Disguised Beggars in Cuba? Labor Minister Forced to Resign

“We've all seen so-called beggars. When you look at their hands, their clothes, it's obvious that it's a disguise and they're not beggars. In Cuba, there are no beggars.”

These comments were made by Cuban Minister of Labor and Social Security Marta Elena Feitó on Monday, July 14, during an address to a parliamentary committee. Under pressure from these controversial statements, the minister submitted her resignation less than twenty-four hours later, which was quickly "accepted" by the Council of State and the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), as reported by CiberCuba .

In a statement relayed by the same source, the PCC specified that the minister's decision was taken "after a joint analysis between the leadership of the party [PCC], the government and the minister herself", the latter having "recognized her errors" .

In an article in El País América , Cuban journalist Carla Gloria Colomé points out that Feitó's statements have triggered a "wave" of indignation on the island and within the diaspora. They have even led Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to "publicly recognize" the vulnerability of a large part of the Cuban population.

For the independent media outlet La Joven Cuba , the resigning minister's remarks reflect the gap between "those who should guarantee employment" and the "daily reality of the country," marked by growing poverty and a loss of purchasing power. The news site points out that to date, the minimum wage remains below 2,400 Cuban pesos (around 8 euros, at the parallel market exchange rate).

In a post on X cited by CiberCuba, President Díaz-Canel responded without directly naming the minister. He deplored a "lack of sensitivity in the face of vulnerability" and recalled that "the revolution cannot leave anyone behind," echoing Cuba's motto.

Cuba is currently facing its worst crisis since the 1990s. On Monday, July 14, the government acknowledged that the country's economy was "in freefall," with gross domestic product projected to contract by 1.1% in 2024, according to another article by CiberCuba . The government also noted that Cuba continues to struggle to guarantee access to "the most basic resources" such as food and fuel. Due to the severe crisis the island nation is experiencing, more than 250,000 Cubans left the country in 2024, according to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).