As a tourist traveling in Cuba, you cannot fathom much about the living conditions of Cubans. But you have to live among them for months to start understanding what they are experiencing under a one-party socialist government.
Free education and healthcare in Cuba are just pleasant to the ear of some. But the truth is not as sweet as it should be. Not only are simple painkillers like Acetaminophen, antibiotics, and dozens of essential medicines unavailable, but the Monthly salary of Cuban doctors is not even close to the salary of a doctor working in a developed country but is the same as an industrial worker!The lives of most Cubans are entirely dependent on their relatives, as most people receive financial support from their families abroad, and almost the majority of them live in the US, where Cuban refugees have been fleeing since the communist revolution.
Relatives living in foreign countries are providing money to the people inside Cuba, and the Cuban government scams people out of their money in many ways, in other words, legal scams, especially with the onset of the covid-19, has stroke the country and in result, the economy has been destroyed and practically bankrupted.
Over the past year, the Cuban government has equated the US dollar at 24 pesos, but there is no buying and selling at this price. The black market sets the dollar price at 60 Cuban pesos, which means Cubans have to spend up to three times as much money as in the past to meet their basic needs despite being paid by the government rate. On the other hand, most of the essentials are available in stores that require foreign currency and are not sold in Cuban pesos. This is why people are forced to buy from a reputable foreign exchange market and deposit the cash into their bank accounts to buy from specialty stores which now make up most of the stores in Cuba. Ordinary stores are usually empty or have little to sell, except occasional products such as chicken and frying oil which have long queues and sometimes it takes up to 7 hours to finally get their hands on the product and, usually due to running out of goods they have to return home empty-handed. Also, Cuban banks no longer accept the US dollar in response to US sanctions, which puts people under tremendous pressure. The route for the transfer of financial aid was also closed to the people, and Cubans are under brutally devastating pressure, and the situation is thoroughly inhumane and anti-human rights in this country.
But the vicious cycle is not over yet. If your relatives from another country deposit USD into your account, the cash is exchanged at an inaccurate rate which makes purchasing items not as easy as it sounds. For instance, if they are selling tomato paste which seldom happens, not only will it lead to a lengthy queue, but the prices will also multiply within the black market.
As a solution to its currency shortages, the government scams its citizens by manipulating the grocery prices. Again as an example, a tomato paste is bought for 2 US dollars. According to the government’s rate, the actual price should be 48 pesos, since the exchange rate in the black market is 50 pesos per dollar, the real price becomes 100 pesos. Undoubtedly, the government is fully aware of this otherwise, they would have labeled the product 48 pesos in regular stores. Furthermore, the sellers will sell the product for 200 pesos on the black market because it is scarce and unavailable in all stores. The price of this product easily quadrupled, and this was just one example, but the government strategy includes a lot of common and basic food and health needs, from soap to cloth.
In doing so, the government effectively and meanly offsets its budget deficit with dollars from people and remittances sent by relatives.
These government scams are everywhere, From medication to proper clothing, people count on postal parcels But customs charge a stone fee for packages over 1.5 kg. It does not matter what kind of mail is sent. All postage is paid at departure. The process differs from that of the world and, meaning the government is blackmailing the people, and the customs will benefit loads of money from you over the shortage people are experiencing.
If I want to allude to it all, I have to publish a thousand-page book rather than an article. Imagine the damage the government has inflicted upon its citizens. Cuba is renowned as a giant exporter of sugar, coffee, and cigars, yet they are scarce in the country or cost a great fortune.
In a government that blames sanctions for all its problems, such as food shortages to the lack of medicines, even manipulates the truth in the media, people often have to buy German or American packed chicken and foreign medication in-state pharmacies. The living conditions are getting worse day by day whether it’s Mr. Raul Castro or Mr. Manuel Diaz. Neither television nor newspapers give the slightest criticism against this incapable government, which only blames sanctions; and, claiming reform, but not taking any further action.
By K1.
