A Necessary "Rescue

"A Necessary "Rescue" / Fernando Damaso #Cuba
Fernando Damaso, Translator: Unstated

In 1959, "the year of the accident" as a friend of mine likes to call
it, there were any number of well-known people who had degrees in
business administration and public accounting. They practiced their
professions in different manufacturing and service companies and in
general their salaries provided them with a good standard of living.
Accounting was practiced universally throughout the country,
contributing to a healthy economy.

At some point "someone" determined that there was no need for all this,
and the system was dismantled. Overnight, business administrators,
bookkeepers and accountants either became nothing more than check
writers for nationalized companies and agricultural businesses, or had
to change professions if they wanted to to survive. In order to cut "the
evil" at its root, provincial business schools and university accounting
departments were closed. With these measures, economic controls
disappeared since "under socialism they, as well as money, were no
longer necessary." Life, however, stubbornly and amply demonstrates what
a big mistake this turned out to be. The country paid and continues to
pay the consequences, while those who were responsible have never
accepted responsibility or answered for their errors.

For some time now there has been a renewed emphasis on the importance of
economists and accountants. They even have their own organization—ANEC
(National Association of Economists and Accountants). One day, November
26, was inexplicably chosen, however, to be the day on which someone,
who knew nothing about economics or accounting much less banking,
assumed the presidency of the National Bank of Cuba. After reading about
the duties currently assigned to him, while ignoring the gray years as
if they had never happened, it seems like there will be a lot of them he
will surely find difficult to fulfill. Let's see. He must contribute to
the implementation of the guidelines, design the theoretical foundations
of "the model," develop courses for bookkeepers as well as courses for
entrepreneurs, provide advice to strengthen the work of accounting teams
and the control of resources, coordinate the preparation of economic
reports by directors, and develop a culture of economics, among other
things. In other words, try to rescue (one of the verbs most widely used
nowadays) all that was lost during the years of improvisation and failure.

It would be beneficial if he were successful, for the good of the nation
but also as a palpable demonstration that they never should have done
away with these economic activities. Although it is a bit late, it is
good to correct things.

December 1 2012

http://translatingcuba.com/a-necessary-rescue-fernando-damaso-cuba/