Cuba liberalises barber shops and beauty salons

[acosta]

Cuba is turning over hundreds of state-run barber shops and beauty salons to employees in what may be the start of a long-expected privatisation drive.
All barbers and hairdressers in shops with three seats or fewer will be allowed to rent the space and pay taxes instead of getting a monthly wage.
The retail sector has long been derided for poor service and rampant theft.
The country's former President, Fidel Castro, nationalised all small businesses in 1968.
'Slow and cautious'
Now his younger brother and successor Raul Castro is trying to modernise the system without jumping to full-scale capitalism.
Other communist countries such as China and Vietnam have long since pushed through market reforms while maintaining political control.
President Castro's first economic reforms involved giving unproductive state-owned land to private farmers.
Some taxi drivers are allowed to work for themselves.
This is his first attempt to deal with shops in the retail and service sector.
It is likely to be a gradual process, though.
These beauty salon changes have not been officially announced or mentioned in the state-controlled press.
In a recent speech to the Young Communist League, Raul Castro acknowledged that people were impatient for change but warned that he planned to move slowly and cautiously.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8616858.stm

[JJHH]

I believe the casa particulares (B&B at Cuba) are also simple forms of semi-private "companies". That's what I understood from my host in Havana.

Lets hope this improves the economy.

[Atlantic Friend]

Old man Raul will have to liberalize a lot more if he wants to improve Cuba's economy. He could try to tear up a page from the Chinese book and try the economic freedom/political repression combo.

[Panchito12]

Viva el haircut freedom?

[Atlantic Friend]

In a truly ironic world, Raul castro would be overthrown by hairdressers and beauticians in the next few months, his last words before being preened to death being "I knew it would happen".

Seriously, how outlandish is a incentive package that hinges upon allowing private barbershops and beauty institutes?

[seraosha]

It's a start.

I look forward to more normalized relations with Cuba...once the old guard is pushing up daisys.

[Hollis]

In a truly ironic world, Raul castro would be overthrown by hairdressers and beauticians in the next few months, his last words before being preened to death being "I knew it would happen".

Seriously, how outlandish is a incentive package that hinges upon allowing private barbershops and beauty institutes?


One can not keep promising freedom and not eventually give it. Even corporations have caught on that the large centralize centers of control does not work today in our rapid and ever changing world. Same with central control governments. The left is moving right and the right is moving left. I think part of the benefits of ending the cold war is that we can not look at other options rather than be locked into the extreme ends.

[Atlantic Friend]

In the long, long run no, one cannot keep feeding one's people hollow slogans and calls for more discipline, but these things can take a long, long time as well. I hope that Cubans will not have to make do with Fidel quotes instead of meat and clothes and cars and basic political rights for 5 more years.

[Hollis]

In the long, long run no, one cannot keep feeding one's people hollow slogans and calls for more discipline, but these things can take a long, long time as well. I hope that Cubans will not have to make do with Fidel quotes instead of meat and clothes and cars and basic political rights for 5 more years.


I think part of this problem is the US embargo on Cuba. Personally it should have been ended long ago.

[tluassa]

The last time I was in Havanna I ate in some families private living room, that they turned into some kind of "small" restraurant for tourists. I guess the same is now applied to smaller shops ...

[Atlantic Friend]

I think part of this problem is the US embargo on Cuba. Personally it should have been ended long ago.

Probably - though I can understand why it was put into place in the first time, it has hurt Cuban citizenry more than regime officials, as always with such measures. The aftershocks of 1962, I guess. I've often wondered if Castro could have held onto power, if Kennedy hadn't been killed. There sure was no love lost between those two.

[LineDoggie]

Raul's trying to make sure he doesnt wind up like Mussolini upside down in a Havana petrol station within 6 months of Bro Fido going to hell.

[paulhewsoon]

Well, maybe they wanna cut castro's beard.... :)


This guy, Raoul, it's is known he wants to end economic socialism and do something like China or Vietnam, but he's waiting for his brother to kick the bucket, so....

[BlackHigh]

cuba's economy is growing some 4-8% each year... since over a decade, and now massive oil reserves was found and already first contracts were made... yeah... cuba is surly in deep ****...


this slow but stout and controled economic liberalisation is very good actually, a over the top liberalisation would let possible too a shock like in russia in the 90's and other soviet states

[Hollis]

cuba's economy is growing some 4-8% each year... since over a decade, and now massive oil reserves was found and already first contracts were made... yeah... cuba is surly in deep ****...


this slow but stout and controled economic liberalisation is very good actually, a over the top liberalisation would let possible too a shock like in russia in the 90's and other soviet states

I agree, Russia did not have all the mechanisms in placed for a market economy. It takes time to develop those mechanism, especially if one wants to avoid the "shock" of change.

[intelligenzija]

The last time I was in Havanna I ate in some families private living room, that they turned into some kind of "small" restraurant for tourists. I guess the same is now applied to smaller shops ...

my father just returned from cuba and he told me that there are many private restaurants now, which serve reall good food. Other small private business is possible too, he was surprised how it changed