A Harsh Reality / Fernando Dámaso

Fernando Damaso, 28 August 2016 — In the few existing spaces for public opinion in the Cuban official media (Letters to the Editor in the newspaper Granma, A similar space called “Acknowledgement” in the newspaper Juventud Rebelde (Rebel Youth), a page in the newspaper Trabajadores (Workers),  “Papelitos Speak” on the Havana Channel, and “Cuba Says” on Cubavisión and others), people’s complaints, are set against incompetent, bureaucratic, irresponsible and indolent officials who fail to meet their obligations and allow problems to accumulate and increase.

Equally those responsible for these spaces ensure the complaints remain at this primary level and, rarely, go up the ladder to government agencies and institutions. It seems that all the deplorable events happen only because of the functionaries, because above them everything is perfect and no one takes responsibility for them.

However, it can not be that so many officials from different agencies and institutions (the electric company, the phone company, public health, education, housing, physical planning, water and sewer, communal services, transportation, work and social security, justice, the national bank, the People’s Power, etc.) are so unprofessional and inept.

We have to wonder if these “qualities” are not also present in the agencies and institutions and, logically, even in the “system.” It seems that, really, what doesn’t work is the latter, for the simple reason that it is useless. More than fifty-five years and the same problems increase, and new ones are added, and without any real solutions. All this is proof of it.

They can continue to make calls to patriotism, discipline, efficiency and everything they want, but until the ever growing needs of citizens are not satisfied and people are allowed to freely develop their initiatives and talents, it is a waste of time.

Unfortunately, and not only in Cuba, socialism has proved a failure as a “political, economic and social system.”