Passport, Impudence and Socialist Advertising in Cuba
HAVANA TIMES – After decades of the Cuban government draining the money and energy of emigrants by making them pay extremely high prices for a passport that is of little use, it has decided to “play good.”
On May 16, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced several measures which they say aims to facilitate the return of Cuban exiles to Cuba and their participation in the social, economic and political life of the island.
The ten years of validity that the passport will now have (for people over 16 years of age), the elimination of the extension requirement every two years and the setting of a single tariff are not kindnesses or favors that the Cuban government does. Plus, these are modifications that were always at their fingertips and demanded (and ignored) for years.
Even so, the measures (which are just and necessary to stop exploitation and shamelessness) do not guarantee or protect the rights of Cuban emigrants.
A few days before the announcement of the new immigration measures, the Cuban authorities published the latest version of the social communication bill. It must be approved on May 25, 2023.
With the entry into force of the bill, the power of citizens to demand public information will be restricted (even more); the content that can be disseminated will be limited (even more); and the financing of the state press will be controlled (even more). Oh, and soon the island’s media will be swarming with something called “socialist advertising.”
