Bans are lifted — 04/02/08

Sat, May 17 2008

— News Flash: Ordinary Cubans can now stay in their nation’s luxury resorts and hotels that had previously been reserved exclusively for foreign tourists. And in other moves aimed at showing Raul Castro is different from his brother Fidel, Cubans now can buy computers, microwaves, DVD players, Chinese-made electric bicycles and cell phones. They also can rent cars.
However, don’t expect ordinary Cubans to be standing in long lines to take advantage of these new freedoms. With an average monthly wage of $20, they hardly have the means to foot the $100 cost of a night in a luxury hotel or the $137.50 for a cell phone.
Instead of creating joy among his people over their new freedoms, Raul Castro may have sowed the seeds of more discontent. When the cell phones, computers and hotel rooms were off limits, it made little difference that the people could not afford to buy such things. After all, a worthless currency was not a problem when there was nothing to buy.
However, now that the items are accessible, one cane expect the Cuban people to begin demanding salaries that will enable them to pay for such things. After all, computers and cell phones are readily available in all parts of the world. Cubans may start wondering why they can’t have the same things that others have.