First Hand Prohibitions that Affect our Economy

First Hand Prohibitions that Affect our Economy / Yusnaby Perez
Posted on April 24, 2013

To: Manuel Antonio Vale Marrero (President of the Metropolitan Bank)
cc: Ernesto Medina Villaveirán (President of the Central Bank of Cuba)
cc: Granma newspaper

Issue: Firsthand prohibitions that affect our economy

Havana, April 24, 2013

Sirs: Bankers, Politicans and Journalists,

It is my duty to communicate with you and ask you to reflect about the
new firsthand prohibitions that are affecting the national economy.

Yesterday I went to the Metropolitan Bank at 5th Avenue and 112th in the
municipality of Playa, with the purpose of changing a 100 Euro note to
CUCs. I stood in the one hour line and when it came my turn to enter,
Jaime, the security officer in charge, refused me entry to the bank
because I was wearing shorts. I explained my need and urgency to change
the money, and his response was: "By direction of the country we have
prohibited the entry into this bank of people in shorts and flipflops."

How could I believe that? I asked Jaime to allow me to talk to his
supervisor to explain the reason for the "ban." After a few minutes
Maria (the supervisor) appeared and in a very childish way Jaime kept
telling me that in order to talk to her I had to "stay outside the door"
while Maria talked to from "inside."

I talk to her, explaining to her as well that I am a present client of
the bank and I have an urgent need to change money. I asked her to show
me the Ministerial Resolution which forbade entry to all bank customers
wearing shorts. She did not answer me. When asked her if she was
interested in what I was saying, to my surprise, she was honest and said
"NO, I'M NOT INTERESTED." I retired from the bank without positive
result and now I make my complaint through this route with the following
questions:

What is the difference between a man in shorts and a lady in a skirt? Is
this a prohibition for the sake of prohibition. Ladies in miniskirts
enter the bank, and in fact the bank workers themselves wear uniform
skirts) while I am denied access for wearing shorts. How is it possible
that Cuba, a country severely beaten by the Embargo, has the luxury of
implementing a "dress code" in his banks that limit the exchange of
foreign currency in the country?

These 100 Euros that I wanted to change would serve in part to help the
Cuban deficit in liquid currency and could be used to buy milk for our
children on the international market. How can you refuse a public bank
from receiving this money simply because a citizen is wearing shorts?

Raul said it: "It is time to eliminate absurd prohibitions that threaten
the country, especially its economy," but his words have not yet been
applied in this metropolitan bank. I urge you to update your bank policy
to not limit or restrict the progress of our country. I await your answers.

Sincerely,
Yusnaby Pérez

PS: I will send a copy of this letter to the newspaper Granma and I take
the liberty of publishing it on my blog: www.yusnaby.com

Sign:
"Esteemed clients: It is forbidden to enter the bank in shorts and
flipflops."

24 April 2013

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