The crisis does not distinguish species
September 28, 2022
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n last September 25, the vote was carried out
vote to endorse the new “Family Code”. As has been mentioned in various press releases, including some of the publications that have been made on the Food Monitor Program portal, this family code includes some new provisions that are quite innovative in terms of recognizing various types of family and, in addition , recognizes socio-affective relationships that include same-sex couples, which allows the establishment of relationships between family members in the second degree of consanguinity, despite having custody disputes, and determines the co-responsibility of food among the different members who have purchasing power to meet this need.
At first glance, both the content of the new code and its submission to a popular referendum give the impression of a renewal of the so-called "popular democracy", a product of the Revolution, although it is not, however, as had already been noted in editions previous acknowledgments of the situation of many family nuclei that are not made up in the manner of the traditional family, is a de jure Recognition, of a de facto situation already established for a long time.
These "advances" in terms of legal recognition of part of the population in Cuba do not solve the most crucial problem of family composition. Despite recognition of people in vulnerable conditions: minors, the elderly, people with disabilities, etc., to whom sections are dedicated, there is no effective provision in terms of assistance.Despite including the word "disability" 92 times in the new Code, as well as including the word "food" 92 times, for practical purposes, this code recognizes the inability of the guardianship of the State to provide a service that from the beginning of the Revolution was one of the greatest flags of the Regime: nobody goes hungry in Cuba.
And it is that the situation of food insecurity does not give up. The rise in the price of the dollar on the international currency market, which is due, among other things, to the increase in interest rates proposed by the United States Federal Reserve, _cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ya has a strong impact on the chicken and flour market for Cuban households that translates into price inflation.The exchange rate exceeded the indicators of the Special Period, reaching 150 Cuban pesos (CUP) per dollar, affecting the exchange rate of the MLC and the Euro, which is dizzyingly close to 200 CUP in both cases.Despite the fact that there are apparently favorable provisions for Cuban families, what the new Family Code actually manifests is the State's inability to provide the right to food. In a more or less direct way, the State transfers the problem of food to society, but it still does not grant the openings and freedoms necessary to be able to guide a free market or mixed economy that has the necessary conditions to be sustainable.
It is worth saying that the State has begun to have new measures so that small and medium-sized companies in the non-state sector (euphemism to say private) can produce and export some staple foods. Thinking about the future, the regime is looking to create the conditions so that these companies can compete on an equal footing with State exporting companies. In reality, as CubaNet reported last month, it is a reconversion of established companies, most of them state-owned, and the implementation of a cumbersome process for private companies, which surely will not have the possibility of participating on equal terms. conditions due to the procedures to which they must be submitted.
And the endorsement of the Code comes with sinister omens. Material responsibilities are transferred when the capacity of the State will face the greatest tensions to its diminished power. Already with an approval of 66%, its own supply remains in the hands of society. In the middle of the cyclone season, Ian is approaching the western part of the island, already with "lethal for people" winds and with the certainty that it will make landfall near the capital, according to the report of theNational Hurricane Center from United States. According to this analysis, floods, landslides and heavy rains are expected in this part of Cuba. It will be necessary to add, then, to the power cuts, difficulties for the terrestrial supply, of drinking water and other essential services for the Cuban society. This, without counting the forecast of material damage and the potential loss of life, human and animal, that hurricane winds can bring.
This symptom of trying to resolve material situations through legal means is a sign of the weakening of the State and, eventually, it could be the door for more demonstrations in the remainder of 2022.
Podría pensarse, como lo hacen muchos desde fuera, que es el bendito “bloqueo” el que tiene a Cuba en esta situación. Paradójicamente, con la reluctancia a enviar alimentos por parte de viejos socios comerciales del régimen debido al incumplimiento en los pagos, el flujo de alimentos provenientes de Estados Unidos ha aumentado en términos relativos. Y bueno, si hay “bloqueo”, no se explica cómo es posible que embarcaciones de la armada rusa entren a puertos cubanos y hagan “juegos de guerra” cerca de la isla. Tal vez sea una iniciativa de la administración Biden para aplicar un nuevo “deshielo” o, simplemente, la desidia hacia América Latina de la política exterior estadounidense de los últimos dos mandatos presidenciales.
No se percibe capacidad o voluntad por parte del régimen para paliar esta situación interna o externa, y ya sus viejos socios políticos internacionales han perdido la fe en el proyecto revolucionario. Cada vez son menos los apoyos que recibe Cuba en materia de relaciones bilaterales, y hay una seria desconfianza, tanto interna como externa, en la capacidad de gestión de la nueva generación.
Los efectos de esta complicada puesta en escena no son mera especulación. El deterioro nutricional y psicológico en la población es cada vez más evidente. “Guapear” alimentos tiene un coste psicológico importante en la ciudadanía, que presenta con mayor frecuencia desórdenes de ansiedad y depresión, trastornos metabólicos y una inmunodeficiencia causada por una mala nutrición. Aunque esporádicas y de menor impacto, las manifestaciones se han vuelto comunes y, en el futuro, podrían ganar fuerza y tener un efecto en el sistema político del país. Pero tal vez aún falte mucho para evidenciar este tipo de escenarios; sin embargo, a medida que pasa el tiempo, la situación alimentaria y de bienestar general se vuelve más grave.
Sin una solución a la vista, ya que las denuncias ante instancias internacionales han venido cogiendo fuerza recientemente, ¿qué le queda a la ciudadanía que aún permanece en la isla? Ya ni siquiera las palabras de aliento son suficientes. Podrían pensarse en diferentes escenarios que les permitan guardar esperanza en esta situación de cautiverio generalizado. Definitivamente, una transición del totalitarismo al autoritarismo competitivo, à la Franco en España, es impensable, pues no se cuenta con las condiciones internacionales ni los incentivos para que los revolucionarios originales hagan una pequeña transición a la apertura política y económica. Lo impredecible de una situación como la rumana, ad versus Ceaușescu, requeriría de condiciones geográficas, históricas y sociales que no se cumplen, o acaso el surgimiento de una resistencia social sería el único camino posible.
La promesa de un sistema socialista que garantice el bienestar de todos sus ciudadanos ha demostrado ser insostenible bajo las actuales circunstancias económicas, políticas y sociales. La falta de alimentos de calidad, la crisis energética y la insatisfacción generalizada han llevado a una creciente desesperanza entre la población.
Para los observadores internacionales y los actores involucrados en la ayuda humanitaria, es imperativo entender la complejidad de la crisis cubana y abordar sus causas de manera integral. La presión diplomática y la cooperación internacional pueden desempeñar un papel crucial en la búsqueda de soluciones. Los organismos internacionales deben aumentar su atención y apoyo, no solo proporcionando ayuda inmediata, sino también promoviendo reformas estructurales que puedan llevar a una mejora sostenible de las condiciones de vida en la isla.