14ymedio, Havana, August 12, 2022 — The Cuban Conflict Observatory (OCC) is sponsoring a competition — “What Do You Know about Gaesa?” — in which all Cubans living on the Island are invited to participate.
To participate, contestants must answer a series of questions:
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- Can you explain why so much has been invested in hotels when half their rooms have been unoccupied since 2018?
- Why has this money not been invested in power plant maintenance, food production, housing construction, health and medication, or in a lightning rod system for supertankers in Matanzas?
- Why is Gaesa not required to report its earnings to the Comptroller General of the Republic of Cuba?
- How do you think these problems with Gaesa might be solved?
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Answers may be sent either by email to concuba2020@gmail.com or by Whatsapp to +1 305 926 0852. The deadline for entries is October 10, 2020.
The contest offers a first prize of 300 dollars, a second prize of 250 dollars and three third prizes of 100 dollars. Five award-winning mentions come with telephone recharges.
In a statement released on Thursday, the OCC notes that the Business Administration Group, Inc. (Gaesa) is an “umbrella organization controlled by army generals who control 60% of the nation’s economy and more than 40% of hotel rooms in Cuba yet are not required to report the company’s earnings to the Cuban people
The source of funds for hotel construction remains a mystery. The government has not announced any significant for investment in this sector, which is controlled by Gaesa’s military leaders.
The OCC also mentioned that last year it invested 157 times more in hotel and real estate services than in health, and 366 times as much as in education, long touted by the Cuban regime as its two most historically important accomplishments.
OCC states it is not necessary for participants to provide their name, only a pseudonym, but does ask that they indicate the province in which they live, their sex, age and the best way to contact them.
Winners will be notified by email and announced in a press release on October 20, 2022.
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