Venezuela looking a lot like old-time Cuba

Venezuela looking a lot like old-time Cuba
Guillermo I. Martinez
Columnist

Venezuelans can still protest, but country is suffering

The film we are seeing play in Venezuela today is similar to the one we
saw play out in Cuba 57 years ago — only this one is in slow motion.

There can be little doubt the regime the deceased Hugo Chávez, and his
successor Nicolás Maduro, envision for Venezuela is much the same as the
one the Castro brothers imposed in Cuba.

There are some differences, and these are important. In Venezuela the
people still are able to take their protests to the street and there was
an election for the National Assembly, which the opposition easily won.

Still, the results in both attempts at creating another communist regime
in the hemisphere are failing miserably. Venezuela, whose oil reserves
are enormous (some say they are the largest in the world), is unable to
obtain enough dollars to import the food it needs to feed its people.

The shelves in the supermarkets as well as the neighborhood bodegas are
empty. People stand in line for hours trying to get the bare essentials
to survive. Many thousands of Venezuelans have fled the country, and
like the Cubans before them, a majority are settling in South Florida.

Venezuelans have an advantage over the Cubans. The first to arrive had
the opportunity to take money out of the country, and came to South
Florida with enough resources not to be a burden on the local community.
That is not the case now with the more recent arrivals. They, like the
Cubans who keep on coming, arrive with few resources. Both impose a
burden on our communities.

Recently many have been encouraged to see the Organization of American
States trying to impose political sanctions on Venezuela for its
undemocratic regime. But, once again as was the case with Cuba, the
government of Mexico objected, saying it was against any intervention in
the internal politics of any government in our hemisphere.

One can still hope that in Venezuela, the National Assembly now
controlled by a united opposition, can derail or at least slow down the
government's march to a totalitarian regime.

But with the help of Cuban instructors, Maduro's regime is fighting
back. The Supreme Court declares many of the measures passed by the
National Assembly unconstitutional. So little can be done.

Venezuelans also have gathered enough signatures in an attempt to try to
force the government into holding a referendum to determine if Maduro
should be ousted before the end of his mandate. The government is not
impressed and refuses to acknowledge the call for a referendum.

At least in Venezuela, one can still hope for a better outcome than the
one Cubans have had to suffer for decades. But one cannot live on hope
alone.

Socialism in Venezuela has failed miserably, just as in Cuba. There is
not enough food to feed its people. There is not enough money to pay
foreign companies who provide services. So far, at least two airlines
have canceled routes to Venezuela. They had not been able to get the
government to approve foreign currencies to pay them. Foreign
investments are not going into Venezuela.

This is not to say Venezuela does not want to pay its foreign debt; it's
just that the money is not there. The price of oil has plummeted,
hurting the economy. But at the same time Venezuela's ability to produce
all the oil it needs has come to a screeching halt. Government officials
have corrupted the state-owned oil and natural gas company, and it is no
longer the company that was run as efficiently as its counterparts in
other countries.

One has to hope Venezuelans can recover. They must demand Maduro release
all political prisoners, most importantly opposition leader Leopoldo López.

Maduro says there is a conspiracy against his regime, coming from the
United States and Colombia. Few believe him. Even retired military
leaders who were allies of Chávez are now opposed to Maduro. They have
joined the opposition in calling Maduro to step aside.

Efforts to oust the regime have not reached a boiling point. But it is
close. Venezuelans are continuing to fight against an incompetent
dictatorship.

History should be on their side.

Guillermo I. Martinez lives in South Florida. Guimar123@gmail.com

Source: Venezuela looking a lot like old-time Cuba - Sun Sentinel -
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/columnists/fl-gmcol-venezuela-20160606-column.html