Cubans Respond to Cuba's Electric Union's Lofty Message: "The Heat and Mosquitoes Won’t Let Me Cry"

A recent post by Cuba's Electric Union (UNE) attempting to praise the efforts of the team at the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant with an epic narrative has sparked a wave of indignation, sarcasm, and ridicule in the comments on the state company's Facebook page. Instead of fostering empathy or recognition, the message was perceived by a vast majority as an insensitive provocation amid the daily struggles of millions of Cubans who have been enduring prolonged power outages, unbearable heat, and spoiled food for years.

"In the industrial heart of Matanzas, where the roar of turbines mingles with the salty scent of the sea, the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant (CTE) fights a daily battle against obsolescence and the strict economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States government," the official text read in an almost literary tone. While it aimed to highlight the work of the Innovators and Rationalizers Committee, the overall reaction was one of disbelief and rejection.

"The headline sounds like a Turkish soap opera. So tender! Poor people," commented one user. Another, with equal irony, wrote, "The heat and the mosquitoes won’t let me cry." The comments extended beyond the literary style of the post to directly address its content. Several netizens questioned the repetitive use of the blockade as a justification: "There's a blockade for thermoelectric plants, but not for building luxurious hotels."

This sentiment was echoed and supported by dozens of users, pointing to the glaring contradiction between the official narrative and the priorities of a state dominated by a military and bureaucratic elite with vested interests, thriving off the network of state and socialist enterprises, the tourism sector, and imports, forming a kleptocratic mafia that controls society through violence and clientelist networks.

"UNE hired a poet to write the notes," one joked. "Poets of misery and hunger," another one proclaimed. Many accused the publication of mockery, especially since the blackouts have not ceased, even in the province housing the thermoelectric plant.

Voices of Criticism Against Energy Policies

Critics also focused on the lack of maintenance and planning. "What about the resources spent on hotels? There’s no blockade there," or "The money wasted on empty hotels, if invested in power generation, would have made a difference." Many firmly stated, "The only blockade is the Communist Party, which has never invested a penny in modernizing the thermoelectric plants."

While a few users tried to express respect for the workers at Guiteras, the majority insisted that it is not the workers’ sacrifice in question, but the policies on investment and energy management: "Even with the country’s largest thermoelectric plant, the people of Matanzas come home to long hours without power"; "There was no blockade for building grand hotels like the K Tower. Why wasn't the same method used to bring spare parts or build a new thermoelectric plant?"

Public Outcry and Sarcasm

Other comments mixed frustration with sarcasm: "What’s the name of this soap opera? 'The Incompetence of the Dictatorship'?"; "I thought it was the start of a fantasy movie"; "Keep blaming others for your failures, and you'll never progress." An increasing number of citizens, exhausted by broken promises, directly called for the resignation of those in charge of the electric sector. "Enough with promises and fantasies. This nation is tired, and you are full of romanticism."

"We no longer trust you, the country's leadership in general, and particularly those heading this ministry. Have some decency and resign," others demanded.

Among the harshest comments, calls to end the official discourse repeated: "Step by step. What industrial heart are they talking about when all industries here have been destroyed?"; "They talk about the blockade, but they bought a private jet for $12 million to travel"; "For bringing modern cars and tourism, there is no blockade."

Some resorted to humor as a form of critique. "Lullaby my child, lullaby my love..."; "You turn everything into a poem, and I'm here laughing because to me this is a comedy site"; "Take all the money stolen by all the leaders, plus the Crab's and Sandrito's money, and build new thermoelectric plants."

Meanwhile, in Cuban neighborhoods, blackouts continue to define the daily routine. "We're dying slowly, with no options," summarized one user, capturing the sentiment of millions of Cubans.