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The Cuban announcer and actress Laritza Camacho posed a question this Thursday that captures the skepticism of thousands of Cubans regarding the reforms announced by the regime: “Who guarantees that those who have done everything wrong will suddenly do everything right?”
The message, posted on his Facebook account, is a direct response to the "emergency economic and social agenda" that Miguel Díaz-Canel presented this Thursday before the National Assembly, expanding the package of economic reforms announced on June 12.
Camacho did not limit himself to questioning the government's ability to implement the changes it promises.
He also played with the double meaning of the verb "partir": "One cannot be both judge and party, so leave," he wrote, suggesting that those who have governed poorly should not reform but rather depart.
"I can't think of another idea, but I think it's really good. I hope they take it into consideration," the post concluded.
The reforms announced by Díaz-Canel include greater autonomy for state-owned enterprises and municipalities, openness to foreign investment in the private sector, elimination of mandatory intermediaries in foreign trade, reduction of ministries from 27 to between 20 and 21, and restriction of the basic basket to retirees and vulnerable individuals.
Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged this Thursday that there are "obstacles that do not come from outside or from the blockade" and admitted to "creative resistance" within the state apparatus.
The Communist Party of Cuba called an extraordinary plenary meeting on Wednesday to endorse the process, and the regime indicated that Raúl Castro gave the "green light" to the package.
Camacho's post unleashed a torrent of comments that reflect the accumulated distrust of Cubans after decades of unfulfilled promises.
Fernando Ruiz Ruano summarized it with a poignant phrase: "Those responsible for the disaster will never be the architects of the solution."
Marcia Gasca pointed to historical memory: "It's inconceivable that the same disruptors tell us they are going to restore order. We already saw this in 1989 with the 'Now we are really going to build socialism' slogan. And not a shred of shame when lying to us and trying to manipulate us."
Other commentators turned to proverbs: "A tree that grows crooked will never straighten its trunk," several users repeated. Zaida Delgado was more straightforward: "Thieves saying they are going to fix the fence."
Zenaida Carbonell summarized the feelings of the most vulnerable: "Life goes on the same for those on the ground and retirees. Nothing, that's just for entertainment."
Camacho has been systematically criticizing the regime on social media for months. In April, he denounced the waste in official events while people lack transportation.
In May, he questioned the government's double standards. On June 9, he demanded four concrete actions: to collect the garbage, to listen to the people, to grant amnesty to political prisoners, and to address the food crisis.
Editsan Ramírez Fonseca left perhaps the most bitter comment of all: "Another 50 years of measures and corrections of mistakes are ahead... Maybe our great-great-grandchildren will no longer experience blackouts and will be able to live like people in the modern world."
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