Cuba’s Minister for Labour and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó-Cabrera, has resigned following widespread outrage over remarks she made denying the existence of beggars on the island, even as Cuba struggles with an intensifying economic crisis.
Feitó-Cabrera made the controversial comments during a session of the National Assembly earlier this week, where she downplayed the growing poverty witnessed across the country. “There are no beggars in Cuba,” she said, adding that people who rummage through rubbish are “pretending to be beggars to make easy money.”
She went further to describe those digging through dustbins as “illegal participants in the recycling service,” a comment that sparked widespread backlash from Cubans both at home and abroad. Her remarks were swiftly condemned as insensitive and disconnected from the harsh realities faced by many citizens, amid soaring inflation, food shortages, and mass emigration.
In response to the growing outrage, a group of Cuban activists and intellectuals published an open letter demanding Feitó-Cabrera’s removal, calling her statements “an insult to the Cuban people.” Criticism also came from leading Cuban economist Pedro Monreal, who wrote on X, “There are people disguised as ministers” in reference to her tone-deaf comments.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel indirectly rebuked the labour minister during the same parliamentary session, warning that leaders must not “act with condescension” or remain “disconnected from the realities” of ordinary people.
Although Díaz-Canel did not name Feitó-Cabrera directly, the implication was clear, and her resignation was announced shortly after. It has since been accepted by both the Cuban Communist Party and the government.
While Cuba does not publish official statistics on homelessness or street begging, the increasing presence of individuals seeking food and money in public spaces has become a stark symbol of the country’s ongoing crisis. Many Cubans saw Feitó-Cabrera’s remarks as emblematic of a political elite out of touch with the suffering of the general population.
Her resignation is the latest high-profile development in a government already under pressure to address the worsening living conditions and to regain public trust in a time of historic economic turmoil.
Chioma Kalu
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