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How Cuba's beggars led to the fall of its labour minister
A woman searches through a dumpster looking for useful items, in Havana, Cuba. Cuban Minister for Labour and Social Security resigned after claiming Cuba, a communist-run nation around 150 kilometres from Florida, has no beggars. AP
Cuba's labour minister has been forced to resign.
And it's all because of the country's beggars.
Cuban Minister for Labour and Social Security resigned after claiming Cuba, a communist-run nation around 150 kilometres from Florida, has no beggars.
But what happened exactly? Why have her remarks sparked such a backlash?
Let's take a closer look:
What happened?
Marta Elena Feitó-Cabrera, Cuba's Minister for Labour, said there were no such things as beggars in Cuba.
Cabrera claimed that people were begging and going through rubbish in order to make 'easy money'.
Feitó-Cabrera made the remarks during a session of Cuba's National Assembly.
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'We have seen people, apparently beggars, (but) when you look at their hands, look at the clothes these people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars, they are not beggars,' she said.
'There are no beggars in Cuba. There are people pretending to be beggars to make easy money', she said.
She said that those cleaning windshields use the money to 'drink alcohol.'
She accused those of going through the garbage as being 'illegal participants in the recycling service'.
She said they are recovering materials 'to resell and not pay tax.'
Feitó-Cabrera's remarks went viral in no time.
She was heavily criticised by both people in Cuba and Cubans abroad.
Many even called for her to be removed from office.
Even Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel took aim at her – albeit not by name.
Vendors wait for customers next to the trunk of their American classic car stuffed with homemade crisps and bread, in Havana, Cuba. The economic situation in Cuba is going from bad to worse. AP
Díaz-Canel succeeded Raul Castro in 2019, though Castro remains a huge influence both within the party and the country.
He said Cuba's representatives cannot 'act with condescension' or be 'disconnected from the realities' of the Cuban people.
'The lack of sensitivity in addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The revolution cannot leave anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility', Díaz-Canel later wrote on X.
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Cuban economist Pedro Monreal wrote on X: 'It must be that there are also people disguised as 'ministers''.
Some Cuban activists and intellectuals also published an open letter demanding her impeachment.
The letter said her remarks were 'an insult to the Cuban people'.
Feitó-Cabrera resigned on Tuesday.
Her resignation has been accepted by the Cuban Communist Party and the government.
Cuba's Presidency wrote on X that she 'acknowledged her errors and submitted her resignation' over a 'lack of objectivity and sensitivity' for issues that are 'at the centre of political and governmental management'.
Why such a backlash?
Her remarks came at an extremely unfortunate time.
The situation in communist Cuba, which has been under US sanctions for decades, is getting from bad to worse.
America imposed sanctions on Cuba in 1960 after the revolution led by Fidel Castro.
The US in 1961 launched a failed invasion of Cuba known as the 'Bay of Pigs'.
The operation, authorised by the John F Kennedy administration, is widely seen as one of the biggest foreign policy blunders in America's history.
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The US over the years also made numerous attempts to eliminate Castro.
While Barack Obama tried to thaw relations with Cuba during his time in office, his successor Donald Trump reversed the policy.
The sanctions on Cuba remain widely unpopular throughout the world.
Though 185 of 193 countries at the UN have voted to condemn US sanctions, Cuba remains under embargo.
Poverty levels are rising and food shortages are increasing.
The crisis has resulted in some people, particularly the elderly, being seen begging or going through garbage.
Some are even cleaning windshields at corners for change.
Fidel Castro was sworn in as premier of Cuba in 1959. America imposed sanctions on Cuba after the revolution led by Castro.AP/File Photo
Cuba's GDP in 2024 fell by 1.1 per cent. Over the past five years, it has shrunk by 11 per cent.
Travel and tourism remains a vital part of Cuba's economy. The island nation sees millions of tourists visit every year.
While many over the years praised Cuba for providing several benefits to its citizens including universal healthcare and pensions, the government has since cut back on several essential services.
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This isn't even enough to buy a single carton of eggs.
Those who have families abroad can survive on what they send back.
Others simply go without.
'They are elderly people who count on a pension that does not exist. They cannot even buy a carton of eggs. It is the reality we are living in Cuba,' Enrique Guillén, who is self-employed, said.
With inputs from agencies
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