They get letters...

Granma’s editors give themselves a little pat on the back for their letters section, which is a year old today. It does make for interesting reading. It includes a section featuring responses from government agencies.

For example, this letter complains that an empty agriculture ministry bus headed eastbound from Pinar del Rio not only failed to pick up passengers, but the driver and assistant demanded money from potential passengers. This reponse says that a committee was formed promptly to investigate; the result is that the driver and assistant (in fact, a mechanic who should have been in his shop) are now unemployed.

The section also includes a note giving citizens an e-mail address and phone numbers where they can direct complaints about agriculture, and the note indicates that the minister has ordered his people to respond.