What Cuban people need is an end to the blockade, not “regime change”
By Alejandra Garcia, from Havana
On March 17, a group of Cubans took to the streets of Santiago de Cuba in the east of the island, to show their dissatisfaction with the economic situation in the country. In recent weeks, fuel shortages have caused long hours of scheduled blackouts, especially in that city, which along with food shortages and salaries strongly affected by inflation have turned the daily life of Cubans into an odyssey of frustration.
Immediately after the news broke, the hegemonic media of North America and some sectors of the ultra-right-wing in Florida and other parts of the world tried to take advantage of the circumstances to bring about a change of regime in the country. They hoped that what began as a peaceful protest amid a painful economic situation would multiply throughout the island and turn into a social outburst that would lead Cubans to confront one another.
It hurts how they dismiss the real causes of the economic crisis in Cuba, which includes, above so many other reasons, the US economic blockade that has continued non-stop against the island for over 64 years, preventing us from establishing trade relations with the rest of the world and, therefore, our own development. The opportunists look at us from a distance with hamburgers in hand and want us to get heated up, with sticks in hand against the government, as if they were attending one of the battles of the US bestseller The Hunger Games.
On March 17, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel acknowledged on the social network X that people had expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation. He warned that this context is being taken advantage of by the enemies of the Revolution “for destabilizing purposes.” Their objective has nothing to do with the needs of the Cuban people.
Diaz-Canel denounced that terrorists based in the United States are encouraging actions against the internal order of the country. The president also reiterated the willingness of the Cuban authorities of the Communist Party, the State and the Government to attend to the demands of the Cuban people.
“We are willing to listen, dialogue and explain the many steps taken to improve the situation, always in an atmosphere of tranquility,” he said and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to “work in peace to overcome the current situation, despite the blockade that seeks to suffocate the nation.”
While the president took the podium to assure the people that they are not alone and that the government understands, listens and acts, the US embassy took to social media to speak about “human rights.” On the official X account, the diplomatic headquarters in Havana posted, “We are aware of reports of peaceful protests in Santiago, Bayamo, Granma and elsewhere in Cuba, with citizens protesting the lack of food and electricity. We urge the Cuban government to respect the human rights of the protestors and address the legitimate needs of the Cuban people.” Spoken like they are innocent concerned bystanders.
On March 18, US Chargé d’Affaires Benjamin Ziff was summoned to the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Deputy Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío, who formally expressed Cuba’s firm rejection of the US government and embassy interference and slanderous messages regarding internal affairs of the Cuban reality.
“How cynical and despicable to ask the government of Cuba to satisfy the needs of its people, when your government has been applying a brutal siege for 60-plus years to deprive my people of the essentials and cause its suffocation,” denounced Cuba’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Josefina Vidal.
The destabilization plan and its execution are obvious for all to see. It rests on the reinforcement of a ruthless economic war to provoke and exploit the natural irritation of the population. It is financed with tens of millions of dollars from the US federal budget every year.
According to a statement issued by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the plans have a powerful technological infrastructure to exploit digital networks from US territory for aggressive purposes. They enjoy the complicity of important US and international mainstream media and the mercenary support of people based mainly in South Florida, whose only livelihood is the industry of aggression against the island.
What do Cubans need? To reject the suffocation to which we are subjected to, the lack of access to food, inflation, bureaucracy, corruption and internal problems that can be solved – but we will do that. And above all, we condemn the determination of the US government to limit and hinder every effort of the Cuban State to find solutions and provide answers to the economic and social needs of the country.
It is actually quite simple – as a sovereign country we are resolute in our insistence that we will build our society without the dictates of any country.
Resumen Latinoamericano – English
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