The second talk between the government and the opposition is taking place right now, but unlike the one last week, this one is taking place behind closed doors. The big cheeses on either side are not present at the talks today (Maduro, Cabello, Capriles).
Maduro today announced a “production offensive” with the goal of kicking some life into the economy. Maduro said:
One year ago, despite attempts to burn the country down, peace got going… the oligarchy won’t be able to beat us, not with guarimbas, not with economic war and not with elections.
(…)
[On April 22] a superior offensive on the economic front [will start].
(…)
[Venezuela needs to] build a culture of saving and overcome the vice of consumerism (…) Capitalism creates a false sense of a cool way of life through consumerism.
Maduro said that Venezuela has “a successful socio-economic model opposed to capitalism, which denies social rights (…) We have a social model which needs a new economic model to expand.” He said that to do this, Venezuela “has to produce everything and leave imports [behind].”
During the same event, Maduro also said that “the Venezuelan people have not gone hungry, nor will they ever go hungry during the revolution“, and that his plan to fix the economy:
… is not a fiscal reform, it is a fiscal revolution, to completely capture all of the wealth of the country [so that we can] convert it into education, health, homes, roads, food, [and] the life of the people.
Which begs the question: If Maduro plans to take the wealth of the country to invest into social services starting on April 22, then what has the PSUV been doing for the past 16 years?
News from Elsewhere
Last night, Diosdado Cabello continued his attacks on Henrique Capriles. Most recently, Diosdado called Capriles a “fascist murder” in a tweet he sent out during the talks with the opposition last week. Last night, Diosdado blamed Capriles for the deaths of 11 Venezuelans, called him a compulsive liar, and assured him that justice would one day come for him:
You [Capriles] want to get to know me, but you don’t know me. You even came to look for me in the Cuban Embassy thinking that I was there. See, you don’t know me. You don’t know me… and you lie shamelessly. Listening to the lies of this person really makes me sad.
(…)
And that madne- that… April 14 [2002], cost the lives of 11 Venezuelans. 11 Venezuelans, including 2 children. Two children. And one day, justice will come to you, Capriles. Just like you lie here… one day you say one thing, and the next day you say another, depending on whatever situation you’re in at the time, for whatever you’re going through, I don’t know. You’re emotional or whatever. So you say one thing, then you say another.
Datanalisis released a report today that found scarcity at 60.2% in March, and that 65.2% of people had to reduce the amount of purchases they made in 2013 compared to 2012.
Scarcity for the first trimester of 2014 sits at 51.9%, which is up 36% for the same period in 2012 and 14.7% from 2013.
Another interesting bit from the survey: it found that 48.4% of people said that economic problems had the biggest impact on their life, as opposed to 57% who at the same time last year said that insecurity was the biggest issue.
From the report:
This means two things: it’s not that crime rates have decreased, it’s that the perception of the economic problems has increased significantly. Second, the economic problems are much more urgent that insecurity, because the last is just a probability, while poverty is a reality that, whoever suffers it, cannot escape it at any moment.
A Couple of Videos
The video below shows some kind of police operation in Naguanagua, Carabobo. It was apparently taken within the last day or two, and it shows a handful of what appear to be Carabobo State Police officers moving down a street between some residential buildings. Some of the residents are yelling insults at the police and shooting fireworks:
This video shows a group of protesters trying to talk to some National Police officers. It’s from this past weekend, and it looks like it was taken in Chacao, Caracas. I’ve translated as much of it as possible, starting at around 1:10:
Man in Blue [1:05]: We don’t have weapons, you’re the ones with the weapons. Lower your weapons, brothers, we don’t have anything [weapons], we’re not attacking you.
Man in White Shirt with Brown Hood [1:25]: That’s why we’re here… we don’t care if we die… How is possible that I have to line up for three hours to buy a fucking chicken?
Man in Blue: Join us! We’re fighting for everyone. For you, for you, and for that lady – for everyone!
Man with Venezuelan Flag Cape: … We’re going to become “Cuba #2”, you have to understand! You have to understand that with the pathetic 10,000 Bolivares you get paid to shoot tear gas at us, nothing is gained! You still have to line up to buy food, and in the market there’s nothing!
Man in White Shirt with Brown Hood: The corrupt people at the top don’t have any good plans for Venezuela, or for us, or for you. And when you get killed like dogs, what happens? “Ah, a cop was killed? [That’s it], a cop got killed.” But when one of them gets killed? [inaudible] Winston Vallenilla [a PSUV supporter], what happened to him? He got beat up. Where are they [the people who beat him]? In jail.
Man in Blue Shorts and Ski Goggles: Don’t be scared, please. You know what sucks? [inaudible] When you get thirsty, and go buy a soda? Two colectivos show up and take your guns. You know what I’m talking about. Or am I wrong? I’ve lived that. You know what? You’re my police, because you’re a national [police officer]. But how is it possible that they make a [inaudible] Bolivarian Motorized [unit], they give them an I.D., and I don’t know what else, and when you put up a roadblock in Carabobo Park, or anywhere else, and they show up and show you their I.D., and they can then walk all over you… you don’t agree with that, because you’re here to carry out justice. Right? There’s a process. And you guys over there, you have to be clear: we’re here fighting for our country. “El Imperio” isn’t the United States, brothers! “El Imperio” is Cuba!.. It’s not the European Union, it’s not the United States, it’s Cuba.
Man with Venezuelan Flag Cape: “God bless you”, the same way my mom blesses me when I come here. We’re not here to throw rocks at the police or the National Guard. We come to talk, just like now, but you guys always show up shooting rubber bullets and tear gas. God bless you, and I hope you don’t get killed. Really. We love you. Be well.
Man with Blue Shorts and Ski Goggles: This party in power right now, what it’s done is ruin the country. It has divided us. [inaudible] I’m 26 years old, and we didn’t have those problems. People were hungry? Well, people are still hungry. You, the majority, you’re from barrios, right? Of course! Why don’t you answer? Because you have orders not to answer us. It shouldn’t be like this. Understand? That’s a dictatorship (…) Do you know why los barrios no bajan [literally, “the barrios don’t come down”, roughly, “the barrios don’t join the protests”]? Because the colectivos, when they see that people are coming to join the protests… they come [with guns]. So how can the barrios join the protest? You know this.
The video ends with the demonstrators and the National Guard shaking hands.
The lunar eclipse that took place last night was visible in Venezuela. This picture was bouncing around Twitter today:
In Venezuela 