If it’s one thing your Eyewitness knows you know, Dear Reader, it is that he’s a realist in politics – domestic AND foreign. So, when he considers the options available on Venezuela, he’s gonna be putting aside any rose-tinted glasses that might be lying around!! Now, since we’re a pipsqueak little country in the big picture, before we talk about OUR options, we better consider those of the elephant in our neck of the woods – the USA with its new maximum leader at its helm – Donald “the Don” Trump!! What he does will determine the limits of what’s possible for us.
Before this turn at the rodeo, the Don had already teed off on Mad Maduro during his first go, between 2016 and 2020. The strategy then was to stress the madman’s mockery of democracy – which was touted as America’s standard for legitimacy to rule – to unleash economic sanctions externally and back the Opposition internally. The sanctions helped destroy Venezuela’s economy further, but announcing that Mad Maduro had lost the 2018 elections and recognizing Juan Guaidó as president didn’t do a damn thing -except enrich Guaido, who now lives the life of Riley in Florida!!
Between those activities, there were the several failed attempts to take out Mad Maduro using mercenaries!!
Now, while on this go-around the Don’s announced Opposition candidate Gonzalez as the winner of last July’s elections – and now the “rightful” President – the fact that one of his first actions was to send his representative to bargain for the release of six accused American mercenaries means that he implicitly RECOGNIZES Mad Maduro as the de facto president of Venezuela!! And was willing to deal with him!! In your Eyewitness’s not-so-humble opinion, the Don ain’t gonna be backing no parallel Venezuelan Government again!! It costs too much, and Mad Maduro had checkmated the only institution capable of removing him – his armed forces. He’s bribed the leadership by giving them sinecures to run corporations and even sections of the oil sector!!
On the sanctions front, Sleepy Joe Biden had reinstated Chevron’s licence, and it now produces ONE QUARTER of Venezuela’s oil production – which it ships to the US!! Trump had promised cheap oil, and he ain’t gonna be rescinding that licence!! In fact, your Eyewitness sees him offering new licences to other American oil companies to muscle out the Chinese and Russians from the oil sector!! In other words, he’ll work to control Mad Maduro economically – even as the latter accepts the 600,000 Venezuelan illegals in the States!!
And that doesn’t leave much heavy lifting for us, does it?? The US ain’t gonna allow Mad Maduro to threaten Exxon’s gold mine here!!
…on the good life
Your Eyewitness thinks the $2B allocated for the Botanical Gardens and Zoo (BG&Z) is quite significant. Not merely because of what it means for the BG&Z per se, but because of what it says about us: that we can spend that much on something that ain’t gonna be putting food into our mouths. It means we’re beginning to think of how we can live the good life with art, sea walls, parks and zoos etc! Man doesn’t live by roti alone; his soul needs to benefit from contemplating the universe and all we live among. He bets that the Opposition won’t be kvetching that we can’t eat zoos!!
The BG&Z had already gotten an injection of resources from that American firm Schlumberger, which supports the oil sector. The $2 billion would fund an even more ambitious plan: that’ll bring together and display the flora and fauna of our dear Mudland is such a manner that won’t only knock the socks off our visitors, but highlight to the world the role we’re playing on the conservation front.
Bringing in money!!
…on police corruption
We just learnt that Asst Police Commissioner Brutus has been dismissed for matters that have transfixed the Guyanese public over the past few months for the sheer chutzpah of the man. Eight hundred million in bank accounts?? Beats that CH&PA fella!!
