Don’t count me among those who see Juan Guaidó as the messiah who will liberate Venezuela from the chavista plague. I have repeatedly stated that the problems of Venezuela cannot be solved by a single person, a leader, or a caudillo. I don’t believe in anointed ones, especially not in politicians who only rely on close friends for appointments that affect the entire Venezuelan people.
The first alarm was Gustavo Baquero and his supposed appointment as President of PDVSA. Next came the appointments of Ignacio Hernandez and Isadora Zubillaga. I won’t even comment on the diplomatic credentials of Carlos Vecchio or the energy experience of David Smolansky, as a member of the CITGO board.
This was followed by the appointment of a small law firm in Spain, Cremades Calvo Sotelo. Why this particular firm and not another? Why not conduct an international bidding process, as should be done, to allow the best law firms in the world to offer their services? Is it because this specific firm employs and is associated with Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, the lawyer for Leopoldo Lopez? How does Guaidó’s or Lopez’s finger-pointing differ from that of Rafael Ramirez or Nicolás Maduro?
From this interim administration, which has yet to solidify, I have criticized the proposal of amnesty, the warm embraces extended to Luisa Ortega Diaz, the presence of the wives of boliburgueses at high-level meetings discussing our future, and the nepotism of appointing close friends, secretaries, lawyers, and figures who contribute little to solving the problems of Venezuelan society to key positions.
In other words, the opposition is represented by members of the #VamosBien clan, a new class like Julio Borges, Manuel Rosales, Henry Ramos Allup; as fresh as the Barboza clan or Acción Democrática; as new as corruption and nepotism in Venezuela.
Juan Guaidó is 35 years old. Believing that someone of 35 has the capability to solve a problem like chavista Venezuela is, at least for me, like believing in God. Since my focus is on questioning corruption, my challenges are met by the #VamosBien clan with the same attitude as is found in boliburguesia and chavismo. Questioning is an insult; asking is an unacceptable affront. Here’s an example:
It is expected that the very opposition that has been incapable of preventing chavismo from turning Venezuela into a paradise for the worst scum on the planet, from Colombian narco-terrorists to Russian thugs, is going to restore democracy, the rule of law, and peace. It’s like the saying that doing the same thing and expecting different results is the true definition of madness.
The difference now is that this opposition has the support of more than 50 countries, primarily the US. This support, importantly, was not achieved by Guaidó or through any so-called plans hatched in total secrecy for years by Leopoldo Lopez, Antonio Ledezma, and Maria Corina Machado. This backing is merely the result of a humanitarian crisis created by chavismo, boliburguesía, and the very same opposition that has overflowed borders and is spreading like cancer throughout the region. It is the resolution of this crisis, not the Venezuelan political problem, that the countries supporting the transition are after.
It’s madness to think that those who drove the country into this abyss will solve the problem. Likewise, it’s irrational to expect that the current circumstances will be resolved by people outside Venezuela, and since those unfamiliar with the story, like those responsible for Venezuela issues in those 50-plus countries, don’t know who’s who in this soap opera, we see, for example, how Andres Coles, his boss David Osío, Francisco Rodríguez, Victor Sierra, and many other annoying characters of similar ilk are presented as interlocutors engaged in “promoting a change” in the very country they destroyed.
This portal will continue to expose corruption, nepotism, hidden interests, and the irresponsibility of the political, professional, and business leadership in Venezuela. There is no good corruption, nor sacred cows. Not in this place.