The Cuban economist Rolando Luis Pérez Vizcaíno criticized this Saturday the political stagnation that, in his opinion, characterizes the current regime in Cuba, which he accused of maintaining a discourse disconnected from the reality experienced by the population.
In a reflection published in the Facebook group Economistas libres de Cuba, Pérez recalled an anecdote he claims to have heard during the perestroika era in the Soviet Union when he asked a professor at the Plejánov Institute of Economics in Moscow what the term "inmovilismo" meant.
According to that account, the professor explained the evolution of Soviet socialism using the metaphor of a train moving toward its destination.
Under the leadership of Vladimir I. Lenin (1870-1924), when the railways were coming to an end, there was a call to build them with volunteer work to continue the journey.
Later, with Iósif Stalin (1878-1953), the same problem was resolved by forcing the population to work under coercion.
The image changes during the era of Leonid Brézhnev (1906-1982). At that point, according to the history cited by the economist, the train runs out of tracks again and comes to a stop.
The Soviet leader's response would have been to order the passengers to remain in their seats, acting as if the train were still in motion. "That is immobilism," the metaphor summarizes.
Pérez argued that this logic describes the current situation in Cuba where, he asserted, the government insists on official narratives that do not align with the everyday experiences of the population.
Among the examples he mentioned is the repetition of the official discourse asserting that there are no political prisoners in the country, the planning of long-term goals while the economic crisis deepens, and the insistence on a militaristic rhetoric that, in his opinion, has little to do with the real problems facing the country.
He also questioned what he perceives as a disconnect between the messages broadcast by state media and the daily lives of citizens.
He pointed out, for example, announcements about scientific or technological advances while serious material shortages persist, including the lack of medications.
The economist also criticized the official coverage of political campaigns that claim to have massive support from the population, stating that this assertion does not align with what is observed in everyday life.
Other examples mentioned in his reflection include the celebration of educational results amid the crisis in the school system and the display of material resources on state television that, he claims, do not reflect the actual conditions of public services.
In his conclusion, Pérez asserted that immobility consists of "presenting a virtual country that does not exist," while the population faces a reality characterized by economic and social decline.
The post generated dozens of comments on social media, where several users agreed in questioning the official narrative and denounced the gap between the government discourse and the living conditions on the island.
"Stagnation is continuing to say, after 67 years, that the embargo is the cause of our troubles," wrote a user identified as Juan Manuel.
Alexei Camejo went further. "More than inactivity, I would say it's a mummification of thought, of reasoning," while Carlos Alberto Díaz Prieto added, "The government brings up the past to speak of the bright future of the homeland, but they forget the present; it is not lived, it is not enjoyed; it is only sacrifice, work, hunger, misery, and desperation."
"Political immobility in Cuba is in its final phase. That train has come to a stop," wrote Niuris Guerrero González, summarizing what Cubans truly think of a regime that promises a future on decades-long timelines, while the present collapses each night with power outages.
New promises
The Cuban regime announced on Wednesday an energy transition plan that promises total electrical sovereignty by 2050, while the National Electric System has experienced at least seven collapses in the last 18 months and the available fuel barely lasts until the end of April.
According to the Minister of Energy and Mines, Vicente de la O Levy, the proposal aims to achieve 24% renewable energy by 2030, 40% by 2035 to eliminate fuel imports, and 100% renewables by 2050.
The announcement sparked a wave of sarcasm and outrage reminiscent of Raúl Castro's promise of a glass of milk, made on July 26, 2007, in Camagüey, and still unfulfilled nearly 19 years later.
The playwright Irán Capote captured the popular sentiment with irony by stating, "What could an additional 25 years mean? Just nonsense! A quarter of a century, no more, no less!"
Capote extended the logic of the official plan. "In 2050 we will create the plan so that in 2075 we can eat and live on our salary".
Meanwhile, the leader Miguel Díaz-Canel keeps his script unchanged. In an interview broadcasted on April 21 for the Brazilian media Opera Mundi, he once again blamed the embargo for all the ills.
"The blockade, I say this responsibly, is the main impact on the lives of Cubans," the leader emphasized, while dismissing the possibility of negotiating political changes with Washington and described the embargo as "the noose around the neck" of the Cuban people.
Citizens, however, do not believe him. An independent survey conducted by an alliance of more than 20 digital media outlets shows in its preliminary results that 94% of participants state that they do not trust the government at all.
Likewise, Díaz-Canel received the lowest individual rating, with 1.11 out of five. 75.1% support the transition to a liberal democracy with a market economy. The regime blocked access to the survey, but Cubans responded using VPNs.
Filed under: