The Devil's Excrement

—-El Nacional has
a terrifying article today about how paid assassins have killed over 100 union
workers in the construction sector in the Guayana region in the last couple of
years.

What are these deaths about? Easy, who gets jobs. As simple
as that. In a region with 65% unemployment, mafia-like gangs want to control
who gets and who does not get jobs by scaring people away from the gates of
construction sites. If they do not get scared away easily, or unions send them
to those gates in order to show the force of the unions, they simply get gunned
down by paid killers in their “carriages of death”. Reportedly people get paid
as little as Bs. 100,000 to shoot down these union workers, well below the “national
average” of Bs. 500,000 to kill someone.

And the Government? I
have no clue and apparently neither do they as the article says that the
Vice-President of the police for the state of Bolivar said the killings will
continue as long as the people are not disarmed.

—Seven years ago Hugo Chavez promised to restructure the Health
sector and asked for an enabling law that included that reform. Nothing was done then, little is being done today. We all hear
about the wonders of Barrio Adentro, which curiously was not started until five
years after Chavez got to power, clear proof of the improvised nature of the so called revolution.

But how do you justify that with the huge
windfall the country has been having in the last few years, with Barrio
Adentro, infant mortality has barely budged in these years? Shouldn’t there be
an improvement. Marino Gonzalez
in today’s Tal Cual shows statistics that are and are proof that this
country has become simply organized chaos. Infant mortality has barely improved
since 2000, malaria cases have increased from 16,686 in 1999 to a staggering 45,300
in 2005 and dengue cases have gone from 26,716 in 1999 to 42,199 in 2005.

Given that malaria had a full department in the Ministry of
Health since its creation in the 1930’s, this is something that can directly be
blamed on the Government. Venezuela
was never able to eradicate malaria completely, but its many projects to
control and contain it made it a model country until Chavez took over.

What changed? For one, Chavez began replacing everyone in
the Ministry of Health with people loyal to him, discarding decades of experience.
Venezuela
used to have experts on everything from attacking the problem, to preventing the
problem of malaria. They were mostly gone by 2001 and it was only when statistics began
looking bad that there was the suggestion that there might be a problem. Because
in the end, politics is the priority and malaria is not a problem for all, but for
the 40,000 plus people infected every year and neither Barrio Adentro nor the Government’s
emphasis in health, does deal with the problem, it has become simply another
fragmented part of the fragmented Venezuelan health system.

Meanwhile Chavez gloats in China that Venezuela is consolidating itself as an “intermeditae power”. Whic simply shows that power and politics is all that matters in the revolution, not the well being of the citizens. But the wealth of a society is not measured by its weapons or power, but by the health, education, rights and well being of its citizens.

Dr. Barreto by Teodoro Petkoff in Tal Cual

Yesterday the metropolitan
Mayor, doctor Juan Barreto, victim of one of his proverbial hydrophobic attacks,
starred in a deplorable spectacle, insulting and assaulting his colleagues from
Chacao and Baruta, the middle class in general, which it considers “putrid” and
“brutalized by money” (We don’t know if he was referring to those whose soirées
he goes to with pleasure, to have his pictures taken for the society pages) and
finally he launched, for the nth. time, his threat to expropriate the golf
courses of La Lagunita, to build “popular housing”, with the incredible added
commentary that if he feels like it, he could expropriate a whole municipality.
Never had doctor Barreto barked so loud, after all, under his management he has
not bitten anyone and has starred in a colossal failure as metropolitan burgomaster.

Perhaps therein lies the
explanation for his cheap bully attitude. The failure; the horror in which he
has turned that part of the city in which he mostly exercises his mandate, with
the aid of his rival Freddy Bernal- who, by the way, complains that doctor
Barreto perturbs his management with constant useless and inefficient
intromissions- and which contrasts with the clamor in those parts of the
metropolitan areas where those assaulted by him carry themselves out much more
efficiently. The insults and violence were a compensation mechanism for his
ego, damaged by his own incompetence and incapacity for doing anything
constructive.

