Cuban minister resigns after suggesting beggars are pretending

Labour Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera’s comments dismissing poorness successful the Caribbean land federation trigger aggravated backlash.

Cuban Labour and Social Security Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera has resigned aft saying determination are nary beggars successful Cuba, lone radical pretending to be.

Cuba’s presidency said successful a station connected societal media connected Wednesday that Feito had “acknowledged her errors and submitted her resignation” implicit her “lack of objectivity and sensitivity” successful addressing issues that are “at the centre of governmental and governmental management”.

The quality came a time aft Feito made the comments astir poorness successful the land federation to deputies successful a National Assembly committee.

“We person seen people, seemingly beggars, [but] erstwhile you look astatine their hands, look astatine the apparel these radical are wearing, they are disguised arsenic beggars. They are not beggars,” Feito said.

“In Cuba, determination are nary beggars,” she said.

The curate added that radical cleaning car windscreens unrecorded “easy” lives and they usage the wealth they marque to “drink alcohol”.

A pistillate sells goods connected a pavement successful Havana, Cuba, connected July 15, 2025 [Norlys Perez/Reuters]

Feito besides lashed retired against those who hunt done rubbish dumps, saying they are recovering materials “to resell and not wage tax”.

The remarks rapidly went viral, prompting calls for Feito’s impeachment and a question of disapproval successful a state experiencing a tough economical situation successful caller years.

Even Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel was critical.

Without mentioning her by sanction but referring to the gathering astatine the National Assembly committee successful which Feito participated, Diaz-Canel said connected his X account: “The deficiency of sensitivity successful addressing vulnerability is highly questionable. The gyration cannot permission anyone behind; that is our motto, our militant responsibility.”

Cuba blames its economical woes connected a Cold War-era United States commercialized embargo, which complicates fiscal transactions and the acquisition of essentials, specified arsenic substance and spare parts. The US imposed the embargo successful 1960 aft the Cuban Revolution, led by Fidel Castro.

The embargo is wide criticised with 185 of 193 countries astatine the United Nations voting to condemn it.

US President Donald Trump precocious tightened sanctions connected the island’s Communist Party-run government, pledging to reconstruct a “tough” argumentation towards the Caribbean country.

Former US President Barack Obama took sizeable steps to easiness tensions with Cuba during his clip successful office, including restoring US-Cuba relations and making the archetypal visit by a US president to the state successful 90 years. Cuba has besides faced an vigor situation and blackouts successful caller months arsenic supplies of subsidised Venezuelan lipid person go progressively precarious arsenic Venezuela grapples with its ain economical woes.

Last week, the US Department of State imposed sanctions against Diaz-Canel arsenic good arsenic the luxury high-rise Hotel Torre K successful cardinal Havana.

Travel and tourism are important to Cuba’s struggling system with millions of tourists visiting the land federation each year.

According to the UN Conference connected Trade and Development, Cuba had a gross home merchandise of $9,296 per idiosyncratic successful 2019, making it an precocious mediate income country.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies