Cuban-American businessman Carlos Saladrigas, president of the Cuba Study Group, issued a strong warning this Monday while analyzing the economic reforms presented by Miguel Díaz-Canel last Friday: "The time has run out for the country."
Saladrigas made these statements in an interview with Tania Costa, in CiberCuba, where he evaluated the package of economic reforms announced by Díaz-Canel on June 12, which includes greater municipal autonomy, opening up to investment from the diaspora, and reducing the number of ministries from 27 to 20.
The president of the Cuba Study Group acknowledged, as a positive development, that Cubans abroad will be able to invest on equal terms with foreigners, but he harshly criticized the rest of the package. He turned to the famous advertisement from Wendy's to illustrate his skepticism: "Where's the beef? When they bring you the hamburger, where's the beef in the hamburger? And the beef is missing."
The observation highlights a historical pattern: many of these measures were already included in the Guidelines of 2010-2011 approved at the VI Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, and were never fully implemented. Fifteen years have passed without the regime providing any real follow-up on its own promises of decentralization.
Saladrigas demanded immediate legislative action: "I don't understand why they can't just say: starting tomorrow, the People's Assembly will debate this measure and the reform will be passed."
He also added that each measure must have a solid legal basis and be consistent with the others. "What is the legal basis for each of these reforms? And they all have to be consistent with one another. Otherwise, they won't work."
Regarding the geopolitical context, Saladrigas referred to the peace agreement between the United States and Iran, which is expected to be signed this Friday, June 19, in Switzerland, as a factor that could speed up timelines for Cuba by diverting Washington's attention. Although he acknowledged that this process may have been a distraction, he stated, "I believe, and I am among those who believe, that the administration and the Secretary of State still prefer a change without the need for military intervention."
However, he warned that U.S. pressure is also impacting the Cuban people, making the situation "very critical, very dangerous, and very difficult."
Saladrigas described the moment as an exercise in extreme precision. "We are reaching a point where a fine-tuning of the volume is necessary, and if it slips a little, the humanitarian crisis becomes something extremely severe, and it is already happening."
"If we make these changes poorly, all of this will impact the economy. It will delay foreign investment, and we will fall into 17,000 disputes, 17,000 problems, such as the issues related to claims on existing properties."
For Saladrigas, what is at stake is not just the economy, but the well-being of an entire population. "There are millions of Cubans who, if order and rapid economic growth are not quickly restored, will face a prolonged humanitarian crisis for many years."
He was also emphatic in dismissing the delay strategy that the regime has historically employed. "Unfortunately, buying time can be a strategy, but it is not a reality; it yields no results." His final verdict left no room for ambiguity: the country has no more time to waste.
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