But that is not all. Doctor
Barreto is also an expression of the worry and concern that has begun to go
around some of the corners of power, given the perspective of electoral results
that no longer ratify the triumph of the ten million votes and of the two
extended hands to symbolize those numbers. Chavez already gave us a little
“discount” and reduced it to six million. They are going to have to saw four
fingers off the two little hands, which leaves five on one and one on the
other, in that classic position in which hitting both hands, with the index of
one between the index finger and the big finger of the other, Venezuelans are
saying “Six million? No way!” the perception that the space is narrowing, that
the opposition appears united and with a visible face, while the internal
fights within MVR and between that and its partners are corroding the campaign,
is beginning to create desperation. Those that can not control their nerves,
like Juan Barreto, incur in those brutal and regrettable blunders, with which
they believe they can manipulate the
popular sectors that trusted them before and that no longer even believe even
in the Creed. Caracas,
especially in its two extremes of the East and the West, is a social powder keg
that has completely overflowed the mayors of officialdom and doctor Barreto.
They can’t handle that load and the people perceive it each day more clearly.

That has doctor Barreto
uncomfortable; he can no longer control himself. What makes us curious is to
see how he is going to expropriate a whole municipality. It would a historical
landmark of a the universal scale.

Tonight in the best spirit of democracy, justice and
coexistence, the
Mayor of the Metropolitan area of Caracas Juan Barreto threatened to
“expropriate the municipalities” of Baruta and Chacao as he insulted them and called them fascists. Using language
more appropriate for hoodlums or low lives, Barreto used swear words and
insults, even saying that he had taped all their private conversations and
that he planned to expropriate the golf courses of La Lagunita (a fancy
residential area in the outskirts of Caracas) to build housing. He tried to
suggest that the Mayors were promoting invasions (??), mixing up expropriations
and invasions and expelling invaders in the middle of the night to avoid the
limelight. He also accused them of using their “media power” to
disqualify the “public policies he has been carrying out” (??). He threatened them with jail, accused Lopez of burning the MVR house (??), Capriles of kicking (??) the Cuban Ambassador, implied they were gay (??), called them fascists (wow!), said they needed a psychiatrist, called them liars, traitors, said they were going to govern them, said they were doing fraudulent businesses, had money abroad, said a dog drove one of them crazy, said he had videos of the other guy “doing the things he does”, and so on and so forth…

This was all in the installation of the “Metropolitan Council for
Planning” which met today for the first time ever, even if Barreto said this was not the case, despite the fact that
it is supposed to meet regularly and it is Barreto himself who calls for its
meetings. Curiously, I may not have seen him, but I did not see the other
Chavista Mayor of the Caracas Metropolitan area, Freddy Bernal, at the meeting. Did Bernal know what was going to happen?

The representative to the Council for all Human Rights organizations, got up and left the meeting.

In the first reaction to Barreto’s words, Primero Justicia former Presidential candidate and
Rosales’ VP candidate Julio Borges, called for the resignation of Barreto,
saying that it was a shameful act, representing the Venezuela of hate,
violence, repression and intolerance that they want to change. Borges said it
was unacceptable for Barreto to insult and use this type of event to demean
these two Mayors who are doing an extraordinary job.

Borges said Barreto “is covering his incapacity and dishonesty, his won
inefficiency, looking to insult two Mayors who have done good work, people go
through Chacao and Baruta and they see the difference in terms of personal
safety, construction, ornaments, even having a national Government against
it”. In contrast, he said “when one crosses into Sucre
or towards Caracas
(downtown) it is another planet, filled with garbage, insecurity, chaos, and
who is the Head of all the Metropolitan area? Barreto.

More here. Video here (with most swear words removed).

Sorry spectacle and let the fireworks begin, this seemed to be premeditated by Barreto, not an accident!!

Many people have suggested that union leader Carlos Ortega and the Farias’ brothers had military aid to escape from the Ramo Verde jail. They certainly did, I used to live close to Ramo Verde in Los Teques and my wife even used to jog there many, many years ago. I tried looking for an image in Google Earth, but unfortunately resolution goes down right outside Los Teques and I can not use any image to aid you, but picture this:

The main access gate to Ramo Verde is about 3-4 Kms. from the main bulding, but the road does not even reach the main buidling, it ends about 600 meters from it. To get into the second floor where Ortega supposedly was “visiting” the Farias’, playing dominoes (all night by the way), you have to go through five gates with metal bars and then there is the gate to the cell. Each of the five gates is supposed to have a National Guardsman next to it.

Add to this, the fact that these guys apparently escaped at midnight, but it was not until around 10:30 AM that the escape was discovered. I mean, these are the guys that are supposed to be ready for an assymetrical war with the US and they can’t even count and keep track of prisoners?

Of course, the Government keeps playing the bribe card, which somehow seems wrong as it reminds everyone that it is corruption that has blossomed in this Government. I get the feeling that the Government is now trying to weasle out of this, by talking about “politicians” having paid the bribe.This was suggested by Isaias Rodriguez on Friday and is repeated tonight by Minister of the Interior and Justice Jesse Chacon. But it is a vague accusation, no names as usual, but we do know that 14 of their precious and “well prepared and trained” military officers and personnel are in jail for letting Ortega go, in what can only be described as a widespread conspiracy.

No matter what they may say, it is always the military that has proven to be the most corrupt institution in Venezuela’s history. But somehow, I think there is a more ulterior message involved, whether the Government wants to get it or not. Either Ortega or the Farias’ brothers created a lot of sympathy within the military. Ortega was found guilty of “rebellion” , a term that can only be applied whene there are weapons involved, but revolutionary justice does not care for those little details.But clearly, the military is not as unified behind Chavze as the Government wants us to believe.

Or did they escape like this!

Anyone that cares about understanding Venezuela and its problems should buy the book :”Venezuela: An agreement to reach development” a book which is a compilation of a bunch of academics who have been meeting for years to talk about these issues. The books has twelve authors, but in truth it is a collaboration of experts in a wide variety of fields. The book is a proposal with no intended political bias, it proposes solutions and suggests that we need a national agreemnet on some of them, which in itself goes counter to the style of this Governmnet which believes it knows it all.

I have read about half the book and I am impressed, these people know what they are talking about and have specific solutions to problems. I have laso learned a lot from reading it. It is filled with interesting data, most of it well known, but some of it new to me (Did you know that from age 14 to 15 school attendanec drops from 75.5% of the students of that age to only 21.85%?). The book also takes a look at the misiones and its impact.

The book does not cover everything, but is roughly divided in three broad sections: Social Policies, the economy and production and institutional reforms. I was particulraly struck by the fact that the conclusions on the economy of whta happened in the seventies, seemed to apply tomwhat is happening today: high oil prices are creating high Government spending, but private investment is not catching up and it si private investement the one that can create jobs. Except this time investment is even less.

I am more than half way through the book and recommend it to anyone interested in our problems. The book shows we have the experts, we just need Government to listen to them and not improvise. You can find it in most bookstores. There is also a website http://www.acuerdosocial.com, which I have had little time to explore

(I would like to thank Marino Gonzalez, who wrote a great chapter on health, for giving me and autographing a copy of the book, I m honored that he took the time to do it!)

–For quite a long time, former President of the CNE Jorge Rodriguez kept claiming that 75% of Venezuelans trusted the CNE and that alone justified the need to mantain the voting machines, fingerprint machines and audits as established by the CNE. Well, yesterday the new CNE President changed the script, when in a press conference for the foreign press she admitted that only 55% of voters trust the Venezueoan Electoral Board. Isn’t the CNE’s job and responsability to make sure conditions are given so that most Venezuelans trust the CNE? Does the same poll quoted by the CNE President tell them if the fingerprint machines have something to do with this mistrust?

–ONG Ojo Electoral, accused many times of being pro-Government called on the CNE to reverse its decision to use the fingerprint machines in the upcoming Presidential elections. According to that organization, the use of these machines “could seriously affect particpation in the upcoming presidential elections”.The organization said that the fingerprint system was not necessary to stop double voting and that indeleble ink is sufficient for this purpose.

Today Zulia Governor Manuel Rosales, who in a scant two weeks has become the unified candidate of the opposition, formally registered to run for President at the CNE. He held a rally prior to the registration, which I attended. The rally left from the Ateneo and went to Plaza Caracas in front of the CNE, a distance which I guess is maybe three or four Kms. That Rosales would register today was covered by the press, but there was no massive advertising campaign to ask people to go. I was impressed by the attendance, it rained for half the walk and Plaza Caracas was overflowed by the people and when Rosales’ speech ended and he went inside the CNE, there were still people trying to get into the square.

