Cuba’s Labor Minister Resigns After Beggar Comment
Cuba’s Labor Minister, Marta Elena Feitó, has resigned after sparking a heated controversy by stating before Parliament that there are no “beggars” on the island, only people “disguised” as the poor, CE Report quotes ANSA.
Her remarks prompted an unusual public rebuke from President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who criticized her for a lack of sensitivity.
In a statement read on state television during the evening news, the government announced that Feitó had submitted her resignation after acknowledging “mistakes” in her speech to a commission of the National Assembly of People’s Power.
The Political Bureau of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) and the Council of State accepted her resignation, citing her “lack of objectivity and sensitivity” in addressing issues considered key to the political and social management of the country.
“When you look at their hands, at the clothes these people wear — they’re disguised as beggars. They’re not beggars. There are no beggars in Cuba,” the minister had said, sparking backlash from both dissidents and members of the ruling party.
