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The Cuban citizen Elizabeth González Aznar published on Facebook an open letter addressed to the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, in which she poses a question that encapsulates the frustration of millions: why should the Cuban people trust him and his government?
The text emerges days after the announcement of the 176 economic measures approved by the National Assembly on June 18, 2026, the largest reform package since the Special Period of the 1990s, to which González Aznar responds with skepticism and pain.
"Trust is earned, President. Attitudes such as responsibility, loyalty, and consistency strengthen trust, while lies, betrayals, and erratic or unpredictable behavior undermine it," writes the author.
For González, trust cannot be demanded without results, and the outcomes of eight years in power speak for themselves: "The life of the people has been deteriorating to the point that today we do not live; today we survive, or rather, we barely survive."
His diagnosis is clear and straightforward: "Today, after eight years, we do not have guaranteed basic services: electricity, water, gas, transportation, food, and health."
This adds to the fact that food and medicine are obtained on the street at prices that salaries cannot cover, while the regime has consolidated an elite that lives in another reality: "We have reached a divided Cuba like never before, with an elite enjoying great benefits. An elite that you yourselves have strengthened with your measures, and today they live parallel to the people, but in another dimension, in the other Cuba that exists."
In light of the new package of reforms, the author asks what many Cubans quietly wonder: "Now, with 176 measures, will everything improve? Why, President? Why should we believe it will? Why trust? Who assures us that it won't be like the thousands of laws, measures, and programs implemented over the past eight years that many have failed?"
One of the strongest points made in the text highlights the complete lack of self-criticism from the government: "It's difficult to believe, Mr. President, that after eight years, with no structural changes in your administration, you will now achieve a change."
González recalls that throughout this time, Díaz-Canel has never acknowledged any responsibility for the crisis, and in his interviews, he has attributed the suffering of the people solely to the U.S. embargo, "aspects that are real but existed long before his government, meaning they are not new in his term."
The author also refers to the controversial statement made by the leader about "beating pots," in which he suggested that Cubans direct their protests against Washington: "This is disheartening because it is a death sentence for the Cuban people, as it does not depend on us to remove it, even if we were to beat pots against them, as he advised. So as long as they continue, our lives are condemned."
It is a reference that resonates with particular severity: in October 2025, six people in Manicaragua were sentenced to up to six years in prison precisely for playing drums during the blackouts.
González is a recurring critical voice that has questioned the regime on multiple occasions, from blackouts lasting up to 20 hours to the expenditure on fuel for political events in honor of Raúl Castro.
Your letter concludes with a phrase that leaves no room for interpretation: "You will excuse me, but time has passed, and with it, our lives have been deteriorating for eight years, and that is not fair. So why trust?"
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