Attendance was quite diverse, not a huge middle class presence, which is good, you know who they are going to vote mostly for. It was clear that the political parties worked at bringing people to the rally. There were buses, but not on the scale of Chavez’ last Saturday and clearly people were there because they decided to go. No Government resources at work.

The message was clearly carefully chosen. It is a message of unity, a Government for all Venezuelans and Rosales’ speech was clearly directed to Chavistas and those undecided or looking for an alternative to Chavismo. There were posters saying “26 million Venezuelans”, “Dare to change” and “Chavista brother, Rosales gives you his hand”. Rosales’ speech followed that script calling on “all Venezuelans”, “a Government for all, without exclusions” and hitting on the Government’s incompetence, particularly on poverty, housing and crime.

Clearly Rosales’ speech will not mention Chavez directly very much during the upcoming campaign. He certainly avioded any direct references today, but was tough on the President. Rosales said that as President he would care about Venezuelans and “will not hold anyone’s hands or sit on anyone’s lap” in clear reference to last week’s visit by Chavez with Fidel Castro. He also referred to “that guy that said poverty is good is absolutely wrong, we need to erradicate poverty in Venezuela”. He critcized the Government’s foreign policy, saying that there is no reason for Venezuela to pretend that the US should bow in front of it or to give foreign countries gifts as long as there are so many problems in Venezuela. He took advantage of the rally being in downtown Caracas, which is a dirty mess, to criticize the Government’s inaction in this city. He said he felt sorry for Caracas and would, as President, try to make it look as nice and clean as he has made Maracaibo look. In a great phrase carried over the international news, Rosales says: “Nobody here (in Venezuela) will have to wear a red shirt or belong to any party in exchange for anything”. Wonder what Hugo will say tomorrow about this?

Above, some pictures of the rally: as we were walking towards the CNE (top left), at Plaza Caracas (top right), some ladies really got enthusiastric waving whatever they had in their hands (Bottom left), a poster saying “we don’t want Fidel or Bush” (Bottomo middle and Two ladies with Rosales campaign poster and slogan “Dare to with Rosales…For 26 million”. More pictures here.

An interesting beginning and certainly Rosales is getting people more enthused about the election than I had hoped for a month ago. He has also managed to rally around him most political parties in the opposition and seems to have taken the thunder away from the candidacy of comic Conde del Guacharo. A unified candidacy in which he has also named his former competitors to important campaign positions, but he is clearly the leader in how things will proceed. Very exciting.

–Two nights ago I heard Hugo Chavez say that Citgo was selling its 41% stake in the Lyondell refinery because it was generating losses.

Today I read that the purchase of that same stake by Lyondell may give it a higher credit rating as the company bouth Citgo’s stake by borrowing US$ 2.65 billion, but the purchase of that stake in the plant will generate it abour US$ 880 million in additional income. Thus, PDVSA sells for US$ 2.2 billion something which gives Lyondell US$ 880 million per year in eranings at current oil prices. Doesn’t sound like this was a losing proposition to me. On top of that PDVSA’s investment in the refinery was US$ 830 million in 1994 and the plant was upgraded from cash flow form operation, so that PDVSA made a nive and healthy profit from it. Does Chavez not undrestand? Or is he simply lying?

–The new President of the National Assembly said today (El Nacional A-2) that “The opposition was not needed in the Assembly”

So much for these people being democratic, when they are ready to exclude at least 40% of the political representation in the country. These people are fascist and autocratic. On top of that they are incredibly inefficient. The number of important laws approved in this term has been the lowest in the Assembly’s or Congress’ history. They also did incredible things, like approving the change in the flag and Coat of Arms without estimating the cost. This is against the regulations.

–Well, it sounded good while it lasted, but Chavez seems to be reading the same polls that we do, he no longer thinks that ten million votes is possible:
“Less than six million, don’t even think about it. It’s a long way to
ten million, but we are going to get closer. Let’s assume we will get
to eight milion votes”

By now he may be even talking about total votes in the election, not Chavista votes. How times change, 50% abstention and he may not even get 4 million votes in December.

—Last night Chavez told graduates of the Bolivarian University that they had to learn to be poor and humble.

Easy to say, as you check your Cartier watch, fix your Lanvin tie and leave in a helicopter. Typical expression, proving he wants everyone to be poor, not create well being and wealth for all.