The reaction of Cubans on the island to the economic package that the government began implementing was excellent And for ordinary people and They begin to appear among intellectuals and officials. This is the case of Javier Pérez Capdevila, doctor of economic sciences and professor at the University of Guantanamo.
On his Facebook wall, an expert on science, technology and innovation programs and projects of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in that eastern province warned that The measures announced by the authorities are “based on cutting subsidies and rising prices, leading to a massive increase in poverty. So what stabilization are you talking about?”
“There are no ways out of economic stagnation, much less to reduce inflation.”, with a fiscal deficit that involves creating more liquid money, which does not stimulate the economy, but rather increases inflation. “I’m sure many economists in our nation’s capital have warned about this, but they were not listened to,” he warned.
Pérez Capdevila said that, As a scientist, it is your duty to be critical and not conform to what the government says. Because of this, I have been the target of baseless and ignorant attacks. I love my country and every day I am more concerned about its situation. If my posts on social media make you uncomfortable, let me tell you that I have no other option, because those who should listen to my opinion do not listen to me, they do not even pay attention to me.
He warned, “The measures announced in a confused and vague manner are expected to achieve macroeconomic stabilization, but are not a real solution, but only a starting point, and no guarantee.” That they will work.”
In reference to the reasons given by the authorities to justify the increase in electricity tariff for large consumers, he said: “I would like to know who was the mathematician or team of mathematicians who advised the government To confirm this: ‘The percentage of consumers below a certain number of kilowatts is the variable that determines whether the rest are high consumers.’ “This is an outrage that offends science and common sense.”
Regarding the increase of up to 600% in long-distance public transportation rates in Cuba, especially interprovincial buses, airplanes, and passenger trains, he stressed: “My Guantanamo also hurts me a lot, forgotten for many years. Granted, it is a victim of fatalism.geography, and is now subject to greater isolation due to transportation prices.
“I believe the economic impacts have been poorly measured and the social impacts we have on our health have not been calculated.“Knowing our travel needs due to the problems of the disease, which cannot be solved due to the lack of equipment and other means of diagnosis in our province,” he said.
He called for, “We want a government with more science, but this is not reflected in practice as it should be, because we are tired of talking. We have to stop pseudoscience and pseudoscientists.”
“You cannot save a country if you do not save the people, unless you have a distorted concept of the word country.”, to use the fashionable word: perversion. Because I feel like they don’t take us into account when they talk about the country, as if saving the country is saving an idea or a desire, which is extremely illogical,” he concluded.
Dozens of people, especially students and workers at the University of Guantanamo, supported his views on the platform of his publication.
“It is surprising that in order to approve a new family code, it was analyzed and discussed to the point of exhaustion (its effective, consistent application; um, this is a topic of in-depth discussion); however, the increase in e.g. Issues Barbara Liz Cuna Quintana said, the prices of basic services such as transportation and electricity, which could deepen existing deprivations of ordinary citizens and give rise to more corruption and illicit enrichment, were approved without delay Is.
For his part, Carlos Martínez pointed out that “They no longer even leave you room to doubt whether what they do can be in favor of the people or not. This small group shamelessly acts in favor of their own interests, no matter what happens to their people; He is not interested in anything, only in guaranteeing his family’s wealth at any cost. They don’t listen to anyone with ideas and a genuine desire to help; “Their class is being increasingly divided from the rest and I don’t think it will continue to be tolerated so brazenly.”
While Yami Yami, a university student trained at the Guantanamo Higher Education Center, reflected: “You say something and it hurts me a lot: they don’t want to listen. Why? Can anyone tell me why they ignore people’s opinions? They are visible day by day, not only on Facebook, there are also many opinions in the Cuban digital press where frustration, disappointment and distrust in the government can be seen. “They don’t want to listen, they know it, they just do what they want.”
General dissatisfaction with the measures, many of which will come into effect from February 1, has forced Miguel Díaz-Canel will have to go out and defend him on social networks at least three times in at least two weeks.
On Thursday the president began a tour of Cuba to convince the public that the package is necessary. At his first stop in the Bahía Honda municipality of Artemisa, the president acknowledged that he is being harsh, but repeating his mantra, he accused the counterrevolution of tearing him apart.
“There is a lot of noise around economic measures and I know that is creating a lot of uncertainty, And on top of that, the counterrevolution is greatly undermining these measures,” he said.
However, while the first advance effects of the package are being appreciated (increased price of gasoline and diesel on the black market; increased private taxi rates), Cubans are beginning to react not only on the network: This week, there were protests and confrontations between neighbors and police in Palma Soriano, Santiago de CubaFollowing the alleged vandalism of two dollar stores.