Fruit and vegetable vendors at a market in Havana in August 2013. (ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images)
Summary
Two unusual instances of protests by private vendors in Cuba are a security concern for the island's leaders. The demonstrations likely occurred because Cuba began enforcing recently approved laws to regulate the island's nascent small businesses. The government cannot suppress these protests as easily as those instigated by political groups because the protesters seemingly do not have an organizational structure that authorities can simply infiltrate.
For now, it is unclear whether established political dissidents will be able to co-opt growing economic frustration. However, as the government continues to manage a complex campaign to slowly incorporate private economic activity into the economic system, there will continue to be pressure on the relationship between private entrepreneurs and the government. This natural tension will create further opportunities for public unrest, but the Cuban government will be proactive in its efforts to prevent a repeat of recent protests.
Analysis
Several reports from media outside Cuba suggest that two notable instances of social unrest occurred when private vendors marched in separate protests in the Cuban cities of Holguin and Santa Clara. In Holguin, at least 100 vendors protested Jan. 21 near the municipal headquarters after municipal employees reportedly seized unspecified goods the vendors were selling in a public plaza. The Miami Herald claimed that the protesters threw rocks at police officers who came to disperse them. Marti Noticias reported Jan. 24 that 50 vendors selling wares near a hospital protested after being given 24 hours' notice to vacate an open-air market. Additionally, news site Cubanet released an unconfirmed report in October 2013 that claimed that vendors intended to hold a similar protest in Havana last November but that the government's security services thwarted it.
The reported protests are unusual because they involve vendors from the country's small businesses instead of the political opposition. Members of Cuba's anti-government political organizations frequently protest across the country, but protests that seemingly do not involve political dissidents are rare. However, Cuba's evolving economic management strategy is creating new social tensions, and though they were small, these two protests may herald a larger shift in public support for Cuban authorities.
The Cause of the Protests
The reason behind the protests seems to be the Cuban government's push to regulate the country's growing small businesses. Such enterprises expanded after Cuban President Raul Castro approved economic reforms in 2010 that allowed Cubans to legally own small businesses. Much of Cuba's previously illicit informal economy of private restaurants, small hotels and vendors registered with government authorities after Castro's decision. However, the rapid reform also created extensive areas of unregulated economic activity outside the state's control.
Click to Enlarge
At the same time, however, illicit businesses have arisen alongside the newly licit. Local media reports have documented increased smuggling of goods from abroad for sale in Cuba. Others are reselling goods bought in state stores, and still others have continued to operate without government licenses and paying no taxes. Some firms were authorized to perform one specific economic activity but used the license to sell other services altogether -- licensed restaurants showing movies, for example. To counter this behavior, the government passed several laws regulating all private entrepreneurs legalized in the 2010 reforms.
New regulatory legislation that took effect in January sanctions most of the offenses reportedly committed by private businesses. The laws list the types of economic activity permitted by the state and the punishments for engaging in outlawed forms of business. The punishments prescribed by the laws range from verbal warnings to fines or imprisonment. According to Marti Noticias, municipal authorities enforcing some sanctions in these reforms sparked the Santa Clara protest.
Security Response
The protests present an unusual challenge for the Cuban government. Unlike the country's political groups, which tend to protest because of ideological opposition to the Castro government, private sector workers likely protested because the new laws threaten their livelihood. With these policies being enforced countrywide, there is a good chance that new sources of tensions between the public and the government are occurring throughout the island. Even when faced with the possibility of more unrest, the government cannot simply halt its enforcement of the laws and allow the private sector to grow unchecked. This dynamic is likely to cause further protests, and the government will use all its tools, including propaganda, intelligence assets and security forces, against them.
The Cuban government will direct its powerful security organizations against individuals and groups planning future protests. Its Intelligence Directorate maintains tight surveillance over opponents in the country, and the Interior Ministry and police forces traditionally have not hesitated to break up protests. Cuba appears in recent weeks to have relied on these security bodies to disrupt any planned demonstrations by private workers, and it will continue to do so. According to an opposition news site, police arrested 19 dissidents in Holguin after the Jan. 21 protest. Dozens of political opponents were also detained in Havana prior to a Latin American leaders' summit held Jan. 25-29. These measures will likely avert any widespread protest activity but cannot completely eliminate outbreaks of dissent.
The protests are not an immediate threat to the Cuban government, but it cannot afford to ignore them. With the country gradually preparing for a political transition, the leadership will attempt to forestall any complications, including domestic unrest. Because the protests involved only a few hundred people, they are unlikely to overwhelm Cuba's security apparatus. Therefore, further crackdowns on political groups and potential protesters can be expected.
Comments
Post a Comment