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They say all roads take you to Rome. Well, here in Latin America, all roads lead you to Chavez.
When Mauricio Macri was elected, Argentineans started to find out some of the comings and goings of the Kirchner government. For example, take this poultry farm called Red Crest (Cresta Roja), which just went bankrupt and fired 300 workers. It exported to Venezuela and received a 650 dollar subsidy for each ton exported. Also, they were paid by the government for selling their produce underpriced to the local market. And gave them billionaire credits which they can´t pay back to the Bicentenary Bank, due to the fact that Venezuela is not paying its debts. So, in spite of all these benefits, it went broke. Money loaned went to pay for the K political campaign, not to cover up for Venezuelan lack of payment. They did not count on losing the election.
This is just one example. There are many others. And the new Government has vowed to look into them, including Antonini Wilson´s dollar-packed suitcase.
On the other side of the River Plate, a Parliamentary Investigation in Uruguay dealing with the state-owned petrol monopoly – ANCAP, has also lighted red lights in the opposition, as well as public opinion. The company has a deficit of more than one billion dollars and most of them are directly or indirectly connected to business with Venezuela. That´s a lot of money for a small country like Uruguay, with a 3 million population.
In the meantime, the opposition has also found out that the main spokesperson with Venezuela is Daniel Placeres, newly elected to the House of Representatives by the Popular Participation Movement (MPP, for its initials in Spanish), Mujica´s party. Not only that, he actually lives in Mujica´s ranch. During the past three years, Placeres admits visiting Caracas for 85 times. Of course he denies influence peddling, but that is hard to believe. He´s just a cover-up for Mujica himself. A percentage of all trade between Uruguay and Venezuela goes to the MPP chests. During these trips he was received personally by Maduro at his Miraflores offices. This is not a normal procedure for ordinary businessmen doing trade. So you’ll be hearing about Aire Fresco S.A. (Fresh Air) in the nearby future. That’s the name of the trade company that was created for business with Venezuela.
The National opposition party is in an “investigative vigil”. Relationship with Venezuela has been a constant worry for the Party, both politically and commercially. After this summer truce, one expects next year to be complicated. Circumstances avail that.
This audio in Spanish explains some of the matters that are being considered. An article in the Panam Post in English will give you a further insight into this problem.
Godfather
Just before the Parliamentary elections in Venezuela, General Padrino came To Montevideo for an official Mercosur meeting of Defense ministers. He took a day off to spend some hours with Mujica at his now famous ranch.
Since the meaning of “padrino” in Spanish is Godfather, I associate that figure as Pepe Mujica´s role in Bolivarian world. One presumes that their talk was to build post-electoral strategies, since the tweet that came up from that meeting is till echoing:
Meaning: “In Venezuela there´s an excess of democracy and the Revolution must go on with perseverance and discipline”.
Such hypocrisy and double standards! We all know these characters cannot afford to open the Pandora´s box that would disclose their corruption. It would be the fall of the Berlin wall all over again.
Milonga
Montevideo, 15th January, 2016.
During the past three years, Placeres admits visiting Caracas for 85 times.
ReplyDeleteExcept for a grocery store, I would be hard-pressed to find out any place I have visited 85 times in the last 3 years- and Venezuela is 3000? miles from Uruguay.[I work out of my home.]
I wonder how many dollar-stuffed suitcases he brought back from Venezuela.
Let's hope both Uruguay and Argentina investigate this to the max. The left denounces corruption and cronyism until it is in power and can benefit from corruption and cronyism.
Con Pepe Mujica: "En Venezuela hay exceso de democracia y la Revolución debe continuar con constancia y disciplina".
Did Pepe or Padrino say that? It's hard to tell. In any event, it is plausible for either to have said it.
Just before the Parliamentary elections in Venezuela, General Padrino came To Montevideo for an official Mercosur meeting of Defense ministers. He took a day off to spend some hours with Mujica at his now famous ranch.
Padrino's tweet is dated December 18. Why did he wait until 2 weeks after the election to tweet this?
On a general note Daniel, it looks like the legislative election got you fired up from an anaemic state of your blog for some time before this (watershed) event. Three posts in about 24 hours, what a gift. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe social network rumor mill has it that Padrino Lopez family is ankle deep into all kinds of businesses in Panama, all legit of course. Also I am still worried about the lack of apparent life of JVR, I came to like the old bastard, his lies were so transparent, a kind of midget criollo Dr Goebbel.
Thanks. We try.
DeleteAs for JVR, maybe he finally got mummified on his own?
Here is a song that our Milonga certainly knows: La Vida es una Milonga Cono Sur and Milonga/Tango remind me of something else with a tinge of politics.
ReplyDeleteThe Chilean author Roberto Ampuero wrote a book that uses tango to discuss the divisions in Chile during the Allende years: The Last Tango of Salvador Allende/Ultimo Tango de Salvador Allende. Tangos are quoted in most or all chapters. In the book Allende is a tango aficionado. I don't know if this was poetic license or not on the part of Ampuero.
Towards the end of the book- and the end of the Allende era- the protagonist asks Allende about his view of life. Allende replies with some utopian vision appropriate to a true believer in Marxism/Leninism. By contrast, the protagonist has a tragic vision of life - "La vida es una mierda" - Life is a mess- and uses some tango lyrics to illustrate his tragic view of life.
Unfortunately, very little of Ampuero's work has been translated into English.
Roberto Ampuero has written lately a fantastic book together with Mauricio Rojas. It´s called Diálogo de Conversos. I bought it through Amazon's Kindle store for 10 bucks, approx. Two Chilean communists talk about their convertion to liberalism and the process that made them change and why. I fully recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI might have been wrong about the time Padrino visited here. Mujica reaffirmed his idea of the excess of democracy in Venezuela, and Lula said more or less the same thing around that time. This is common strategies.
Regarding the date of the visit: Google News Search: padrino uruguay are dated December 18.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the latest Ampuero work. It will make the fourth Ampuero book I have read.
This is one of the reasons why gaining back a Free Media in Vzla is so important. One big first step was achieved at the Parlamento, but much remains to be regained. TV stations are still under siege, most paers and radio stations too. Most people don't have or use laptops, they don't speak English, the internet is among the worst after Cuba...
ReplyDeleteIf Venevison, Gobovision, El Universal, etc, are liberated from the Chavista rule, the Extorsion, the self-regulations and threats, change will come much faster, people will be less brain-washed and more informed. That's crucial.
This text was written and posted today by Pablo Mieres, president of the Uruguayan Independent Party. http://columnistas.montevideo.com.uy/uc_301869_1.html#com For those that read Spanish, things are starting to add up. As soon as summer laziness is over, things will begin to be very interesting indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe Multi Level Marketing MLM That is Chavistoidism crumbles!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://thenakedlistener.quora.com/Living-on-promises-An-outsiders-view-of-MLM
Maybe some day Herba Life too!!!
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