Cuban Government's Economic Reforms Ignite Skepticism: "Progress on the Horizon? To Infinity and Beyond"

This Thursday, the state-run Cubadebate reported that the Cuban Council of State held a regular session to evaluate the so-called progress in executing the economic and social transformations approved by the National Assembly on June 18. The announcement led to a wave of mockery and sarcasm among Cubans on social media.

Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz declared at the meeting, chaired by Esteban Lazo Hernández and attended by Miguel Díaz-Canel, that since the parliamentary session, 171 proposals and evaluations from deputies have been processed. Additionally, the government's working system was updated, and six decree-laws were sanctioned—five related to agriculture and one amending the Road Safety Code.

Justice Minister Rosabel Gamón Verde outlined that the legislative timeline for implementing these changes includes a total of 138 legal norms, cautioning that more could emerge throughout the process.

The Council of State also approved submitting five legislative projects to the Seventh Ordinary Session of the National Assembly—scheduled for July 29—including the Labor Code, the Agricultural and Forestry Land Law, the Housing Law, the Central State Administration Organization Law, and the Personal and Residential Identity System Law.

The announcement of "advancements" arrived amid a backdrop of irony: that same day, the hotel chain Meliá completed its total withdrawal from Cuba, shutting down its 34 hotels on the island due to operational, legal, and financial challenges. As one online commentator bluntly put it, "Wow, so much progress, even Meliá left."

The economic context further challenges the official narrative: power outages lasting between 20 and 40 hours, a GDP contraction projected between 6.5% and 7.2%, an official annual inflation rate of 15.89% in May, and an informal exchange rate exceeding 670 Cuban pesos per dollar. "What progress? Oh, right, oil at 2,500," wrote another user, while a resident from the Las Brisas neighborhood in Cotorro complained that her block has been without running water for eight months, forcing residents to buy it from a street vendor.

The foundation for ridicule was laid by Díaz-Canel himself four days earlier, when he used the metaphor "utopia is on the horizon" during an interview with RT en Español to answer whether Cuba has a way out of the crisis. This phrase was interpreted by Cubans as an admission that there is no tangible solution in sight.

Comments on Cubadebate's Facebook post became a showcase of popular skepticism. "If utopia is on the horizon and the horizon moves ten steps forward while utopia takes two steps back, how many utopias does Pancha iron?" quipped one user with mathematical sarcasm. Another was more straightforward: "All you see is ruins and failures. Only by reading Cubadebate do you see progress."

References to utopia echoed the leader's own words. "Progress on the horizon? To infinity and beyond. It would be nice if they could get at least one thing right because lately, everything's gone backward," penned a user, inspiring the headline of this piece. Another noted: "67 years of taking utopian measures that get lost on the horizon." And yet another, resignedly: "Progress???... oh yes, the lemonade utopia is the only thing moving forward... one step forward, one step back."

The frustration with unproductive meetings was also evident. "Enough with the meetings, we want results and to live like dignified people," demanded one internet user. Another recalled the precedent of the PCC Guidelines approved in 2011: "This reminds me of the 'linea-lying': 10 years of talking nonsense, all for nothing."

The regime has promised to implement 121 of the over 170 transformations by the end of July, prioritizing retirees and vulnerable individuals, presenting it as the largest reform package in decades. For Cubans who have gone months without water, power, or access to affordable essentials like cooking oil, these so-called advancements remain, much like utopia, on the horizon.