See Cuba through I-Reporters ' eyes '' The new president , who took the reins of power Sunday from his ailing brother , Fidel , 81 , has said the country must become more productive . `` The country 's priority will be to meet the basic needs of the population , both material and spiritual , based on the sustained strengthening of the national economy and its productive basis without which , I 'll say it again , development would be impossible , '' Raul Castro said in a speech Sunday . Cubans , too , are calling for reforms , though not all of them related to productivity . In a recent video that has made the rounds on the Internet , a student poses tough questions to the president of Cuba 's National Assembly , asking why Cubans can not travel freely to resorts -- a practice derided by critics as `` tourist apartheid . '' Though such a public display of discontent is rare , the video echoed sentiments often voiced in private for years , particularly since the fall of the Soviet empire in 1991 and , with it , the loss of billions of
HAVANA , Cuba -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Cuban President Raul Castro is taking over leadership of a country whose government believes its citizens are not working hard enough . Raul Castro was chosen Sunday to take over Cuba 's presidency from his brother , Fidel Castro . The state-run newspaper recently ran an article headlined `` Work : Option or necessity ? '' The writer pointed out that , judging by the number of people in the streets during the day , many Cubans do n't seem to be on the job . They have few motivations to buckle down : Salaries average about $ 15 per month on the island , and Cubans get monthly food rations even if they do n't work . Watch a report on the realities in Cuba '' `` There is a strong desire to protect and to gradually increase the incomes and savings of the population , particularly of those least favored , '' said Raul Castro , 76 . The black market is so widespread that Cubans have coined a special term for breaking the law to make ends meet : `` resolver '' -- literally , `` to resolve . ''