Cuban comedian and actor Ulises Toirac has once again criticized the regime's priorities by highlighting the decline in essential services such as electricity, telecommunications, water, and gas, in contrast to the resources allocated to the police and repressive apparatus.
"Want less dissent? Invest in electricity, communications, water, and gas instead of policing, and you'll see fewer upheavals," Toirac stated this Tuesday in a Facebook post.
His remarks were prompted by a common issue: the problems that ETECSA was experiencing with processing transactions through Transfermóvil, especially when accessing cash has become increasingly challenging for many Cubans.
"And as if that weren't enough, now ETECSA struggles to process transfers when trying to pay via Transfermóvil. Seriously? With cash being so hard to come by, not even at the bank?" he questioned.
Toirac quickly extended his complaint about service inefficiencies into a political context. He juxtaposed the consequences faced by those who protest or express dissenting opinions with the lack of accountability for the poor state services affecting millions.
"They imprison a man for holding a sign, restrict a young woman's freedom for speaking her mind, and demand 10 years for anyone who dissents... Yet, no one holds accountable those responsible for providing poor services that cause immense and additional distress to people?" he wrote.
He concluded with a direct suggestion to authorities: to reduce discontent and dissent, they should focus resources on addressing the issues that impact the population daily, rather than prioritizing the police.
"Listen up, pal," he began before listing electricity, communications, water, and gas as sectors where state investment should be concentrated, in his view.
Toirac's message continues a theme he has developed over recent months: attributing much of the growing social unrest to unresolved internal problems and questioning the government's response, which prioritizes control over solutions.
In July, for instance, he directly criticized the repression against dissenting voices and called for the release of political prisoners.
"If the majority of the public supports their form of governance, why are the few dissenting voices repressed and imprisoned?" he asked at the time.
The crisis in public services, particularly electricity, has also been a significant focus of his critiques.
In September, Toirac held the Cuban government accountable for decades of poor decisions in energy policy and rejected the notion that the issues with the National Electroenergetic System could be solely blamed on U.S. sanctions.
Shortly before, he had responded with irony to Miguel Díaz-Canel after the leader denied that Cuba was collapsing. Toirac had then written, "Isn't it nice to be able to say 'Cuba hasn't collapsed'?"
The state telecommunications company has also been a recurring topic in his posts. In July, he questioned what had happened to the funds raised by ETECSA following a rate hike amidst connectivity problems and outages linked to blackouts.
In August, he was even more direct, calling on the company to reinvest its revenue in improving services or to allow alternatives like Starlink to enter the market.
On that occasion, he warned the company that it was contributing to the "popular anger."
Understanding Ulises Toirac's Critique of Cuban Service Priorities
What did Ulises Toirac suggest to reduce dissent in Cuba?
Toirac suggested that the Cuban regime should invest in improving essential services like electricity, communications, water, and gas instead of focusing on policing. He believes this would lead to less public unrest.
How does Toirac view the government's response to public dissatisfaction?
Toirac criticizes the government's approach for prioritizing control over problem-solving. He argues that the focus should be on resolving the internal issues that lead to social unrest rather than repressing dissenting voices.
What issues has Toirac highlighted with ETECSA?
Toirac has pointed out ETECSA's difficulties in processing transactions through Transfermóvil and questioned the handling of funds raised from rate hikes amid connectivity issues.