Miguel Díaz-Canel once again promoted the official campaign #MiFirmaPorLaPatria on social media, but his post ended up turning into a wall of complaints from Cubans who responded with reports of blackouts, hunger, lack of water, deterioration of public health, and demands for free elections.
In the post, the leader asserted that “#MySignatureForTheHomeland is more than a signature” and presented the initiative as an action “in defense of national sovereignty,” against “harassment” and “imperial threat.” He also stated that Cuba, “as a free, sovereign nation that is the sole master of its own destiny,” demands respect for its free choice of political system.
The publication is part of the campaign promoted by Díaz-Canel with a grandiose speech about Cuba as "the only owner of its destiny", launched by the Communist Party of Cuba to gather signatures in support of the official statement Girón is today and always.
However, the comments on the post were mostly filled with discontent. "Does the signature bring light? Or water? Does it bring food? Does the signature put an end to misery?" questioned one user. Another comment summed up the rejection with a straightforward phrase: "What good is a signature? You have destroyed the homeland."
Everyday shortages were one of the most frequently mentioned topics. "When the CDR representative came for signatures, there was no electricity, no water, no connection," wrote one person. Another person sarcastically remarked, "I ask: what if instead of collecting signatures, they collected the garbage? Wouldn't that be better?"
There were also complaints about public health. "President, we need gel for ultrasounds for pregnant women in Villa Clara. Please pay attention to this as much as you do to the darn signature," requested one user. Another person reported waiting over five years for surgery for kidney stones because, as they said, "the operating equipment is broken" at the Arnaldo Milián hospital in Villa Clara.
The political theme occupied a significant portion of the responses. “Hold a plebiscite and you’ll see the people’s sentiment,” wrote one internet user. Others asked: “And when will there be signatures for free elections?” and “Free choice of our political system?”
Several users openly questioned the official claim that Cuba is a free nation. "Cuba is neither a free nation, nor sovereign, and certainly not master of its own destiny," one person wrote. Another pointed out, "We are not free, nor sovereign, nor owners of anything; how they love to manipulate."
In the same vein, a user stated: “My signature is for the homeland, but for a homeland free of communism and your evil government.” Another was more blunt: “Count me out!!!! I will not betray my homeland by supporting its oppressors!!! Down with communism and all of you dictators!!!”
Reports of pressure to sign also emerged in the comments. “Either you sign or you know what awaits you,” wrote one person. Another user claimed, “Even the signatures are fake; they blackmail and deceive people into signing.”
Those complaints align with recent reports from citizens who have resisted the official campaign, such as the case of neighbors in Cárdenas who collectively refused to sign an official document despite pressures and threats.
The economic crisis was also evident. "Today I went to the bank, and they only allowed me to withdraw 2000 pesos. Who can live on that in a country with disproportionate inflation?" wrote a Cuban. Another user sarcastically asked, "Are those signatures for the 7 pounds of rice?"
Discontent over the blackouts surfaced in phrases like "Sign for your blackout" and "Another blackout after they sign; the people of Cuba never learn." Another commentator issued a sarcastic warning: "Those who sign cannot go to the U.S. or curse Canel when the power goes out."
Among the responses, there were also plenty of mocking remarks such as “Bread and Circus,” “Circus without bread,” “Paper can hold anything you write on it,” and “What are they going to do with those sheets afterwards?”
The rejection on social media is not an isolated incident. In recent days, the poem “I Do Not Sign,” by José Martínez, against the official campaign has also gone viral, with verses that accuse those who sign of endorsing “the lack of bread, meat, and medicines.”
The campaign has also sparked controversy outside the island, after a Cuban living abroad called for support of the petition “in support of the Cuban revolution”, which led to criticism from users who questioned her defense of the regime from a capitalist country.
The reaction to the president's post, for its part, again highlights the growing gap between the regime's narrative, focused on sovereignty and external confrontation, and a citizenry that responds with demands for food, electricity, medicine, political freedoms, and concrete solutions to a crisis that the government continues to attribute mainly to the U.S. embargo.
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