I have been posting about different social issues in my part of the world for over 4 years now. The amount of problems and the magnitude of them are such that we should imagine a very conflictive and violent environment. It was for a while. Since 2013 to 2017 the country was very chaotic most of the time and many protestors were killed. Thus, since 2017 there have been relatively few protests of import. Except for the usual isolated groups that close the roads of the neighborhoods demanding domestic gas, electricity, water, or the government-subsidized bag of food (CLAP by its Spanish acronym), we have not seen organized protests lately.
Of course, after so many deaths and zero results, people decided that it was everyone-for-themselves time. Most left the country and the rest is history.
Today, I ran into this protest downtown Cumaná and I wonder if people will finally react against a situation that is utterly unbearable.
The usual police officer taking pictures of those involved in the protest; not to record the event, but to intimidate the participants who may face reprisals
I approached some of the bus drivers and they say they are demanding regular access to fuel for their vehicles and an increase in the fairs,besides the usual issues with parts. The government created years ago a lot of "cooperatives" through which drivers were promised some preferential treatment to access parts at cheaper prices. That never worked, like all things the revolution comes up with.
So far, people are paying a minimum fair of 50,000.00 VEF, which is already a lot considering that the minimum wage is 1.2 million a month. An average worker who depends on public transportation may easily spend in two weeks more than their whole salary only on transportation. For the drivers, though, 50,000 a head is nothing when they have to pay big amounts of $ for simple maintenance or the minimum parts or repairs.
This has been a vicious circle for decades now in which the government ends up giving concessions to the drivers so that they can charge more for the--now very limitted--service they provide and then raises the minimum wage so that people have the impression that they can actually cover that extra, but after a honeymoon (inflation boost) both parts realize they are screwed again.
Unless people finally understand that this is a self-destructive loop that must be broken, we'll have some more chaos for a couple of days and then back to some hypnotic calm in zombieland.
I stopped using public transportation a while ago. I have limited my mobility to places around a couple of miles radius; places I can walk to and fro without being totally exhausted. That has been my way of testing a final collapse and what my life would be like if it actually happened. Most people, though, would rather continue in the loop. They fight the drivers because they should not protest and cause the users of the service more trouble. The drivers say, "What can we do when we have tried all possible civilized option? The authorities do not hear us. We are talking to a wall here." There won't ever be resolution to any of our problems for as long as this criminal conglomerate continues in power. That's the part most Venezuelans do not internalize. They keep making demands to a government whose only way to stay in power is by sinking people even deeper in despair and helplessness.
Totalitarian regimes need docile people. They don't want people without problems. They need vulnerable people, sunk in difficulties, mysery and debt; with no options but papa government. They need people to beg for crumbs, and be thankful for them.
And there are people around the world, who think of themselves as good and smart and yet, somehow find ways to support this disgraceful way of doing politics: always from the theoretical stance of speaking for and defending the downtrodden's dignity against big corporations and savage capitalism. They dare not speak against this particular government for fear of betraying some ind of ideal that allegedly is represented by any goverment that declares war against capitalism. As the old saying goes, not all that speaks for the poor mean to get them out of poverty.
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read
Truth.
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La precariedad de los servicios públicos aunado a los efectos de la recesión económica que ha traído la pandemia del COVID19 probablemente este aumentando los niveles de angustia en nosotros los Venezolanos. Es muy probarle que aumenten las protestas y la violencia interpersonal
Muy cierto. La gente está "de toque" y las autoridades siguen asumiendo que se le puede seguir pidiendo civismo y paciencia a quienes lo han cedido todo, hasta la dignidad.Yo no dejo de sorprenderme del nivel de sumisión del pueblo venezolano. No celebro ningún pasado heroico ni ninguna figura que en teoría nos inspira. Cada generación hizo lo que le tocó hacer y esta ha permitido niveles de abuso inimaginables a estas alturas del siglo.
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