Comments on Cuban President Diaz-Canel’s Latest Podcast
By Francisco Acevedo
HAVANA TIMES – Our beloved Miguel Diaz-Canel went viral again this week, with the release of his podcast dedicated to the transportation crisis. As expected, it turned into another show of praising the inefficiencies of the regime.
While many thought this was the first step due to the significance and sensitivity of the issue, it is actually the third episode of the media product called “From the Presidency.”
In the first episode, the Head of State commented on the events of March 17, when protests erupted in some parts of the country due to long blackouts and delays in the delivery of food rations. This last point was the central theme of the second episode.
In both programs, the narrative was consistent in justifying the government’s inabilities, being aggressive towards the United States (the only one responsible for all the problems), and employing the tactic of creating expectations.
The third episode was no exception. The Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez, began by acknowledging that Cuba is going through one of its worst moments in recent years. Five years ago, double the number of vehicles were in operation than today, which means that passenger circulation dropped from 5.9 million to 2.7 million.
According to the Minister, after the collapse of the Socialist Bloc (1991), there was a significant impact, but focusing only on the last five years, “today half of the bus routes do not operate regularly. Some buses have technical issues leading to their immobilization, while others face fuel shortages.”
Mobilizations associated with the Ministry of the Interior (MININT), the Armed Forces (FAR), or State Security are well-prepared and have fuel to repress; just remember how quickly they responded when the first secretary of the Communist Party in Santiago, Beatriz Jonson, gave her speech from a rooftop, prompting calls for freedom.
Now it seems we will start paying attention to internal public opinion polls, a method that has existed for a long time, always analyzed but never heeded. It was established over three decades ago by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba to gauge public sentiment through government agents in public places. But that’s hardly necessary since each agent is also a victim of everything happening around them, able to relate their own experiences or those of their family members about how the average Cuban suffers daily.
Clearly, the first thing the public demands regarding transportation is more buses, but according to the Minister, this desire is very costly, particularly due to US “financial persecution” (whose fault would it be otherwise?).
He mentioned that private transport is expensive, but if lower prices were imposted, it would be the only low-cost option in Cuba, given that the state itself started this mad race by increasing its interprovincial fares by road, air, and trains. Not to mention food prices, which continue to rise daily, as everything is increasing except the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
If the government acquires fuel and spare parts at wholesale prices and still raises its fares, how can it expect private individuals, who must buy everything on the illicit market, lower their prices?
Those who actually move the majority of the population today are the private vehicle owners (affiliated with the state or not) and they keep old 1950s vehicles running against all odds, which isn’t cheap. Those who belong to cooperatives receive fuel at subsidized prices, but they are the minority in this sector, and the supply is also inconsistent.
A significant percentage of buses purchased or donated within less than a decade end up in the junkyard due to a lack of parts, stolen by the same workers in state workshops.
The critical energy situation in Cuba forces officials to rush, leading them to embrace new management approaches. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Transport remains primarily responsible for keeping different types of vehicles running, as per the established system where private operators (collective taxis or trucks) serve as an alternative, but the main responsibility lies with the state.
Speaking of chicken, there was a moment to discuss cargo transportation, also suffering a decline to half of its pre-pandemic levels due to the US blockade, they noted.
Rodriguez mentioned four distortions. The first being that they can’t use the foreign currency they generate as it’s allocated elsewhere in the country (a slight jab at the government, by the way). Then he noted that payment for fares is in local currency, Cuban pesos, the only currency the government pays workers, and then he mentioned that state-run businesses operate differently from private ones (you don’t say?). This was the only moment a nod was given to private vehicle operators, acknowledging the factors driving their rates, recognizing that the state sector has access to the best markets and prices for fuel, lubricants, and spare parts.
Finally, the Minister commented that resource allocation for its plans does not align with the intended outcomes, another well-known issue.
Of course, to resolve everything, they proposed a series of measures, which may have been thought up that very day since this Transportation Minister and Diaz-Canel have held their positions for some time. However, it appears they prepared a series of new measures for the TV program, which are the hopeful part of each episode, as they create the illusion of progress. However, they avoid privatizing transportation, which is what’s missing.
Diaz-Canel ended the broadcast by mentioning the “creative resilience of the Cuban people.” In other words, nothing will change.