The Non-Agricultural Cooperatives (CNA) were born around 2012 under the apparent intention of expanding the management of the economy from the "non-state" sector. It would seem then that the CNAs were institutions created by private initiative where those who run are only their members. So at least we can see Article 3 of the "Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 053 of December 11, 2012" (1)
ARTICLE 3.- Cooperatives are governed by this Decree-Law, its Regulations, the provisions complementary to these, their statutes, and additionally the legal provisions that are applicable to them.
On the other hand, it would be enough for a group of Cubans living in Cuba to have a business idea, meet and register our own CNA. According to Article 2.1 that would be enough.
ARTICLE 2.1.- The cooperative is an organization with economic and social purposes, which is voluntarily constituted on the basis of the contribution of goods and rights and is based on the work of its partners, whose general objective is the production of goods and the provision of services through collective management, for the satisfaction of the social interest and that of the partners.
Seen this way, all Cubans residing on the island could carry out our undertakings and even import and export our goods and services freely. The long-awaited economic freedom and the free market would begin to rule in our country. Nothing is further from reality!
There is nothing wrong with empowering the non-state sector. What is corrupt is that it is only part of him and not all of them, leaving the management of the economy and its fruits in the hands of an elitist minority or in the hands of its "trusted".
The truth behind the CNAs is that they are the free market of minorities close to Power and created from Power. Only they will have the privilege of having these "private" businesses. And they have very good tricks to keep us out. And this already comes in the "Official Gazette" itself.
ARTICLE 6.- First degree cooperatives can be formed: to).... b) .... c) From means of production of state patrimony, such as real estate and others, that it is decided to manage cooperatively and for this they can be transferred, through leasing, usufruct or other legal forms that do not imply the transfer of property . d) ...
Interestingly, the vast majority of CNAs are of type c). But let's see what article 10.1 says
... When the form of the cooperative is that provided for in subsection c) of article 6 of this Decree-Law, the workers of those entities will have preference to be founding members.
Technically, what happens is that a state company becomes partially or totally a private cooperative-type company, run by the same state directors and members of the PCC.
Let's take a closer look at these CNAs:
CNA SANCOF (2) Whose president is Mr. Miguel Angel Paz Chil (3), he tells us that SANCOF was born from the initiative of the State. (4). (5)
Our Non-Agricultural Cooperative (CNA) arose from the state sector, specifically from the Engineering Services Company number 2 Arcos, of Varadero. We were a basic unit and based on the guidelines derived from the VI and VII Congresses of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), we began this project that became official on October 22, 2013.
Judging from the date, it appears that the process does not take that long or is difficult to approve. As if that were not enough, Mr. Paz himself makes it clear to us that the CNAs are led by the Communist Party, that is, that these cooperatives have little or no "non-state" initiative.
We agree in many respects with a state workplace. Our union sections, the nucleus of the Communist Party of Cuba and the base committee of the Union of Young Communists work.
According to an interview SANCOF works together with Decorarte At the end of the Radio26 article you can read:
The great merit of this movement is that it shows the possibility of replacing the system of subordination of labor to capital with the system of association of free and equal producers.
Free and equal? Maybe we should take a closer look at another CNA CNA SEI (8)
Its president is Amaury Sanchez (9), and judging by the photos Mr. Sanchez likes Casinos. This photo appears on the wife's profile. (10) Surely it is an executive trip of the CNA that she represents and it was the members who decided that the President would take the trip. His son Christian (11) of course had to be on the business trip. Such an opportunity could not be wasted for the boy to develop his skills.
And most likely it was the members of the CNA who elected Mr. Sánchez's son as Vice-president or substitute for the president (his father).
We can see him in either the Cayman Islands or Jamaica. Apparently Christian Sánchez is also very busy on his business trips. Oh no! who was on vacation?
CNAs are definitely very lucrative. Too bad they are not available to all Cubans. Another of the directors of CNA SEI is Mr. Carlos Miguel Gil Pérez (12). The last name is purely coincidental, as is the physical resemblance to the Minister of the Economy.
Much is what can be discovered by pulling this thread. Many are the CNAs with interesting presidents. What is really a CNA in Cuba?
A capitalist economic entity.
Run by Communist Party members and with ties to Power circles.
Most of the CNAs are created from the initiative of the State, so they do not constitute a real economic expression of the private or non-state sector.
leaders are members of the PCC and the PCC is active within the CNA.
The intention with the CNA is to create a precedent that the private sector flourishes in Cuba for when they go to sit down with the US to say that the blockade affects the private sector (not state) and to try to loosen sanctions.
The reality is that all cooperatives are an initiative of the government that puts its figureheads in charge of the cooperative (agricultural or not). If you want to verify that the private sector is still strongly banned in Cuba, just do a simple test. Ask a relative of yours to try to register a CNA and they will be struck with the stark reality that they cannot (the process is long and difficult to approve). So how is it possible that there are so many CNAs (non-agricultural cooperatives) The CNAs and the former CAs are initiatives of the corrupt elite led by their front men. Those are the ones that are buying the tractors that the State sells to the "Non-State" sector, those that are making the imports that the news reports say, and those that are exporting their products outside of Cuba. Which would be great if it were within the practical "legal" reach of all Cubans and not just a group of chosen ones. All this together with the legal framework that they approved with the 2019 constitution is the principle of Privatization of the state sector, but only for the elite. In future articles we will be revealing other CNAs that have been created by the government and for the exploitation of the "chosen".
REFERENCIAS:
1- Official Gazette No. 053 Extraordinary of December 11, 2012: https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.cu/sites/default/files/go_x_053_2012.pdf
2- SARCOF Official Site: https://www.sancof.cu
3- Miguel Angel Paz Chil, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009288586235
5- ARCOS Official Site: https://www.arcosvaradero.cu/
6- Radio26, english version: http://www.radio26.cu/eng/2019/05/30/sancof-a-commitment-to-cooperativism-in-cuba/
7- Radio City Flag. Interview with Miguel Angel Paz Chil: https://www.ivoox.com/entrevista-a-presidente-cooperativa-sancof-audios-mp3_rf_10985998_1.html
8- CNA SEI, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cnasei/
9- Amaurys Sanchez, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amaurys.sanchez.524
10- Llenys, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=418205028605940&set=a.102008416892271
11- Christian Sanchez, facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010638068671
12- Carlos Miguel Gil, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cmgilperez520