Minister who denied the existence of 'beggars' in Cuba resigns: 'They are people in disguise'

The Cuban regime's Minister of Labor and Social Security resigned Tuesday after publicly stating that on the island there are no "beggars" but rather people "disguised as beggars," sparking outrage in the country hit by a severe economic crisis.

Marta Elena Feitó, the head of that government portfolio of the regime, "presented her resignation," which was analyzed by the highest authorities of the Cuban Communist Party. According to the state news and main propaganda organ of the dictatorship, "it was agreed to release her" for her "lack of sensitivity and objectivity."

The resignation follows remarks by Feitó last Monday during a parliamentary meeting, in which the then-minister denied that people who rummage through garbage cans are looking for food, and criticized street wipers for seeking "an easy life."

"We have seen people apparently beggars, when you look at their hands, when you look at the clothes these people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars, they are not beggars. In Cuba there are no beggars," she said when presenting the social programs to address poverty.

These words, issued during a session broadcast on national television, provoked irritation among the population, at a time when the communist island is facing unprecedented inflation and the highest poverty rates in the region.

According to the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy, of the University of Havana, accumulated inflation in the period between 2018 and 2023 was 190.7%.

"Remember: these are not beggars in Cuba. They are people in disguise."

Reactions were not long in coming, and criticism flooded social networks. "Remember: these are not beggars in Cuba. They are people in disguise," said one user on Facebook, showing pictures of people looking for food in the garbage.

Other users are accused of being his father, Alejandro Fernández Feitó, who emigrated to the USA in 2024 and currently resides in Florida, benefiting from the Humanitarian Word program implemented by the administration of Joe Biden.

Economist Pedro Monreal, in turn, commented on X that "it must be that there are also people disguised as 'ministers'" in Cuba.

Without many more arguments, the leader of the regime in Havana, Miguel Díaz-Canel, tried to quell the scandal on his X account: It is "very questionable the lack of sensitivity in this approach to vulnerability," he said. Calling poverty "vulnerability" is another statement that contradicts the reality that the Caribbean island lives.