The Cuban regime's decision to maintain daylight saving time until November 2027 triggered a wave of ironic and skeptical comments on social media, where most Cubans agreed that the measure is irrelevant when power outages dominate much of the day.
The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security published a joint statement this Saturday justifying the measure due to the electricity crisis, attributing the fuel shortages to the U.S. embargo. According to the announcement, keeping the clock ahead will prevent an increase in power outages of 126 MW during the peak afternoon demand hours.
The citizens' response was decisive. "It doesn't matter what time it is if we have no power either at dawn or at dusk," wrote one user. Another was more straightforward: "If there's never any power, who are they saving for?"
Irony dominated the comments. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry anymore. In Cuba, time not only stops, but now we've officially frozen the clock until 2027. Living in an infinite time loop to 'save' a light that doesn't exist anyway," summarized a user.
Several pointed out the absurdity of the regime attempting to control even the weather. "Right now they want to command the sun and give orders to the moon," wrote one. "These people want to control even the Greenwich meridian," added another. A third summed it up: "They want to own everything—time, hours, travel, what you have to eat, what you should say. They are owners of everything."
There were also some who pointed out the immediate practical problem: "Now, when the cellphone changes automatically, we'll have to change it back again," a user warned, referring to the fact that smartphones will update the time by themselves next Sunday.
A user pointed out how blackouts force a reorganization of household tasks, even in the early morning: "That doesn't matter, because for Cuban women, there are no changes in time. You see them washing or cooking at any hour, at one in the morning or three in the morning. They're driving us crazy, with no set schedules."
Skepticism about the future was another recurring theme. "Can anyone explain to me when we will hit bottom? We've already passed the Earth's core, and I don't see an end," asked a user. "Wasn't this year supposed to be better? The more they say next year will be better, the worse it gets," another added. Someone else concluded, "One of the 176 measures has been implemented."
There were those who questioned the regime's authority to make these decisions. "In real life, they make the laws and arrange everything as they please. If they say summer lasts three years, it will last that long," wrote one commentator. Another quipped, "At this rate, they might as well make the four seasons disappear altogether. Well, it doesn’t matter if this is just an eternal darkness."
A minority viewed the decision positively. "It's a sensible measure. With the change in time, it gets dark earlier, and in fact, it makes it harder to cook for those who use wood and charcoal," argued one user. "Thank goodness they thought sensibly, because with the blackouts and public safety issues that Cuba has today, it’s not the time for it to get dark at five in the afternoon," agreed another.
The severity of the crisis is reflected in the forecasts from the Electric Union: this Saturday, the estimated generation availability was just 915 MW compared to a demand of 2,850 MW. Cuba has a direct precedent: from March 2004 to October 2006, it also continuously maintained daylight saving time due to an electrical crisis, but back then, power outages lasted up to six hours a day; now, in many areas, having electricity is the exception.
Related videos:
Filed under: