Observations focused on the problems of an underdeveloped country, Venezuela, with some serendipity about the world (orchids, techs, science, investments, politics) at large. A famous Venezuelan, Juan Pablo Perez Alfonzo, referred to oil as the devil's excrement. For countries, easy wealth appears indeed to be the sure path to failure. Venezuela might be a clear example of that.
Even the ultimate diplomat (and oligarch!) the King of Spain could not stand it any more and told Chavez:
“Why don’t you shut up!”
After Chavez threatened the Continent with violence, relived his mythical story of the 2002 coup with the 5,000 around the palace now in the millions and insulting former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar.
In today’s El Nacional, Prof. Luis Pedro España exposes very clearly how distorted things are getting distorted in Venezuela. España is without a doubt the country’s foremost expert on poverty, but the Government unfortunately has no use for his extensive knowledge of that matter.
Hummer for eggs by Luis Pedro España
There is no milk but
there is yogurt. There is no sugar, but there is Splenda. There are no
eggs, nor meat, nor rice, but there is caviar, salmon and all the
things needed to make Sushi. What type of economy is this? Who are the
geniuses that play politics in the name of the poor and the result is
that all that is available are the goods for the rich?
The battle against inflation does not only consist in that
articles do no go up in price, it is also necessary for goods to be on
the shelves. Scarcity is the hidden face of inflation. When you try to
fit it into a corset, not only the economy, but human nature itself, the
senseless signs of communism or Bolivarian socialism begin to appear:
there is no milk for the kids, but there are imported crackers for pets
The Government knows it and I suppose they must be surprised at it. But
its reaction, its next economic measures will likely be even worse. The
little understanding, when it is not ideological denial of the basic
rules of economics will take them to make the disequilibria even more
extreme.
They are not going to rectify. They will continue with the
senseless interventions. That is why we are only centimeters away from
one of the multiple ministries aaproving quarterly price lists for
3,000 to 5,000 articles of consumption. It is probable that before
December Mercal will introduce the “famous Cuban rationing cards” for
articles like sugar, rice and powdered milk. Thus, while the poor stand
in long lines, their hands are stamped so that they do not go back to
the end of the line, or they ask for their ID card to buy things
simultaneously, on the other hand, the middle and high classes travel
at half or a third of the price and they buy even more imported
articles.
The horror of the authorities because of the importation of
luxury items, whether they are Hummers or the much-maligned Scotch
whisky, is forcing them to introduce even more controls. Now they will
prohibit car imports and surely many other luxury items, but we will
continue seeing them, the political bosses or their wives will show off
what is forbidden to everyone else. Inflation, scarcity of basic goods
and the pernicious regressive subsidies that are behind the price of
gasoline and the huge foreign exchange differential, only work in the
direction opposite to what the intention of the controls is supposed to
be. This Government that pretends to be the Robin Hood of Latin
America, in reality is a Hood Robin. A villain that takes away from the
poor in order to give it to the rich.
But we know what will be the end of these decisions. The whole
continent lived through it after the collapse of its economies in the
eighties and we lived it after Lusinchis’ Government and the terrorific
adjustment of Perez II.
The Government appears not to understand that only
stimulating, creating the conditions for productive investment and
increasing national production it is that it will be possible to
placate inflation, defeat scarcities and provide good employment for
Venezuelans.
It is quite probable that the authorities are counting on the
price of oil as the artifice to sustain the economic unfeasibility of
its international policy. But the reality is different. Whatever the
price may be, nothing will save us from the economic chaos we will
undergo, a product of the gigantic error that is implied in getting rid
of local production, attacking property and ignoring the most
elementary rules of economics.
Sooner or later we will pay the political obstinacy of the State
of doing without that part of society, which it considers it enemy.
While that arrives, we can test the barter system that the Government
likes so much, thus, I trade a Hummer for twelve dozen eggs!
While we have known that the Chavez Government lacks scruples and has an absolute disregard for the law and the truth, it never ceases to amaze us how cynical they can be in terms of distorting the truth. The savage and brutal attack on the students by a group of Chavista thugs is quickly becoming a sort of Puente del Llaguno II, where the hoodlums that attacked the students returning unarmed from their peaceful march are now supposed to have cornoered and attempted to lynch the “poor” Chavistas who were at the University.
First of all, pro-Chavez and anti-Chavez students coexist peacefully at Central University, so there is no explanation for this sudden impulse to lynch them. They have faced each other in debates and elections and there has only been violence whenever outside groups have gone in and stirred it up. Like yesterday.
Let us first recall, that at around 4 PM, the Vice-Minister of the Interior and Justice sent police groups to all entrances of Central University and appeared on TV saying that he was doing this to stop any extraneous groups from creating violence. Why did he do this and why did he say it? Then the violence began and in most of the videos and pictures (there is one in my mind that is not clear if the guy is part of the pro-Chavez thugs or not) those armed, organized and attacking the students with weapons and on motorcycles are pro-Chavez groups.
Today one of the readers of the blog posted this link to human rights group Provea which shows pictures which prove very clearly the impunity with which yesterday’s attack took place and how the Government tacitly had to have allowed these armed groups to go into the University.
The top two pictures show guys on motorcycles, most of them without plates, being directed by an armed person in the background. Even worse, some of the motorcycles without plates happen to be police motorcycles. Below you can see on such motorcycle, no license plate, no required helmet on the passenger and it clearly says Police on it. How could these people get through the police barriers? Why no plates? Who controls the Metropolitan Police? Are any of these people students?
In the bottom you can then see four such motorcycles. The one on the extreme right the guy has a heavy rifle, none of them have helmets and at least one of the motorcycles is a police motorcycles.
These are supposedly the “heroes” who came to aid the people trapped inside and who have even been on the Government’s TV station today explaining what heroes they are.
Thus, we seem to be in the face Of Puente El Llaguno II or perhaps The armed shooters of Puente El LLaguno II. On April 11th. 2002, the peaceful march going under a bridge began being shot at by gunman who were caught on camera. These gunmen, many of them employees of the Chavista City Hall of the Libertador District, were found to be innocent in a speedy trial, while the Metropolitan Police Officers protecting the march below remain in jail to this day without even being brought to trial.
In a few months, these shooters will be in the streets if they are ever jailed, much like the man who killed Maritza Ron on August 15th. 2004, who curiously attended the burial of Danilo Anderson when he was supposed to be in jail and the Puente El Llaguno shooters who are back at work for the revolution, more loyal than ever.
This is the revolutions without scruples, this is the violent revolution, these are the crimes of Hugo Chavez.
Somebody sent me this picture. The guy below left is the same one on the right as well as being the one in the previous post in the picture that has been seen around the world, shooting at the students behind the door (You can see him in many pictures in Daniel’s blog). Maybe the Minister of the Interior can identify him or maybe he might not if it is not convenient to find him:
Students marched today and introduced an injunction in the Venezuelan Supreme Court asking that the proposed reform be postponed because it is illegal and has not been known and discussed by the people. I was very impressed by the clarity of the concepts expressed by the students that were allowed to speak, as they outlined very succinctly the reasons why they think the proposed changes, as well as the procedures followed, were absolutely illegal and fraudulent.
The march was peaceful, as pro-Chavez groups were kept at bay (at last) by the police, so that they could not interfere with the march. However, as the students returned to their universities, armed groups in motorcycles showed up in at least two universities in Caracas and Merida and began shooting at the students. There are at least nine injured as I write this, and while there has been rumors of one dead person, but this has been denied by authorities.
Below images of the shooters on the left, trying to push a door open to shoot at the students as well as a lone man with a gun and hooded face shooting at the students. There are videos that should reveal more later on. For now, just note that the student on the right has a gas mask on and a t-shirt that says “NO” to the Constitutional reform, clearly coming from the march. One of the guys on the left trying to push the door open has a gun and is trying to shoot them. Who do you think is the aggressor here?
The Minister of the Interior is on TV saying that the students returning from the march ¨trapped¨123 students (how precise!) and tried to lynch them and that is what led to the shootings. Curiously, he did not explain how the motorcycle riders got through the police barriers that were supposedly ¨blocking all entrances¨ to the University or the fact that the students who are injured are mostly coming from the march (I do not say all, because I can not confirm it). The Minister says that the students were frustrated because their march was peaceful. He did talk about the “party” surrounding the approval of the Constitutional reform.
Chacumbele’s* Cynicism by Teodoro Petkoff in Tal Cual
In front of a crowd that arrived at Avenida
Bolivar without asking for a permit from the Mayor, that marched
without any repressive core opposing them with tanks and water whales
and without anybody throwing stones and bottles at them, Chacumbele
demanded of his henchmen that they prohibit student demonstrations and
that they punish the media which he claimed were trying to stage a
coup. This is the last straw, coming from someone who seems to have no
limit to his abuses and arbitrariness, and above all, his cynicism.
While a gang of motorcycle riders with red t shirts goes into the
Central patio of the Capitol building without being stopped, the
students, in order to hand over a document to the National Assembly,
have to arrive protected by the National Guard and avoiding bottles
thrown by Chacumbele’s hoodlums. Could a group from the opposition have
been standing at the corner of the CNE while Celia Flores and her
pathetic combo marched to hand over the reform proposal to the CNE?
Pointless question. On the other hand when the student commission
arrived at the CNE it was stoned by hoodlums, happily gathered in the
neighboring corner. This inequality, this trampling of denying some
people what is allowed to others is at the origin of the tensions. It
is the feeling of abuse, of cowardly and immoral advantages, which
eventually stirs emotions and also, one should add, facilitates the
actions of the provocateurs interested in creating disturbances. We can
admit that the attitude of some of the young people, hotheaded in the
face of the tanks and the police line of the Metropolitan force, was
not politically the most convenient thing to do (without discarding the
action of the provocateurs) and that trying to chain themselves at the
CNE was not either, and moreover that it was an error. But the
President should not rip his clothes over this, how many burnt vehicles
have in their trajectory the various Ministers, some of them part of
the old hooded demonstrators of UCV? How many fights between police and
students have there not been in this country, so that now Chacumbele
pretends to nullify this constitutional right to demonstrate, since the
events of last Thursday? He must be quite nervous with the numbers in
the polls, so as to prohibit the public rallies of his opponents and to
silence the media through which they express themselves. We do not
share at all neither the tone of the speeches of the sector that met on
Saturday in Avenida Victoria, among other things, because of the
insults that were proffered against other sectors of the opposition,
but the media is not responsible for what was said there, the same way
that the swaggering, the threats and other offenses that Chacumbele
issued in his speech on Sunday,were also registered by the same media.
Take a tranquilizer please.
*Chacumbele killed himself by trying out his own poison, in this case it refers to Chavez
Moises Naim, who was Minister of Development from 1989 to 1992, is
Editor of Foreign Policy and wrote the book “Illicit: How drug smugglers,
traffickers and copycats are hijacking the Global Economy”
wrote the article below in Madrid’s El Pais about how Venezuela is becoming a
center for globalized criminal activity thanks to corruption and the lack of
enforcement. This is another achievement of the robolution that is actually
hard to understand: How Chavez has simply ignored crime and corruption and
allowed it to grow uncontrolled during his nine years in office. Given his
military background and the goodwill with which he arrived in office I actually
thought these would be two areas where there may be progress. I was very wrong,
as corruption has proliferated and crime has tripled since Chavez took office. This
permissiveness has also propelled the country into the ranks of most favored
nation for international criminal syndicates as Dr. Naim so clearly explains
below:
The hidden history of Venezuela by Moises Naim
As the world debates between horror and admiration, the changes that Hugo Chavez is imposing in Venezuela, other
transformations less visible but equally profound are taking place in that
country. Venezuela
has become a major center of operations for the criminal networks that operate
internationally. What most attracts these foreign traffickers of Venezuela is
not the local markets; what they love are the excellent conditions offered as a
basis for managing their criminals businesses. Crossroads between South
America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe, the Venezuela’s location
is ideal. Borders? Long, depopulated and porous. It’s financial system? Large
and easy to evade government controls for those who need it.
Telecommunications, ports and airports? The best that oil can buy. Levels of
corruption of politicians, soldiers, judges and policemen? Venezuela occupies a
shameful position at number 162 on the list of Transparency International,
which ranks 179 countries according to their level of corruption. Has President
Chavez shown any interest in the face of these international networks in his
eight years in power? Not much.
While this situation has so far been invisible to world public opinion, it has
not been for those fighting transnational crime. They are not interested neither
in Venezuela nor in Chavez’ policies, but in the fact that from that country the
tentacles of these criminals global networks are irradiated to the rest of the
world. And the numbers speak for themselves: in 2003 75 tons of cocaine left
Venezuela; this year it is estimated that 276 tons will leave the country. Before,
the main target were the United States and the Caribbean; Now Europe is
increasingly the target with technical stops in African countries like Guinea-Bissau,
where there has recently emerged a community of Venezuelans and Colombians.
A senior Dutch police officer told me that he and his European colleagues spend
more time in Caracas than in Bogota, and that many of the major heads of
criminal cartels now operate with impunity – and effectiveness – from
Venezuela. And traffickers are not only Colombians: there are also Asians and
Europeans and even from Belarus, a country that President Chavez has paid
particular attention to and visited several times.
Venezuela also appears on all of the lists of havens for money laundering. And
money moves from Venezuela not only through electronic interbank transfers: the
combination of private jets, suitcases full of money and diplomatic immunity
has opened up new possibilities. Recently, a member of the so-called Bolivarian
bourgeoisie or boliburguesía-the new group of mega rich that has emerged in
recent years, was discovered at the customs office in Buenos Aires with at
least one of these bags. Discovered, but not arrested, because he was traveling
with a group of senior members of President Nestor Kirchner´s Government. Just
a few weeks ago, in Uruguay the illegal trafficking of arms and ammunition by
Venezuelans which were thus trying to avoid the embargo imposed on Iran by the
Security Council of the UN was denounced. The Colombian guerrillas do not seem
to have major problems in obtaining the weapons they need, many of them through
Venezuela. Someone is selling them to them.
Diamond exploiters are doing equally well. “Venezuela is allowing massive
smuggling of diamonds and the country should be expelled from the Kimberley
Process”, recommended in a recent report by Global Witness and Partnership
Africa. The Kimberley Process is the mechanism sponsored by the UN to combat
the smuggling of so-called blood diamonds. Venezuela is in the first division
of the illegal trade in people and is one of the countries which gives less
protection to human beings trafficked involuntarily, especially women. It is
also a major hub for transshipments of Chinese citizens and from the Middle
East en route to other destinations and who obtain Venezuelans passports in a
matter of hours. But never free.
The great paradox of this terrible story is that, despite the constant
denunciations of President Chavez against globalization, the revolution has not
been able to avoid that Venezuela suffer its worst consequences. These criminal
gangs are globalizing Venezuela. But this is a globalization that depends on
corruption, crime and death. The hidden history of Venezuela may end up being
much more important in determining the future of my suffering country that Hugo
Chavez´experiment.
Chavez’
former Minister of Defense Raul Baduel, the man that single-handedly brought
Chavez back to power in April 2002, came
out today to voice his strong opposition to the proposed reform, which “if
approved would consummate in practice a coup d’etat in Venezuela”
Baduel did not mince words
saying “unnecessarily and trampling over procedures, using fraudulent
procedures they want to impose a proposal that requires a wide consultation
process via a Constituent assembly”
“Any Constitution that
reduces regulation (on the Government) and takes away limits to power must be
viewed with suspicion”
Baduel called on
Venezuelans to inform themselves and defense their rights and “not allow their
power to be taken away from them” and on the Armed Forces to be alert about the
content of the articles approved.
“This is not a
Constitutional Reform, it is not a revision…it is a transformation of the
State, thus it should have been assumed by a National Constituent Assembly”
u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\> u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\>“At this moment, both the Executive Power asnwell as the Legislative Power are taking power away from the people alteringntheir values, the principles and structure of the State without having the abilitynto do so”u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\> u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\>Thus, Baduel concluded that he wanted to publiclynmanifest his rejection to the proposal; because it was regressive one which reducesnthe advances achieved in constitutional rights since 1999 and urged people tonvote NO on the proposal. u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\> u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\> u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\> u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\>This is a very interesting development. Baduelncoincides with the view that this is simply a coup against the VenezuelannConstitution and raises all of the relevant issues abut the illegality of thenproposed reform. His words are too strong for this to be some sort of trick. Itnwill be interesting to see the Government’s reactions and whether othernvoices join him. u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\> u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”3″ faceu003d”Times New Roman”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:12.0pt”\>The downside is that Baduel has personal ambitions, isnalso former military and who knows what he wants…u003c/span>\u003c/font>\u003c/p>\nn\u003cp>\u003cfont sizeu003d”2″ faceu003d”Arial”\>u003cspan langu003d”EN-US” styleu003d”font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial”\>”,1]
);
//–>
“At this moment, both the
Executive Power as well as the Legislative Power are taking power away from the
people altering their values, the principles and structure of the State without
having the ability to do so”
Thus, Baduel concluded
that he wanted to publicly manifest his rejection to the proposal; because it was
regressive one which reduces the advances achieved in constitutional rights
since 1999 and urged people to vote NO on the proposal.
This is a very interesting
development. Baduel coincides with the view that this is simply a coup against
the Venezuelan Constitution and raises all of the relevant issues abut the
illegality of the proposed reform. His words are too strong for this to be some
sort of trick. It will be interesting to see the Government’s reactions and
whether other voices join him.
The downside is that
Baduel has personal ambitions, was a strong collaborator in many abuses of this
Government and has his own personal political agenda, he is also former
military and who knows what he wants…In fact. his announcement even comes with
the creation of his blog with
a statement on his position on the reform.
What does Baduel really
want? Stay tuned…
The democratic wisdom
and goodwill of autocrat/dictator Hugo Chavez when referring to those that
disagree with him yesterday during his rally pro reform of the Constitution:
On the
middle class that lives in the east of Caracas:
“Imagine a
million people marching towards the East of Caracas burning palm trees and other
trees. We would be that million, not you, because you don’t even reach one
million. There would no stone left of this oligarchy without a fatherland”
On the
church that has opposed the proposed Constitutional Reform:
“The
Cardinal and the bishops are leaving the same pile of shit. Mr. Cardinal you
continue with the same pile of shit. Ali Primera used to say, don’t look for
the Cardinal because God is happy with the revolution”
On student
marches:
“Next time
you have to evaluate if you give them the permit to march, because you are
going to give it to them so that they can come and burn downtown Caracas. What Government can be so weak to
give a permit to some fascists that are threatening to burn cars with people inside?”
On the
leaders of the protests:
“I have
ordered to open case file on them…Barreto, open cases against them…because they are
looking for a dead body… what happened at the CNE was planned. I am sure they
were sorry nothing bad happened, but they want a bloody show. Don’t let
yourselves (the students) be used to march like peasants to a bloodshed”
On the
media:
“What is
this Conatel? What is this Barreto, Rodriguez and Bernal? Jesse Chacon
(Minister of Telecommunications). The TV stations call for a march with no
point of return (sic) and nothing happens. Apply the law. And if you don’t dare
do it, I sign it. Each of us has to assume his own responsibility.”
On what may
happen if he loses
“I prefer a
peaceful outcome, but if for any reason I fail, I would go to the mountains of
Falcon, the plains of Portuguesa, Lara and the South of the Orinoco. Is that what they want? If I have to
grab a rifle, I have no problem in ending my life like that”
Spoken like
a true democrat, no?
//–>
//–>
Unknown Feed
The Devil's Excrement 