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The statement by Pablo Iglesias, former Vice President of the Government of Spain and founder of Podemos, that a post-communist Cuba would end up becoming “a democracy like Haiti”, sparked a storm of outrage among thousands of Cubans who, both inside and outside the island, categorically rejected the comparison.
The phrase, delivered during an exchange with Cuban activist Magdiel Jorge Castro, was perceived as an insult, a provocation, and, for many, a brutal display of ignorance or ideological cynicism.
What initially seemed like another controversial statement from a media politician quickly transformed into a viral phenomenon that gathered a wave of voices. On social media, particularly on the Facebook page of CiberCuba, thousands of users echoed a clear message: "Cuba is already worse than Haiti." Rather than feeling threatened by the parallel drawn, many even considered it an improvement.
The reactions were immediate. Almost 9,000 comments in less than 24 hours, coming from all corners of the world, denounced the Spanish politician's ignorance of the Cuban reality.
Some pointed out, with irony and harshness, that if Iglesias wants to understand what it's like to live in Cuba, he should spend a month on the island without remittances, without privileges, without a supermarket, without internet, with 30 dollars a month and an empty supply booklet.
Others recalled a specific fact that fundamentally undermines the comparison used as a threat: for years, Cubans have been traveling to Haiti to buy medicines, clothing, food, and basic items that are scarce on the island. They do this not because Haiti is a paradise, but because Haiti is better supplied than Cuba. Such is the harsh reality.
Several users indicated that if Cuba were like Haiti, there would at least be more hope. In Haiti, there is electricity, running water, and products available in the markets. In Cuba, despite all the state propaganda about "resistance" and "sovereignty," there is absolutely nothing.
“In Haiti, people eat; in Cuba, people survive”, wrote one. Others joked with phrases like “Haiti is Manhattan compared to Cuba” or “I wish we could be like Haiti; that would be an improvement”.
Beyond the blunt statements, what became clear is a deeply rooted sentiment: the comparison is not only false but also insulting. For many Cubans, the reference to Haiti as an inevitable destination after communism is not a warning, but rather a mockery. “We already are”, some said. “We are worse off”.
Many took the opportunity to debunk the myth that Cubans are not ready for a democratic or free-market system. The responses emphasized that Cubans have demonstrated an undeniable ability to thrive, adapt, and innovate outside the island.
In countries like the United States, Spain, Mexico, Uruguay, or Chile, thousands of Cubans have established businesses, families, and entire communities. “And they say that if the regime falls, we will become Haiti?”, they asked with anger.
The mention of Haiti as an example of the chaos that would follow the fall of socialism is not new. For decades, Cuban official propaganda has repeated that without the Communist Party, the country would become a failed state, ravaged by hunger and violence. By reiterating that argument from Europe, Iglesias merely dressed an old narrative of the Cuban regime in a peninsular accent.
But times have changed. Today, with power outages of over 20 hours daily, uncontrolled inflation, a collapsed healthcare system, salaries that barely cover basic necessities, and an unprecedented mass exodus, the contrast with Haiti loses its strength. “There, they have poverty, yes, but they also have freedom. Here, we have misery and repression”, commented a user.
Another recurring point in the responses was the total disconnection between the ideological discourse of figures like Iglesias and the real experiences of Cubans.
From the comfort of a European democracy, with central heating, bank accounts, stocked supermarkets, and freedom of expression, discussing what "Cuba should be" becomes, for many, an exercise in cynicism. "Let them come live here like one of us and then share their opinion.", they challenged.
Between sarcasm and pain, the phrase "Cuba is already worse than Haiti" became more than just a reaction: it turned into a shared diagnosis. Those who have experienced extreme scarcity, the lack of medications, humiliating wages, and political persecution know that today's Cuba doesn't need to collapse to resemble Haiti. It has already collapsed.
That feeling of exhaustion, of weariness, of frustration with a situation that is not improving —but instead worsening each day— was another constant. Many asserted that communism has already destroyed everything it could destroy, and that the only thing left to do is rebuild. Even if the path after the fall of the regime is difficult, painful, or uncertain, it will be a path filled with hope. “It will be hard, but it will be ours”, they said.
The controversy also made it clear that ideological blackmail no longer works. Not even for sectors that may have sympathized with leftist ideas in the past. The discourse that presents a false dichotomy between dictatorship or chaos, between communism or barbarism, between totalitarian order or uncontrolled hunger, no longer convinces a population that is experiencing the disaster firsthand.
Many Cubans rejected not only the comparison to Haiti but also the implicit arrogance of those who, from afar, decide what is best for a people that has been unable to choose for over six decades. "If the price of freedom is to resemble Haiti for a while, we will pay it. Because what we have now is infinitely worse.", said one comment.
Anger was also directed at the way the European left — or part of it — romanticizes the Cuban process, downplaying its tragedies and justifying its crimes with abstract discourses. “They make the revolution from Madrid, but they wouldn't survive a week in Havana without their privileges,” another one remarked.
In the end, more than an offensive phrase, what Iglesias did was to point to an open wound. And in doing so, he provoked a massive, visceral, honest response.
To say that a Cuba without communism would be like Haiti is not only a historical and economic falsehood. It is a lack of respect. It is a form of ideological colonialism. It tells the Cuban people that they are incapable, that they do not deserve it, that they cannot. And that is something that simply will no longer be tolerated.
The Cuban people do not need ideological guardians, nor armchair revolutionaries, nor threats disguised as geopolitical analysis. What they need is freedom. And if that freedom comes with difficulties, the people are ready to face them.
Because after so much suffering, any path that leads to change will be better than remaining in the same place.
"Cuba is already worse than Haiti". And for that very reason, whatever comes next can only be a step forward.
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