Cuban Minister for Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera was forced to resign after she suggested there were no beggars on the island. Her remarks were met with immediate and widespread condemnation on social media across the political spectrum.

A few years ago, Cubans were not accustomed to seeing people beg for money, but as living conditions have fallen in recent years and the social safety net has thinned, begging has become far more widespread.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel publicly criticized the minister. Within hours, Feitó resigned.

Yeah even if it’s caused by the cruel US blockade you can’t just deny material reality and not expect pushback from those experiencing hardship. You need to communicate you understand the issues they’re facing and have a plan to fix them. Glad to see Diaz-Canel publicly criticizing the statement.

I know they’ve been installing a lot of solar panels and related infrastructure (courtesy of China) to improve the energy situation. Hopefully the BRICS partner membership will start to yield some benefits that help them restore higher living conditions.