Cubans Seeking Change Labeled as "Batista's Heirs" by Regime After Decades of Castro Rule

The Cuban regime has once again resorted to its familiar tactic of political disqualification to justify the country's ongoing economic and social crisis. In a caricatured nod to the island's turbulent and vibrant republican past, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement labeling Cubans advocating for democratic change after 66 years of Castro's unyielding rule as "political heirs of Fulgencio Batista."

There's a striking historical paradox here: the so-called "Revolutionary" government has maintained uninterrupted control since 1959, refusing to allow democratic, open, multiparty elections for over 77 years, far surpassing Batista's dictatorship, which lasted a mere seven years.

The recent measures announced by the United States include the reactivation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which enables American citizens to file lawsuits against foreign companies operating on properties confiscated after 1959. Additionally, the list of Restricted Cuban Entities was expanded, banning transactions with new state-run enterprises like Orbit S.A., which handles remittances in Cuba after sanctions on Fincimex.

Both of these entities have been criticized as operating under the umbrella of the Business Administration Group S.A. (GAESA), controlled by the military and the regime's elite. With these steps, Washington aims to increase pressure on the regime and highlight its repressive and anti-democratic nature.

In retaliation, the Cuban government has ramped up its rhetoric, accusing the sanctions of being part of an "economic siege" intended to strangle the country, applauded by what it calls anti-patriotic Cubans, "Plattists," and "political heirs of Batista." Driven by its outdated and crude propaganda machine, Havana deliberately ignores the devastating impact of its own failed policies, as well as the systemic corruption rampant within its administration.

Under the guise of "continuity," a term adopted by Miguel Díaz-Canel since he took power in 2018, the regime attempts to falsely legitimize the extension of its totalitarian model and the entrenchment of its elites in power. This so-called "continuity" actually perpetuates the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) as the sole legal and decision-making force in the country, ensuring absolute control and institutionalized violence, suppressing any political dissent, and engaging in "state terrorism" as reported by international and non-governmental organizations.

Since becoming the only legal party under the 1976 Constitution, the PCC has established a system where decision-making remains controlled by a closed group of leaders, blocking any political alternatives. The centralization of power in the Party has consistently denied fundamental rights and eliminated any form of political pluralism on the island.

This model has led to a deep crisis, marked by food and medicine shortages, frequent blackouts, and a partial dollarization of the economy, while the ruling elite continues to accumulate wealth and privileges. Despite official rhetoric, Cubans persist in demanding profound changes. Mass emigration, social protests, and economic turmoil underscore the growing rejection of the "continuity" the regime defends.

Cuba remains ensnared in a system resistant to democratization, perpetuating the lack of freedoms and the suffering of its people. The "continuity" narrative is merely an attempt to disguise the reality of a dictatorship that has endured through repression, lack of freedoms, and total control of the means of production. While the Cuban people call for real change, the regime clings to its empty rhetoric, using the history of republican times as a mirage to distract from its own lack of democratic legitimacy.

In this context, the blame for the national crisis lies not in external decisions but in the perpetuation of a system that has proven to be unviable and harmful to the Cuban people.