Venezuela, Endless Lines for Basic Products
Photo Feature by Caridad
HAVANA TIMES — As I noted on another occasion, Caracas is divided mainly into East and West. Also at that time made it clear that the West is the least favored area of the Capital District in all aspects.
So I preferred to take pictures on Sunday of supermarkets in the less pretty side of Caracas, the side where, presumably, the majority are Chavistas; the side where, presumably, people wouldn’t be swayed by false alarms of a national strike, much less join a call from the opposition to buy up everything you find in supermarkets. The West is the side where, presumably, there is less money to go shopping for food or other items that are not needed immediately.
I found people with more than five hours in a line; piled in the sun under umbrellas or pieces of cardboard, weary of waiting. National Guard troops and Police were on hand to avoid “irregular situations”. People who “chose” to spend their Sunday browning in the middle of the street. Pregnant women or their children, waiting to enter a Pharmacy to buy diapers before they sell out, as happened to them in a line before.
And I mention Pharmacy, although the lines in them are primarily for toiletries and baby, because they also reflect shortages of many medications.
A lady with a baseball bat in hand – although not intending to use it against her husband or anyone in the queue or the market – asked me to publish the photos, to portray everything so outside Venezuela people can see what the government is forcing them to do.
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Terry,
It’s not just one story in the NYT. You can find many more reports, from a variety of sources, which report on the powerful influence of Cuban “advisors”, agents and military officers in Venezuela.
Here’s one from the leftish UK paper, the Guardian:
“Their men in Caracas: the Cuban expats shoring up Maduro’s government. From military advisers to aid workers, thousands of Cubans form an information network across Venezuela’s economy” http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/27/cuba-expats-maduro-caracas-venezuela-protests
Another at Financial Times:
“Cuba fed a president’s fears and took over Venezuela” http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/b7141b78-c497-11e3-b2fb-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3OvXe88pH
“We have over 30,000 members of Cuba’s Committees for the Defence of the Revolution in Venezuela,” boasted Juan José Rabilero, then head of the CDR, in 2007. The number is likely to have increased further since then.”
And from the Economist:
“A circus without a ringmaster: Radicals, former soldiers and Cuban spies jostle for control of the Venezuelan ring” http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21580477-radicals-former-soldiers-and-cuban-spies-jostle-control-venezuelan-ring-circus
If you haven’t heard of this before, then you haven’t been paying attention.
Agreed.
I think we can all believe that Maduro is incapable of governing his country with any kind of success. That much is fact.
As I said, not just on my part. Earlier you indicated that the Venezuelan people themselves may be wrong about what they are feeling is taking place in their country. It is clear now that you also don’t believe that the New York Times has properly vetted the news their journalist publish either. So whom do you believe?
Moses, providing a link to a newspaper article is hardly proof of anything. Just because a journalist puts something in writing does not make it fact. The article is merely reporting on speculation as well, much as you have.
“You can’t see it very much, but you can feel it a lot,” he said of the Cuban presence.
“Everyone knows that the Cubans control military intelligence, police intelligence,” he added, standing near dozens of soldiers in riot gear, armed with shotguns, tear gas and truncheons, who blocked demonstrators from marching on government offices. “They control the coordination of the armed forces.”
Such convictions are held by critics in both countries, although they offer little hard evidence to back their suspicions.”
Maduro is the only one to blame for the mess…there is no US embargo of Venezuela, and they have more oil and money than they know what to do with. There’s no excuse…continually pointing to the Castros as the boogiemen for Venezuela’s woes is just plain silly. The blame rests squarely with Maduro.
Not just on my part. Read and weep. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/world/americas/protesting-in-venezuela-with-antipathy-toward-cuba.html?_r=0
Pure fantasy and speculation on your part. I don’t need to prove that…I have common sense on my side.
You’ve heard the saying “Perception is reality”. The word du jour is ‘optics’. True or not, Venezuelans believe that Maduro and Cabello get their marching orders from Havana. True or not, from you comfy Bolshevik armchair, can you prove it is not true?
What Venezuelans think, and what is actually true… are two totally different things. Moses, keep it real…you’re better than that.
Not a stretch at all. Ask a Venezuelan what they think.
Maduro was groomed and trained in Cuba decades ago. Raul picked him as Chavez’s successor and tells him what to do. Cuba has thousands of state security agents in Venezuela.
So yes, “Castro-led government” is a very accurate description of the Maduro gang in Caracas.
Castro-led government?? That’s more than a bit of a stretch, and irresponsible to say the least. Otherwise, the rest of your post was spot on.
Venezuela has no embargo and, in fact, is considered one of the world’s oil-rich countries with the world’s largest known oil reserves. These shortages can only be a result of poor management and leadership. As oil prices fall below $50 per barrel, things in Venezuela can only get worse. How long will the people accept the Castro-led government?