VENEZUELA - CAN IT HAPPEN HERE?
By
Maryann Vazquez
Working
aboard a cruise ship during the 1990’s gave me an opportunity to visit
Venezuela on a weekly basis; it was one of the ports on our itinerary. We
docked about a 30-minute drive from Caracas or if you took public
transportation, about 90 minutes on a rickety bus. The resorts and beach fronts
were gorgeous. Caracas could have been any beach resort, any city not all that
different from parts of Chicago or a major metropolitan area. I loved the
people I became acquainted with during that time, most of whom I believe were
middle-class. Now I see what is happening in Venezuela and wonder what has
become of those people.
The
overall income disparities were clear, as shanties lined the mountain sides and
rural areas, while high end neighborhoods had homes surrounded by high walls that
were gated with barred windows and doors, and on occasion even an armed guard
at the entrance to a home or business. At the time I thought they must feel the
need to protect themselves from the poor. It was a stable Democracy with more
middle-class citizens than any other South American country, yet the gap
between rich and poor? It was huge! It was also quite disturbing to see as a visitor
and someone who was working with businesses in Venezuela. This foreign land
became more and more familiar and beloved.
The
history of Venezuela and its political left and right swings are far too much
to examine for this newsletter. Only looking at what has occurred over the past
several years, we realize somewhere along the line this country stopped being a
democracy and became an authoritarian regime.
In
2013 Nicolas Maduro replaced Hugo Chavez who had died, and he won election by
just 1.6 percent. Maduro began
consolidating his power as the country began to suffer economically because of
the decline in oil prices worldwide. The
opposition party became critical of Maduro decisions and he had those who
disagreed with him arrested. He detained
journalists that reported negatively, shut down news websites and began
attempting to control the narrative. The government rapidly started becoming
more authoritarian. The Venezuelan Supreme Court was filled with Maduro
supporters who began removing powers from the National Assembly, their version
of Congress. Juan Guaido was the
opposition candidate, the leader of the of the National Assembly who opposed Maduro
in the 2018 election. The election results of 2018 are questioned--was it truly
a fair and free election? It was wrought with voter intimidation and accusations
of voter fraud. Since then there has been a division amongst world leaders as
to who is the rightful leader. Chaos, crisis and possible US intervention, what
should we make of it all? I will not draw any conclusions.
Observing
the recent uprisings, I have wondered what happened to this country, how did it
get to this point? How did things get so far along that it has become a
humanitarian crisis in a modernized country? How did the people of Venezuela
spiral into a situation where the basics of food and water are not affordable? People
are going hungry, and in some cases dying, due to the situation. Hospitals lack
resources, medications and antibiotics.
How
did it come to this? Was it out of their control? Or were they buried in their
cell phones? Were they obsessed with the latest and most popular Telenovelas?
Or just enjoying a glass of wine on a lovely plaza? Were they overwhelmed with
work? I don’t know.
As I
watched William Barr release the Mueller Report and lie to the American public,
I could not help but think of Venezuela and wonder if we as a country are
allowing the same situation to unfold in our beloved land. Will we allow it to
happen here? Can it happen here?
