Reintegration for the Chinchales

By: Miguel Alejandro Hayes

They’re going to approve small businesses, what a joy. Yes, it sounds laughable to me too, and it is. But isn’t an SME a small business? Sure, a more refined, sexier, and more glamorous term, ripe for slow-moving Third World posturing within the Third World itself (because we’re talking about something over 40 years old), although it’s still just that: tiny, tiny businesses. Some people say medium-sized, so as not to sound snobbish , and I don’t judge them.

SMEs have been a thing since the 1970s or so. They emerged (as a trend) because the complexity of value chains didn’t require large scale across the board, nor did it require complete control to guarantee large investors a good profit. I make chairs, I don’t have to sell them too, why should I? (Bad example, but valid).

They may have initially focused on the commercial sector, but the rise of technology and specialization means that today there can be SMEs for almost everything. And I say almost, because large-scale traditional production companies don’t usually (or shouldn’t, given their capabilities) fall into the hands of SMEs. An SME (a laboratory) can discover a vaccine, and another large, specialized company can manufacture the millions of vials (this is a better example).

Although there’s a much longer explanation, the fact is that in the slightly more normal world, small businesses haven’t been a non-existent existence; they’ve only experienced a boom and expansion, a process of coupling, complementarity, and slow transfer of power (with advances and setbacks) with big capital, given a certain technological development.

What of all this have we thought about for the Cuban pro-SME celebration? I mean, besides the joy of someone who’s about to have their small business and wants us all to believe that their prosperity will be everyone’s. Before the “yes, yes, yes” chant, has anyone stopped to think about the SME monopoly? This is Cuba: if we have political mutants, aren’t there also going to be economic ones? Imagine a small private company that, for non-economic reasons, is the provider of home deliveries in Havana, based on pudding purchases made from abroad. Well, that SME, as the sole supplier, speculates and raises prices (especially during a pandemic and shortages). If two small companies appear that do the same, nothing. They come to an agreement, form a duopoly, a cartel, and (their) owners are happy.

Coincidentally, territoriality and location turn companies into monopolies. Even though bread is three times cheaper in Marianao than in Vedado, that doesn’t mean people from Vedado will go to Marianao for the same bread (this is also a good example, although prices aren’t that high. Nobody should rush to Marianao).

Back to the ridiculousness… what were they thinking when they extinguished small companies? What kind of delusion must one have to want all companies to be big, huge? Monopolies galore, another reaffirmation? Freud would have something to say about that, I’m sure.

As a monopolistic accompaniment, all chinchales, agricultural and non-agricultural, were decapitated. As a side effect, the proletariat began to miss the shoemakers, carpenters, bricklayers, and plumbers. It was something like the history of the social divisions of labor, that of Engels, who borrowed it from Hegel, but in reverse. Praise.

Thus, in a short time, the goal was achieved of making agriculture more unproductive than ever, in a fierce battle against sweet potatoes, rice, beans, and corn.

It must be understood that this was a strategic step toward the greater good of creating the proletariat corresponding to (his) dictatorship. Because for there to be a dictatorship of the proletariat and for the agreements of the Congress to be fulfilled, there must be a proletariat, Lenin more so, Lenin less so. But it wasn’t made clear who was dictating, and the proletariat ended up being the one dictated to. And more than fifty years have passed.

Okay, I can be more part of the collective spirit. Hooray. No exclamation point.

Oh no! I’m not even giving gold for a trinket; that’s giving away gold. Let them show it to you, and you’ll be happy to see what was yours. Right now, we’re celebrating the right to walk along the Malecón.

Just in case, so I don’t get it wrong: this isn’t Spain or Belgium. SMEs are just another ingredient, not to be confused with the recipe (I know the drill).

I’m left with state-owned SMEs, but that would be a discussion with the newly learned slogan: cooperative. And that debate comes with an ideological prologue and a declaration of principles.

I’ll leave it at this: we’ll finally have the small businesses back (legally). More people to dictate to the proletariat, for sure. Repatriation, citizenship, and reintegration for the Chinchales unjustly judged by the revolutionary authorities, but rectified in time. How wise the wise men are!