© YAMIL LAGE AFP/FileFILE PHOTO: The Cuban government has approved a law authorizing the creation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), a major shift in the communist-ruled country
The change comes nearly a month after thousands of Cubans flocked to the streets decrying dictatorship and complaining of hunger in the largest demonstrations since the revolution that brought the late Fidel Castro to power in 1959.
At least one person died and hundreds were arrested in the unusual mass protests, which the government claimed were provoked by the United States.
Comment: The claim has merit, because the US is infamous for utilizing protests as cover for regime change operations, moreover, Russia explicitly accused the US of doing just that: Russia accuses US of 'staging' anti-government protests in Cuba; Washington must now 'end hypocrisy' of economic blockade
President Joe Biden has slapped fresh sanctions on Cuban police for suppressing the unrest, and warned of additional punitive measures if the communist regime does not address the protesters' demands for sweeping change.
Comment: Sanctions make life worse for ordinary Cubans and are another tool the US uses for destabilization purposes.
In recent months the Cuban government has accelerated reforms to modernize the economy and staunch the worst economic crisis the island nation has experienced in 30 years. In part driven by US sanctions, the downturn and chronic shortages of food, electricity and medicine have been exacerbated by stringent measures against Covid-19.
© YAMIL LAGE AFP/FileFILE PHOTO: Roughly 600,000 Cubans are estimated to be working in the private sector, about 13 percent of the workforce
Comment: Considering the appalling state of US privatized healthcare (as well as media and education), those restrictions are quite reasonable: US ranks LAST in healthcare among 11 wealthiest countries despite spending most
Roughly 600,000 Cubans are estimated to be working in the private sector, about 13 percent of the workforce. But these so-called "cuentapropistas" have called for a legal structure that would explicitly permit their businesses.
Friday's green light for small and medium enterprises was given during a session of the State Council, which President Miguel Díaz-Canel joined via video conference.
"The State Council approves the decree 'On Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises' which allows for their coherent insertion into the economy to be part of the productive transformation of the country," a note posted to the National Assembly's website said.
In June, Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz warned that the expansion of permitted private activities would not be allowed to go too far "as there are limits that cannot be exceeded".
But Oniel Díaz, a consultant specializing in Cuba's business development, said the new SMEs law still represents a turning point that many Cubans have been eagerly anticipating for years.
"For the Cuban economy... this represents a giant step that will have consequences in the medium and long term" for the reconfiguration of the national economy, he told AFP.
Also sott.net: "Communism and totalitarianism are not so bad, as long as the right guys do it."
Aha ....
"Considering the appalling state of US privatized healthcare (as well as media and education), those restrictions are quite reasonable: US ranks LAST in healthcare among 11 wealthiest countries despite spending most"
US health care system is one of the most regulated there is, which is why the prices have skyrocketed and the quality has gone down in the past 20 years: [Link]
Same with media and education. Education is nearly entirely in the hand of the US government, either directly, or through subsidies, regulations, government guaranteed loans, or unions. Which is why it's in such shambles. See the recent standoffs between teacher's unions, school boards, and parents over Covid regulations, CRT, and other communist brainwashing being rampant in US schools.
The media has gone from around 40 different major networks in the 1990's to now just 6, after Bill Clinton singed the Telecommunications Act around 30 years ago. That act was supposed to create more competition in the telecommunications sector, but, just like with every other government regulation, it had exactly the opposite effect. TV stations, and now social media companies are so bad in the US because they are under near complete control of the US government (have you guys missed Jen Psaki's White House announcement about flagging posts for Facebook?), and the CIA specifically. Caitlin Johnston, Glenn Greenwald, Matt Taibbi have produced quite good reporting on this and listed all the former CIA bureaucrats who now openly work for all the major US TV stations, articles which have been reprinted by sott.net. Maybe using one's own search function would be a good idea from time to time?
The reason why Cuba wants to maintain state control over those sectors (health, media, education) is because it understands the same thing that every other parasitic, criminal government in the world (which is all of them, without exception) understands, namely that health and the control of what ideas go into its slaves' heads are the most important to control and to manipulate in order to keep them in line. It's not a sign that Cuba does something right, but that all governments in the end run the same type of scam.
As to the idea that Cuba's economic crisis is due to the US embargo, this may be an interesting piece to read: "Cuba - The Dictatorship And The "Blockade" Lie" [Link]
How is it that in order for a communist country to be successful it has to depend on free trade with a capitalist country?