of millions of Cubans in a single phrase.
Filed under: