Latest news with #Havana
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Cuba minister resigns after saying her country has no beggars
A Cuban minister who sparked criticism after saying that there are no beggars in Cuba, only people disguised as such, resigned on Tuesday. Cuba's presidency said in a post on X that Minister of Labour and Social Security Marta Elena Feito Cabrera 'acknowledged her errors and submitted her resignation'. Feito made the on Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. The comments went viral, prompting calls for Feito's impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years. Even Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was critical. Without mentioning her by name, but referring to the meeting at the National Assembly committee where Feito participated, Diaz-Canel said on his X account: 'the lack of sensitivity in addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The revolution cannot leave anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility'. The economic crisis in Cuba has increased social vulnerability and led to unusual scenes for the island, such as – especially the elderly – begging or scavenging through garbage, or some cleaning windscreens at corners. '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,' Feito said before the National Assembly committee. 'In Cuba there are no beggars.'
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuban minister resigns after downplaying poverty
The labor minister in economically depressed Cuba resigned Tuesday amid an uproar over her claim that people rummaging through garbage cans were only pretending to be poor and not truly desperate. Such scenes of acute need are common in Cuba, especially in Havana, as people in the communist run country grapple with runaway inflation, meager wages and food shortages, causing some to resort to panhandling or eating out of the trash. The labor minister who denied this, Marta Elena Feito, who also oversees the social security system, "acknowledged her mistake and tendered her resignation," Cuban state media said Tuesday, adding that she had shown a "lack of objectivity and sensitivity." On Monday, Feito told a parliamentary committee meeting about measures to address poverty that people rummaging for food in garbage bins are in fact dressed up to look like beggars. "When you look at their hands, when you look at the clothes those people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars. They are not beggars. In Cuba, there are no beggars," she said in statements broadcast live on state television. Social media users in the communist nation reacted with outrage, posting photos of people eating out of trash cans, while economist Pedro Monreal commented on X that there are "people disguised as 'ministers'" in Cuba. President Miguel Diaz-Canel entered the fray on X Tuesday to lambast Feito's "lack of sensitivity." He later told a parliamentary session that "none of us can act with arrogance, act with pretense, disconnected from the realities we live in." Beggars, added Diaz-Canel, are "concrete expressions of social inequalities and the problems" Cuba faces. Poverty levels have increased sharply as the Caribbean country reckons with its worst economic crisis in three decades, marked by shortages of food, medicine and fuel and daily power blackouts. Observers blame a combination of US sanctions, domestic mismanagement of the economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic tanking the nation's vital tourist industry. Last year, the government said there were 189,000 families and 350,000 individuals out of a population of 9.7 million living in "vulnerable" conditions and benefiting from social assistance programs. AFP has observed a marked increase in the last two years of homeless people and beggars on the streets of a country where the average monthly salary is less than $20 at the unofficial exchange rate. Cuba's economy shrunk for the second consecutive year in 2024, contracting 1.1 percent compared to 1.9 percent in 2023. lp/val/mlr/dw/jgc
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cuban minister faces backlash for saying there are no beggars in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — A Cuban minister sparked criticism Tuesday, including from the president, after saying that there are no beggars in Cuba, only people disguised as such, and suggesting that those who clean windshields at crossroads have an 'easy' life. Cuba's Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, made the comments on Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. They went viral, prompting calls for Feitós' impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years. The economic crisis in Cuba has increased social vulnerability and led to unusual scenes for the island, such as people — especially the elderly — begging or scavenging through garbage, or some cleaning windshields at corners. '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," Feitó said before the National Assembly committee. "In Cuba there are no beggars.' She added that people cleaning windshields use the money to 'drink alcohol.' Feitó also lashed out against those who search through the garbage dumps. She said they are recovering materials 'to resell and not pay tax.' Without mentioning her name, but referring to the meeting at the National Assembly committee where Feitó participated, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on his X account: 'the lack of sensitivity in addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The revolution cannot leave anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility.' Until a few years ago, despite the poverty, there were no signs of begging or homelessness on the island thanks to benefits that have now been greatly reduced. The pension of a retiree is about 2,000 Cuban pesos per month, roughly $5 on the informal market, and just under the cost of a carton of eggs. For those who don't receive remittances from family abroad, it means going hungry. Self-employed Enrique Guillén believes the minister is wrong and that some people do not see the situation clearly, and hopes the government will take action. '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,' Guillén said. On Monday, island authorities reported that Cuba's gross domestic product fell by 1.1% in 2024, accumulating a decline of 11% over the past five years. Andrea Rodríguez, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Cuban minister faces backlash for saying there are no beggars in Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — A Cuban minister sparked criticism Tuesday, including from the president, after saying that there are no beggars in Cuba, only people disguised as such, and suggesting that those who clean windshields at crossroads have an easy life. Cuba's Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, made the comments on Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. They went viral, prompting calls for Feitó's impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years. The economic crisis in Cuba has increased social vulnerability and led to unusual scenes for the island, such as people—especially the elderly—begging or scavenging through garbage, or some cleaning windshields at corners. '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,' Feitó said before the National Assembly committee. 'In Cuba, there are no beggars.' She added that people cleaning windshields use the money to drink alcohol. Feitó also lashed out against those who search through the garbage dumps. She said they are recovering materials to resell and not pay tax. Without mentioning her name, but referring to the meeting at the National Assembly committee where Feitó participated, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on his X account: 'The lack of sensitivity in addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The revolution cannot leave anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility.' Until a few years ago, despite the poverty, there were no signs of begging or homelessness on the island thanks to benefits that have now been greatly reduced. The pension of a retiree is about 2000 Cuban pesos per month, roughly $5 on the informal market and just under the cost of a carton of eggs. For those who don't receive remittances from family abroad, it means going hungry. Self-employed Enrique Guillén believes the minister is wrong and that some people do not see the situation clearly and hopes the government will take action. '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,' Guillén said. On Monday, island authorities reported that Cuba's gross domestic product fell by 1.1 percent in 2024, accumulating a decline of 11 percent over the past five years.
Washington Post
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Cuban minister faces backlash for saying there are no beggars in Cuba
HAVANA — A Cuban minister sparked criticism Tuesday, including from the president, after saying that there are no beggars in Cuba, only people disguised as such, and suggesting that those who clean windshields at crossroads have an 'easy' life. Cuba's Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, made the comments on Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. They went viral, prompting calls for Feitós' impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years.
