The new Cuban housing law is the first reform measure promulgated by law after Raul Castro became Cuba's leader. Laws and regulations allow retired workers to continue to hold their original state-owned houses through legal procedures, which can be inherited by future generations or relatives. People who use this regulation include soldiers, sugar factory workers, construction workers, teachers and doctors. However, residents who enjoy housing still cannot sell their houses to the outside world, and they can only buy them by the Cuban government.
The day before, Cuba's national television reported that the Cuban government would cancel the salary limit for state employees, allow employees to "get more for more work" and create more incentive mechanisms to encourage workers to improve labor productivity. This means that for the first time in decades, Cuba does not restrict the income of state employees. Cuban leader Raul Castro promised to make the salary level better reflect a person's ability to work.
Not long ago, Cuba also carried out remarkable rural land system reform. The government announced that it would lease idle state-owned land to farmers to further increase grain production. Cuban TV reported that more than 50% of Cuba's arable land is underutilized or fallow, and the government will lease it to farmers or small producers. In Cuba, it is not easy to travel abroad, visit relatives or study abroad. Cubans must apply for a "white permit" at the Ministry of the Interior for entry and exit. Because only by obtaining this kind of card can you enter and leave freely, people call it "free card". The processing procedure of this kind of card is very complicated, which often takes half a month or even a month, and the handling fee is as high as 150 US dollars, which is equivalent to the salary of ordinary Cubans in the past year. In addition, Cubans living abroad must obtain permission from their own government, and their licenses need to be renewed every year, otherwise it will be difficult to enter the country. Going abroad is just a dream for most Cubans.
In order to change this situation, Cuban Foreign Minister Perez publicly stated to the outside world on March 19, 2008 that "the Cuban government is considering simplifying entry and exit procedures". He said that although it is still uncertain when this new policy will be implemented, it is certain that the Cuban government is giving priority to solving this historical problem and amending relevant laws and regulations to facilitate the Cuban people's normal exchanges with their relatives and friends living abroad.
Computers and household appliances used by the Cuban people are distributed by the state. The collection of refrigerators distributed to families is generally posted in front of state-owned supply points. But all this is coming to an end. Recently, the Cuban government announced that in order to invigorate the economy, farmers will be allowed to purchase agricultural machinery and agricultural materials independently to increase grain output, and the retail of goods such as computers, household appliances and audio-visual products limited by power shortage will be opened.
Although this is only a small beginning, the new policy of invigorating and opening up the market has indeed brought hope to the people.
In fact, as early as the early 1990s, Cuba had begun small-scale gradual reform and opening up to solve the problems of food supply shortage and foreign exchange shortage. These measures mainly include developing private economy and collective economy, opening to foreign investment, establishing free trade zones, opening farmers' markets and handicrafts markets, and legalizing the holding of US dollars. After more than ten years' efforts, Cuba's economy has gradually recovered, private economy and collective economy have developed to a certain extent, and foreign goods have also increased substantially. In Cuba, you can not only drink Coca-Cola, but also see German Mercedes-Benz stores on Havana Avenue. Many Cubans are using China Haier refrigerator.
However, due to negative phenomena such as widening income distribution gap and rising unemployment rate, the Cuban government withdrew some policies and measures that were considered more radical at the beginning of this century, which slowed down the process of reform and opening up and led to stagnation in many economic fields. According to outside analysis, Cuba will resume these reform and opening-up measures after Raul takes office.
On March 20th, the Cuban government announced that it would use foreign capital (mainly from Spain and China) to build 30 tourist hotels and increase the number of rooms from 46,000 to 56,000 in 20 10. However, in the past, these luxurious tourist hotels were only open to foreigners and local people were not allowed to stay. This embarrassing situation will be changed, and the Raul government has decided to lift this ban as soon as possible. It is estimated that once the summer tourist season comes, Cubans will be able to stay in tourist hotels during their domestic holidays. With the cancellation of this ban, many foreign hoteliers believe that Cuba's tourism industry will usher in a new development peak.
Mobile phones, hotels, DVDs, pressure cookers, land ... Raul Castro's reform is far from over. The next steps are golf and 24-hour TV channels.
"Soybeans are as important as cannons."
Raul Castro and his brother Fidel Castro went to the same school. Under the influence of the latter, they joined the Cuban Production Party. For more than half a century, the Castro brothers went hand in hand, participated in the armed uprising and went into exile in Mexico, and finally witnessed the success of the Cuban revolution and led the country's construction.
On February 24, 2008, after being elected by the National People's Power Congress (Parliament) of Cuba, Raul became the new chairman of the State Council and the Council of Ministers, replacing these two positions originally held by his brother Fidel and becoming the new leader of Cuba.
In his speech at the National People's Power Congress, Raul devoted a lot of space to Cuba's future economic development. He said that meeting the "basic needs of the people" is Cuba's current "urgent task" and stressed that this goal must be achieved in a comprehensive and coherent manner.
Raul said: "I reiterate that the important task of the country is to meet the basic needs of the people in both material and spiritual aspects on the basis of continuously consolidating the national economy and its production." Otherwise, "there can be no development".
He said that the proposed measures to increase the output of agriculture and animal husbandry and improve the sales of related products are one example, and it is necessary to "continue to pay attention to everything that is vital to the country."
Raul went on to say that the government is considering the issue of "gradually, gradually and cautiously increasing the value of the Cuban peso". However, he pointed out that the government has a "firm will to protect and steadily increase people's income and savings". Under such circumstances, it is "very sensitive and complicated" to achieve the above goals.
Raul said that any problems related to money should be considered comprehensively in order to avoid the "heavy blow" caused by "inconsistency".
Although he has been in charge of the army for a long time, Raul is no stranger to the economy. In his early years in Havana, his major was economics. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Raul carried out several small-scale market economic reforms in Cuba. At that time, Cuba was on the verge of bankruptcy and great hunger. Because Raul insisted on implementing the free market system in agricultural production, Cuba was able to survive this crisis.
Today, Raul continues to be in charge of the economic field. On July 3, 2006, Kloc-0, Fidel handed over the highest state power to Raul for health reasons. During the 19 months' work, Raul led the Cuban people through temporary difficulties, and achieved not only political stability, but also economic development, making Cuba's economic growth rate among the best in Latin American countries.
Raul's previous sentence also became a famous saying, that is, "soybeans are as important as cannons, or even more important."