The Cuban baritone and cultural promoter Ulises Aquino Guerra published a critical reflection on the economic and social situation in Cuba this Wednesday on Facebook, in which he questioned the regime's insistence on defending the socialist state enterprise as the cornerstone of the national economy, while Cubans are facing shortages, insecurity, and increasingly deteriorating services.
“To continue insisting on the 'Socialist' State Enterprise as a bastion of the Cuban economy is proof that there is no real project for economic structuring. Enterprises are just enterprises; they are neither socialist nor capitalist; they can be state-owned or private; the term socialist is unnecessary unless it is used to justify the state's and government's intervention in their operations”, wrote Aquino, who has published several critical reflections in recent years regarding the management of the Cuban government.
Aquino noted that he has chosen to remain silent for weeks given the seriousness of the situation, because "those who were appointed to make the decisions feel fully capable of doing so, without the need for public opinion or economists." His conclusion was decisive: "The reality is that maintaining those designs has led us to a setback of a century."
The Prime Minister Manuel Marrero reaffirmed last September that the state socialist enterprise is, by constitutional mandate, “the main subject of the national economy”, within the framework of the 176 measures for economic transformation approved by the National Assembly in June 2026. Following the failure of the Ordering Task in 2021, Havana continues to insist on measures that do not improve the daily lives of Cubans.
Aquino compared Cuba to Haiti. "Looking at the images from Haiti, we can recognize the level of marginalization in Cuban life; the neighborhoods and settlements are similar to any area in Cuba, with the same exceptions of high-end neighborhoods. Regarding the gangs, they are more advanced; they have better weapons and ammunition. The insecurity here is reaching unprecedented extremes in our country. I wonder how much longer we can endure this. Is it really worth enduring what we are experiencing?"
Among the topics Aquino addressed in his text, he dedicated a section to the decline of services from ETECSA: «It turns out that now they are worse than before; however, they present a fleet of new and shiny electric vehicles without showing any improvement even in the most expensive mobile phone service in the world». The state telecommunications company has maintained since May 2025 a pricing scheme that limits top-ups in Cuban pesos to 360 CUP per month and offers additional data only in dollars or in Cuban pesos to students and other sectors.
Aquino also denounced the conditions faced by travelers returning to the island loaded with food and hygiene products, due to the scarcity in the local market: “The Customs is relentless with travelers and puts them through a torment at the airport, inspecting them and making them wait up to four hours after a journey.” Cuban Customs expanded its inspection powers in April 2026 with the implementation of the Decree-Law 108.
"Meanwhile, they continue talking about Socialist State Enterprises and continuity, but life goes on, it comes to an end, without a single decision that at least inspires hope in our fellow countrymen," Aquino concluded, with a question that summarizes the tone of his entire reflection: "I wonder how much longer we can endure this. If it is really worth enduring what we are experiencing."
Related videos:
Filed under: