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The Cuban singer-songwriter Israel Rojas, leader of the duo Buena Fe and one of the most visible cultural spokespeople for the Cuban regime, urged on Friday to undertake political transformations in Cuba, just hours after the National Assembly approved a package of 176 economic reforms.
The musician, a law graduate from a school under the Ministry of the Interior (Minint), praised the economic measures approved on Thursday but warned that they are not sufficient.
"I come to suggest that, just like these changes in the economy—prolonged to an irresponsible extent—it is very important to implement transformations in the ways of social participation and the exercise of politics in Cuba," he posted on his Facebook wall.
Rojas went further by detailing the extent of the changes he deems necessary: "Updates are needed, adjustments to reality, the evolution of some organizations, the disappearance of others, and the emergence of new ones."
The call is striking given the singer's history. During the protests on July 11, 2021, he appeared on state television endorsing the repression against the demonstrators.
In May 2023, he publicly denied the existence of political prisoners in Cuba. The opposition activist Guillermo "Coco" Fariñas described him as a "professional repressor" due to his training in the Minint.
However, in recent months, Rojas has shown a gradual shift. In February, he acknowledged a "policrisis" in the country; in March, he admitted that there are elderly people searching for food in the trash; and in May, he complained that the state media were ignoring his statements.
Friday's post marks his most explicit political statement to date, although without breaking from the revolutionary framework. Rojas does not question the system itself, but rather its stagnation.
"Perhaps more boldness and daring is needed than what has been lacking to attempt something different in the economic sphere. I hope it doesn't take too long. And I hope all of this isn't too late," he remarked.
Rojas concluded his publication with a promise of commitment that sounds like a calculated distance from power: "You can always count on me to seek the greatest amount of progress and human and national dignity possible."
The immediate backdrop is the largest package of economic reforms since the Special Period, approved on Thursday by the National Assembly. The 176 measures, organized into 23 strategic axes, include the authorization of private banking for the first time since 1959, private currency exchange, the conversion of state enterprises into commercial companies, and the removal of the 100-worker cap for micro, small, and medium enterprises.
Despite the extent of the measures, ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel insisted before the National Assembly of People's Power that "we are not renouncing socialism," while economist Pedro Monreal described the process as "late pragmatism," while warning that Cuba missed the opportunity to undertake gradual reforms in the style of China or Vietnam.
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) projects a contraction of the Cuban GDP by 6.5% for 2026, which would make the island the worst-performing economy in Latin America for the second consecutive year.
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