Latin Analysis: Cuban Minister Resigns After Denying Street Poverty Amid Public Outcry
Cubadebate
Comments made last week by Cuba’s Minister for Work and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, sent shock waves across the island. Feitó Cabrera, who has been a minister since 2019, disputed claims that there are people begging on the street in Cuba, only those “pretending” to do so, during a speech to policymakers in the National Assembly. She argued that people who resort to cleaning windshields and begging at traffic lights are only doing so to fuel alcohol dependency issues, while those who are found to be searching for raw materials are just illegal self-employed workers who want to resell the items and avoid taxes.
These comments went viral, and less than two days later, Feitó Cabrera resigned from her government post in a flurry of controversy and public outrage. Although it is thought that the government forced her to step back, the language used in the official communication detailing Feitó Cabrera’s departure asserts that it is a “resignation”, marking it as the first instance of a senior official resigning from office in response to public pressure. Even the President criticized the comments made by the Minister, condemning the lack of sensitivity and reaffirming the revolution’s commitment to “leaving nobody behind”.
Not only do the Minister’s comments directly contradict the feeling and reality on the streets of Cuba, but also the data that she herself presented to the Council of Ministers last year. Although there are no official statistics that truly highlight the scope of poverty and insecurity on the island, the Minister’s findings outlined that over 3,700 people were living in just seven Social Protection Centers last year. 38 per cent of these people were under 60, with “no home to return to.” How Feitó Cabrera’s perspective on this lived reality has changed so dramatically over the last year is hard to comprehend, but highlights just how far removed from the daily struggle of the population she really is, echoing the newly popular right-wing shift of the Latin American region.
Poverty is a real and acute problem in Cuba. According to a 2024 study by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), 89 per cent of the population were expected to be living in extreme poverty last year, with 86 per cent “on the margins of survival”. 61 per cent of Cubans did not have enough to buy essentials, with only 15 per cent managing to regularly eat three meals a day.
Unacceptably high levels of poverty are the result of a series of unresolved economic pressures. Cuba, whose “centrally planned economy has been mired by stagnation for decades”, seems to be destined to continue that same path. In mid-July, the Economy Minister announced that the island has suffered a 1.1 per cent fall in growth over the last year, “on top of a 10 per cent decline since 2019”, while foreign currency revenues have dropped by around 30 per cent over the last few years. This reduction in foreign currency reserves has had disastrous consequences on food, fuel, and medicine supplies, causing crippling shortages. This has culminated in regular nationwide energy blackouts, and forced the Communist-led government to seek support from the UN last year as food shortages reached critical levels. Foreign debt reached $19.7 billion in 2020, and this is set to continue because of Cuba importing significantly more than it exports.
This culminated in Cuba being named “2021’s most miserable country” by Hanke’s Misery Index. Then, in 2023, it was recognized as the poorest country in Latin America, ahead of Venezuela, a country that has been experiencing a mass exodus of its citizens due to its dire social and economic conditions. Given this, and the fact that the government had to call in help from the United Nations to ensure that the nation’s children were fed just last year, many began to feel like there was no hope left in Cuba. Thus, between 2022-23, it is thought that the country’s population fell by 18 per cent, due to many people fleeing in search of a better future.
From the perspective of the Cuban regime, the blame for the country’s economic hardship and subsequently sky-rocketing poverty levels lies firmly with the United States, specifically due to the US trade embargo. This embargo means that “exports to Cuba and imports from Cuba are prohibited unless licensed”. These sanctions also apply to businesses and interests that are based outside of the United States but owned by US citizens, isolating Cuban products and businesses from huge global markets and financial opportunities. Although the UN has frequently called for these sanctions to end, they have persisted for over 60 years.
President Barack Obama did take steps to deescalate tensions and open lines of communication during his time in office, often referred to as his “Cuban thaw”. However, unfortunately for Cuba, subsequent administrations have rolled back these efforts. President Trump has even gone as far as tightening sanctions during his second term in office. Supposedly, this is in response to a perceived lack of progress in improving human rights in Cuba, but it has also been declared that the Trump administration hopes to “shut down all tourism to the island”. Cuba’s tourism industry, a sector that contributed around $8 billion to the island’s GDP in 2021, is a vital part of an otherwise fairly stagnant economy. Targeted attacks on this industry will spell further trouble for the island, who is already failing to import enough foodstuff and medicines to keep their population fed. The National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) signed recently by President Trump, will do nothing to make this situation any better.
Despite this, many onlookers are skeptical that the actions of the United States alone have been the sole cause of Cuba’s distress. Last year, it was recorded that 91 per cent of the population believed that the government was not managing the country effectively. Although the administration blames the trade embargo for all its misfortune, they must recognize the role they have played in creating this situation. For example, with regard to the national blackouts, many analysts have attributed their frequency and duration to a “lack of effective investment in critical infrastructure, such as the power grid, while pouring substantial funds into sectors like tourism”. Food shortages have also been worsened by domestic price controls. It is true that the US blockade has made international trade a hostile place for Cuba. However, its own government appears to also be failing to prop the country up from the inside.
Whoever is to blame for Cuba’s misfortune, one thing is for sure; Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera was not only misguided in her comments about poverty, but she was also completely denying the tragic and harsh reality of life for Cuban people. Poverty is not a choice on the island; it has now become the status quo for over 90 per cent of the population. Begging on the street is not an ‘easy’ option. However, for some, thanks to the neglect of both domestic and international leaders, it has become the only option. Something must be done. However, what the Minister represents is not just the ignorance of one person, but rather the inability of the whole regime to accept the consequences of its actions. No progress will be made if the government itself cannot recognize its failings, and how its own people have suffered.
