14ymedio, Havana, 30 December 2021 — Marino Murillo has caused many annoyances, both to ordinary Cubans and to his own home, the Communist Party. In charge of designing the major economic changes that came into force this year — for which the foreign press saddled him with the nickname of reform czar — and architect of the ’Ordering Task’, he has shown how it is possible to lead the Titanic ship directly to an iceberg.
The Tarea Ordenamiento — Ordering Task — took many years to design, but its failure has been of such magnitude that, before it was two months old, a remodeling was already underway. Marino Murillo, who appeared at the end of last year and at the beginning of this on numerous occasions to explain how things would work (well) in Cuba from that moment, advanced that the ’basic basket’ — offered under the rationing system — would include some new services and would cost, inn accordance with prices, about 1,300 pesos. Whether the chicken or the egg came first no one knows, but with that reference the new state wages were adjusted.
Barely a few months had passed when the price of the ’basket’ was already around 3,000 pesos, to the chagrin of Cubans, who find themselves unable to cope with the galloping rise in prices afflicting the island every day.
Murillo was partially ousted in April, when the Political Bureau of the Communist Party was renewed by more than 20% and Murillo, also head of the Commission for the Implementation and Development of the Guidelines, left the leadership.
However, in November the Party gave him a second chance by appointing him president of Tabacuba, the State tobacco company which has experienced very tense moments this year due to the lack of tobacco, one of the main products of the Island. The Cubans greeted the appointment with fear; among the congratulatory messages, irony reigned.
“Many congratulations. It is undoubtedly a recognition for you for the excellent results you obtained in 2021. Don’t throw out, recycle.”
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