Labor minister faces backlash for saying there are no beggars in Cuba

A Cuban minister sparked criticism, including from the president, after saying that there are no beggars in the communist country.

A Cuban minister sparked criticism Tuesday, including from the president, after saying that there are no beggars in the communist country, only people disguised as such, and suggesting that those who clean windshields at crossroads have an “easy” life.

Cuba's Minister of Labor and Social Security, Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, made the comments on Monday before deputies in a National Assembly committee. They went viral, prompting calls for Feitó impeachment and a wave of criticism in a country experiencing a tough economic situation in recent years.

The economic crisis in Cuba has increased social vulnerability and led to unusual scenes for the island, such as people — especially the elderly — begging or scavenging through garbage, or some cleaning windshields at corners.

“We have seen people, apparently beggars, (but) when you look at their hands, look at the clothes these people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars, they are not beggars,” Feitó said before the National Assembly committee. “In Cuba there are no beggars.”

She added that people cleaning windshields use the money to “drink alcohol.”