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The official media Cubadebate published a lengthy article in defense of the deputy Emilio Interián Rodríguez, after his intervention in the National Assembly of People's Power drew attention for something uncommon in the Cuban Parliament: an explicit defense of small and medium enterprises and a direct critique of the country's productive decline, amidst an unprecedented economic crisis.
During his speech, Interián —president of an agricultural cooperative and deputy for the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo— acknowledged that, six months after the last parliamentary session, the national situation is now more serious in key areas such as energy, fuel, and food.
"It is not honest to continue promising outcomes that never arrive," he warned, questioning the repetition of official statements announcing improvements that do not come to fruition while the crisis deepens.
From his experience as a producer, the deputy defended applying the same approach —though limited— to the agricultural sector that has been granted to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes), emphasizing that thanks to these, there are now goods and services that the state apparatus has been unable to guarantee for years.
He cited as an example a sand quarry leased to a Mipyme, where construction materials are sold legally, quickly, and without the bureaucratic paralysis that characterized its state management. According to Interián, this model has eliminated chronic inefficiency and resolved specific issues faced by the population.
He also addressed one of the most sensitive topics: the crisis of livestock and animal feed. He recalled that before 1959, there were small feed factories in almost every neighborhood, which allowed for sustaining livestock production, in contrast to the current reality, marked by a lack of supplies and productive collapse.
"My big dream is to be able to buy the food I need, with the quality I require, or to prepare the food myself for my productions," he stated, in a declaration that directly questions state control over basic supplies.
Interián also argued against limiting those who produce results, asserting that if a producer effectively utilizes 65 hectares of land, they should be able to access more. “Let’s not be afraid that, by working hard, someone will make money,” he said, a phrase unusual within the official Cuban discourse.
Cubadebate and the control of the narrative
Following the impact of his intervention, Cubadebate published the article "Interián, a countryman in parliament," an extensive piece aimed at humanizing, legitimizing, and politically framing the deputy, emphasizing his peasant background, his loyalty to the Revolution, and his activism within official structures.
Although the official media implicitly acknowledges the seriousness of the crisis and the practical value of small and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes), the text avoids any questioning of the centralized economic model, insisting that Interián's proposals do not seek "capitalism," but rather "efficiency," and reiterating its commitment to the Communist Party.
The contrast between the harshness of the deputy's diagnosis and Cubadebate's effort to contain its political impact highlights a growing tension within the system itself: between those who, based on their experience in production, demand real and urgent changes, and those who continue to defend a model that has reduced state production to historic lows.
Meanwhile, it is precisely the micro, small, and medium enterprises —facing high prices and severe limitations— that today meet a significant portion of the basic needs of the population in a country where the State can no longer guarantee the essentials.
The intervention of Interián does not break the system, but it does expose an uncomfortable truth: without deep structural changes, the productive crisis will continue to worsen, regardless of speeches, slogans, or the heroic profiles carefully constructed by the official press.
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