By Roberto Morejón

In the midst of the tense economic situation, Cubans are appealing to the most efficient use of the fuel deficit, in order to save as much as possible.
 
The dwindling availability of foreign currency essentially due to the U.S. blockade, the non-fulfillment of fuel transportation commitments by suppliers and the global geopolitical vicissitudes, create a pressing situation for Cuba.
 
Added to this are the unfair international economic order and the military conflict in Ukraine, from which inflationary indexes, obstacles to trade and new requirements of credit organizations when granting facilities emanate to the international scenario.
 
The latter cannot be accessed by Cuba due to U.S. coercion, hence the inevitable shortage of hard currency and fewer opportunities to acquire fuel in other markets.
 
All this has an impact on basic services such as transportation, water supply, timely arrival of some products to sales units and the closure or reduction of certain economic and service activities.
 
The Caribbean island also suffers financial losses due to the imperative of confronting the pandemic, during which important sources of income such as tourism were closed.
 
The government adopted regulations to mitigate the consequences for the population, although some of them have inevitably surfaced.
 
Cuba is trying to explain to the public the reasons for the difficulties, which are likely to worsen.
 
The clarification cannot be fully accomplished while numerous distortions are spread in social networks and the hegemonic press.
 
However, even in such thorny conditions, Cubans try to encourage work from the grassroots, in municipalities and communities, in law enforcement and order and protection of the vulnerable.
 
In this country they give validity to social work and care for the elderly, not a few of whom are concerned about their purchasing power and self-sufficiency.
 
The Defense Committees promote the cultivation of plots of land in the communities where feasible and support environmental projects.
 
President Miguel Díaz Canel recently said that Cuba needs a lot from the neighborhoods to create a savings mentality without renouncing to enjoy a certain standard of living.
 
A valid aspiration at a time when Cuba is working hard to make the country work.