EDITORIAL: Changes in Cuba address very little; more to come?
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People vacationing in Cuba at one of its many fine resorts will now be able to see a brand-new sight during their stay: Cubans.
That's because the Cuban government has just lifted the longtime ban prohibiting Cubans from staying in the country's luxury hotels and resorts.
This news comes on a wave of lifted restrictions for the Caribbean island nation: Computers, DVD players, plasma TVs and (of course) electric bicycles can now be purchased freely by its citizens. Cubans also can use gyms, visit hair salons and rent cars.
It's not that these goods and services weren't available before - they were only available to companies or foreigners.
Natives have dubbed this reverse privilege as "tourist apartheid." Although the term is a bit harsh (we're not aware of any genocide by the hands of Cuban tourists), it does paint an ugly although accurate picture of a struggling nation getting stepped on by rich, white visitors.
The tourism industry brings in an annual $2 billion, so Cubans have been all too painfully aware of what they have been missing out on all these years (and those electric bicycles sound pretty cool).
These sweeping changes come only one month after Raul Castro took control of the socialist state from his ailing brother, Fidel.
Already, Raul has made it clear that things are only going to get better for citizens of Cuba. Fidel imposed and enforced such sanctions because he was so staunchly opposed to the formation of an elite ruling class. But Raul's decision seems to indicate a change in heart over the economic restrictions placed on his people.
Still, these changes do little good for the many in Cuba who are too poor to rent a hotel room or purchase a new television. Many Cubans are reporting that their government salaries are just not enough to even justify the changes, because no one can afford any of them.
If this is the case, Raul may be forced to stray even further from the "shining path" of socialism laid out before him. Who knows what Raul's next month in office will hold?
That's because the Cuban government has just lifted the longtime ban prohibiting Cubans from staying in the country's luxury hotels and resorts.
This news comes on a wave of lifted restrictions for the Caribbean island nation: Computers, DVD players, plasma TVs and (of course) electric bicycles can now be purchased freely by its citizens. Cubans also can use gyms, visit hair salons and rent cars.
It's not that these goods and services weren't available before - they were only available to companies or foreigners.
Natives have dubbed this reverse privilege as "tourist apartheid." Although the term is a bit harsh (we're not aware of any genocide by the hands of Cuban tourists), it does paint an ugly although accurate picture of a struggling nation getting stepped on by rich, white visitors.
The tourism industry brings in an annual $2 billion, so Cubans have been all too painfully aware of what they have been missing out on all these years (and those electric bicycles sound pretty cool).
These sweeping changes come only one month after Raul Castro took control of the socialist state from his ailing brother, Fidel.
Already, Raul has made it clear that things are only going to get better for citizens of Cuba. Fidel imposed and enforced such sanctions because he was so staunchly opposed to the formation of an elite ruling class. But Raul's decision seems to indicate a change in heart over the economic restrictions placed on his people.
Still, these changes do little good for the many in Cuba who are too poor to rent a hotel room or purchase a new television. Many Cubans are reporting that their government salaries are just not enough to even justify the changes, because no one can afford any of them.
If this is the case, Raul may be forced to stray even further from the "shining path" of socialism laid out before him. Who knows what Raul's next month in office will hold?
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