While the opposition organize its meager primaries, what goes on within chavismo and Chavez sick mind? More barely contained violence, as if that small display of democracy was already too much to stand for the autocrat Fidel wanna-be. His Alo Presidente of today was in full military regalia with many of his toy soldiers in front of him. I say "toy soldier" on purpose because according to Chavez we had to wait for the Cubans to come to teach us how to repair radios in tanks, store compasses and other such garbage. Does he really believe what he says? And anyway, what war in what past year is he getting ready to fight?
The fact of the matter is that his nonsense today, his attacks on General Rivero and his bad rerun of April 13 and 19 only indicate one thing: he is scared of his own army! Be it because he thinks it will turn against him or because it is really that incompetent, it does not matter. No wonder he decided to do the only things he knows to do: try to scare people with his toy army and buy loyalty at any price. Thus he gave all officers in the army a pay raise of 40%. We wonder how will it get paid, but that is another story.
PS: Incidentally what will those civilians who only get a 25% pay raise this year think? Never mind that they got it in two installments, the second portion in September, while the military apparently will get it in one chunk. Another hint that Chavez does not care about electoral results to retain his office? I have a friend that reports on Alo Presidente as Alo Delincuente. She was particularly on target today.
Civilians get a 25% pay rise?
ReplyDeleteAnd how much was inflation etc?
officially below 30%, real estimated at 35%
ReplyDeleteHow humiliating must be for the Venezuelan military to hear that the Cubans are in Venezuela to teach them such basics as storing ammo and compasses as well as repair tank radios (Nos han dicho cómo almacenar las brújulas, cómo reparar los radios de los tanques y cómo se debe almacenar la munición.) Does that mean that when Chavez was a tank officer his unit could not fix radios or store ordnance?
ReplyDeleteBut this 40 percent raise (retroactive to April 1) should compensate for the military's humiliation. Any other recent example of a national leader announcing a surprise 40 percent raise to all the troops? It can only mean that the economy is so incredibly strong and that the national coffers are so overloaded that poor Chavez doesn't know what to do with all that money.