Leydis Aguilera, the first deputy of Cuban origin in the history of the Uruguayan Parliament, denounced the visit of a delegation from the political coalition Frente Amplio to Havana, describing it as "dictatorship tourism," pointing out that the visitors stayed in a five-star hotel while the Cuban people are lacking electricity, food, and water.
"I watch with great shame and sadness the delegation from the Frente Amplio that visited Cuba in a dictatorship tourism," he expressed on television.
The deputy described the contradiction represented by the trip at a time when Cuba is experiencing an unprecedented economic crisis. "They were in a five-star hotel, with all the lights, all the food, all the supplies... the Cuban people have no electricity, no food."
And he added: "I didn't see any of those 500 people from the left who met with the Cuban people out there. There was no need to go anywhere; you just had to look out the window and see the misery, the suffering, the repression of the people."
The delegation of the Frente Amplio, led by its president Fernando Pereira, traveled to Cuba from March 18 to 21 as part of the so-called Convoy Nuestra América, which included around 650 delegates from 33 countries and 140 organizations.
The delegation was received in Havana by the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel himself.
In another statement to local media, Aguilera emphasized that Cuba is not the government; Cuba is its people, and the people are suffering.
"Has anyone gone to live in Cuba? Not for vacation in Varadero. Has anyone gone to live in Cuba? Do you know what we are suffering?" she questioned, mentioning the case of a friend on the Island who wrote to her saying that she is living in systematic exhaustion due to the blackouts.
"What I say is that those who defend dictators cannot claim to defend human rights," he stressed.
His words come at a time of extreme crisis in Cuba.
The National Electroenergetic System records deficits of up to 2,040 megawatts. In less than a year and a half, it has collapsed seven times. The last time was last Saturday, causing a massive blackout across the country.
The debate about Cuba in Uruguay has been heated for weeks. On March 5, the Senate approved -solely with the 17 votes from the Frente Amplio, after the opposition walked out- a motion that condemns the fuel restrictions imposed by the United States on Cuba.
Leydis Aguilera is an engineer in telecommunications and electronics. She has been living in Uruguay for 16 years and revalidated her degree at the University of the Republic. Currently, she coordinates the Commission of Immigration Affairs for the National Party.
In her inaugural speech in the Chamber of Representatives of Uruguay, she declared: "Uruguay gave me freedom. We come from a dictatorship carrying those chains."
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