Great moments in bureaucracy
Over the past few days, the BBC has been publishing a series of online “postcards” from Cuba, written by its correspondent in Havana, Fernando Ravsberg.
Mr Ravsberg had dealt with a number of topics that are all too familiar to most Cubans, inside and outside the island.
Like the increasing number of desperate professionals looking for a means to escape the low wages, everyday shortages and repression that are part and parcel of life in Fidel Castro’s paradise.
Or the way tourists with hard cash can stay in luxury hotels while ordinary, hard-working Cubans are barred from even entering the premises – in direct contravention of Castro’s own constitution.
His last instalment looks at public transport.
And his conclusion? It stinks. Which is hardly surprising given the regime owns and manages (or mismanages) all the trains. And all the buses. And all the official taxis.
But Mr Ravsberg does reveal that the regime has now found a way to deal with State taxi drivers who fiddle with the taxi meter so they can make a few extra dollars and feed their families.
In characteristic style, they has installed weight sensors in all taxis to detect when passengers get in and how many.
Read about it here (in Spanish).
Mr Ravsberg had dealt with a number of topics that are all too familiar to most Cubans, inside and outside the island.
Like the increasing number of desperate professionals looking for a means to escape the low wages, everyday shortages and repression that are part and parcel of life in Fidel Castro’s paradise.
Or the way tourists with hard cash can stay in luxury hotels while ordinary, hard-working Cubans are barred from even entering the premises – in direct contravention of Castro’s own constitution.
His last instalment looks at public transport.
And his conclusion? It stinks. Which is hardly surprising given the regime owns and manages (or mismanages) all the trains. And all the buses. And all the official taxis.
But Mr Ravsberg does reveal that the regime has now found a way to deal with State taxi drivers who fiddle with the taxi meter so they can make a few extra dollars and feed their families.
In characteristic style, they has installed weight sensors in all taxis to detect when passengers get in and how many.
Read about it here (in Spanish).
posted by Luis M Garcia at 1:27 pm
1 Comments:
Mr. Garcia,
Is this reporter actually revealing truths without being kicked out of the island as other reporters have?
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