Cuba’s Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feito, has resigned following a wave of public outrage over her dismissive comments on visible poverty in the country.
The resignation, announced Tuesday by state media, came after Feito claimed during a televised parliamentary session that individuals seen searching through trash for food were merely pretending to be poor.
“They are disguised as beggars. In Cuba, there are no beggars,” she said Monday, sparking fury across social media platforms.
Critics swiftly condemned her remarks as insensitive and detached from the harsh realities facing millions of Cubans.
Prominent economist Pedro Monreal posted on X (formerly Twitter) that “there are people disguised as ‘ministers’,” while ordinary citizens shared images of homeless people eating from garbage bins, scenes that have become increasingly common, especially in Havana.
Feito, who also managed the island’s social security programs, was accused of showing a “lack of objectivity and sensitivity,” according to Cuban state outlets.
President Miguel Díaz-Canel also rebuked her comments, saying, “None of us can act with arrogance, act with pretense, disconnected from the realities we live in.”
He emphasized that visible poverty is a reflection of deeper social inequalities plaguing the country.
Cuba is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in three decades, with surging inflation, food and medicine shortages, fuel scarcity, and daily power blackouts.
The government estimates that 350,000 individuals, out of a population of 9.7 million, live in “vulnerable” conditions and rely on state assistance.
The country’s economy contracted for a second consecutive year in 2024, shrinking by 1.1 percent following a 1.9 percent decline in 2023. Observers blame the economic downturn on a mix of longstanding U.S. sanctions, internal policy failures, and the collapse of the tourism sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feito’s resignation highlights growing public frustration in a nation where the average monthly salary remains under $20 at unofficial exchange rates, and where poverty, once largely hidden, is now increasingly visible on the streets.
Written By Rodney Mbua
