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Monday, September 12, 2016

A Harsh Reality

A Harsh Reality / Fernando Dámaso

Fernando Damaso, 28 August 2016 — In the few existing spaces for public
opinion in the Cuban official media (Letters to the Editor in the
newspaper Granma, A similar space called "Acknowledgement" in the
newspaper Juventud Rebelde (Rebel Youth), a page in the newspaper
Trabajadores (Workers), "Papelitos Speak" on the Havana Channel, and
"Cuba Says" on Cubavisión and others), people's complaints, are set
against incompetent, bureaucratic, irresponsible and indolent officials
who fail to meet their obligations and allow problems to accumulate and
increase.

Equally those responsible for these spaces ensure the complaints remain
at this primary level and, rarely, go up the ladder to government
agencies and institutions. It seems that all the deplorable events
happen only because of the functionaries, because above them everything
is perfect and no one takes responsibility for them.

However, it can not be that so many officials from different agencies
and institutions (the electric company, the phone company, public
health, education, housing, physical planning, water and sewer, communal
services, transportation, work and social security, justice, the
national bank, the People's Power, etc.) are so unprofessional and inept.

We have to wonder if these "qualities" are not also present in the
agencies and institutions and, logically, even in the "system." It seems
that, really, what doesn't work is the latter, for the simple reason
that it is useless. More than fifty-five years and the same problems
increase, and new ones are added, and without any real solutions. All
this is proof of it.

They can continue to make calls to patriotism, discipline, efficiency
and everything they want, but until the ever growing needs of citizens
are not satisfied and people are allowed to freely develop their
initiatives and talents, it is a waste of time.

Unfortunately, and not only in Cuba, socialism has proved a failure as a
"political, economic and social system."

Source: A Harsh Reality / Fernando Dámaso – Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/a-harsh-reality-fernando-dmaso/

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