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The announcement of 176 economic measures that the Cuban government will implement sparked a wave of skeptical and critical comments among Cubans on social media, who perceive the package as a historical contradiction that the regime itself cannot hide.
Among the approved changes are the possibility for a single person to own multiple businesses, the authorization of private banking for the first time since 1959, the opening up to direct foreign investment in the private sector, and permission for the non-state sector to import and sell fuels at retail.
Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged at the closing session of the Extraordinary Plenary of the Central Committee of the PCC that many of these measures "were discussed and approved years ago, but became trapped in delays, bureaucracy, and postponed decisions."
The post on the CiberCuba Noticias page on Facebook immediately generated a strong response, with comments reflecting a distrust that has built up over decades.
"Behind every measure, they will put a barrier and a trap," wrote an internet user. "The mere fact that they say the state-owned enterprise will continue to be the pillar of the economy shows that what they are doing is buying time."
Others were more direct about the underlying historical contradiction: “If these reforms are correct today, someone needs to explain why they were incorrect yesterday. For decades, what is now presented as a solution was precisely prohibited or restricted.”
A third comment pointed out sarcastically: "Now we're really going to build socialism! Before, we were just practicing."
The criticism of the delay in adopting changes was another common theme. "It came too late. The country needs to be rebuilt; nothing is useful," wrote a user.
Another remarked, "How many things have just been unlocked that were not imposed by the U.S. If those had never existed, today Cuba would be a paradise in the Caribbean."
A user employed an economy of words that only conveys accumulated frustration: "Just leave, and the problem is solved."
On the wall of Facebook of the official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso, the internet user Roy Barthelemy captured the sentiments of many with a phrase that became the most shared comment: "In short, the capitalist nature of Cuban society is declared."
The irony is hard to ignore: what the regime prohibited for decades for ideological reasons—private investment, direct foreign trade, freedom of commerce, reduction of bureaucracy—is now being presented as the solution to the crisis that these same prohibitions helped to create.
The reforms are being announced at the worst economic moment for Cuba in decades: the electricity deficit exceeds 1,800 MW, with outages lasting up to 35 consecutive hours in some areas, and projections for GDP decline range from -6.5% to -15%.
The actress and broadcaster Laritza Camacho publicly asked who guarantees that those who have mismanaged the economy for 67 years are now capable of executing the changes effectively, a question that encapsulates the widespread skepticism.
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