Venezuela is a country that has always been, and still is practically submerged in oil -meaning by this, huge reserves laying underground, as well as plentiful natural wealth. Nonetheless, you’d wonder why electricity won’t reach for its population necessities.

This is the high bill Venezuelans has to pay, like a prey of an influence peddler; a high price for compensation indeed, and many years from misshandling resources while delighting other countries with favors and the home country’s necessities unattended.

But you would figure out Venezuela’s electrical problem should be associated to its 23.300 megawatt installed capacity, meaning this has been sufficient to sustain current 17.250 megawatts demand at this Latin American country, and of course, no failures are not supposed to occur.
Despite huge power capacity mentioned above, actually power electrical plants only generated –produced- as much as 15.650 MHz during last January, obviously one third below capacity. There exist another source that would contribute, like a severe drought going on at this región during these season, where Guri dam –Venezuela’s main dam- is located.
But according to the journal “La Vanguardia,” Chavez has been the only one to blame for this disaster as he never organized due maintenance programs, and the plants to lack maintenance for years now, both at Guri as well as in thermo electrical plants.

According to experts, both used and new turbines are halted, waiting installation, or this being delayed. It’s necessary an estimate $20.000 million U.S. dollars investment on Venezuelan electrical power plants, but a four hour black out decreed was passed on a daily basis by Chavez instead.

Venezuelan fragile economy is being debilitated by such law recently passed while impairing people’s support to government in office. As “Caraqueños” have rejected such power rationing measure in the Capital, but the remainder Venezuelans didn’t escape this.
Chavez has recently came up with a brilliant “solution” to this electrical problem, as he imported, or better to say, brought in an electrician / electrical engineer named “Killer Electrician” Ramiro Valdes, a Cuban to do the hard work. This is nonsense, because Cuba has counted on 50 years to satisfy the country’s necessity without success; they’ve failed instead. Political analysts would wonder about the real goal at Valdés arrival into Venezuela.

Let’s clear this up: Ramiro Valdes is an eminence, but only a prominence specialized in a field that would become anyone chilled, as this character is not only a current Cuban vice-president, but he also apart displays as a top rank member withing the cuban structure government, as the third most important man in significance within the Cuban regime administration. He has been twice in the position of Internal Affairs and master minder of G2, this later the most efficient and shadowy secret services round the world. Besides, Ramiro Valdes is currently the person responsible for censuring Cuban citizen’s access to Internet in his post as Informatics and Communications bureau Minister.

Definitely, Valdes is in Caracas by reason of his long experience and familiarity within the electrical matter; yet a specialist ready to use of electricity in torture methods at Cuban jails.

In fact, a well respectable journalist reported in his chronicle at EL UNIVERSAL that some Cuban adviser technicians have made the electricity problem worse in Venezuela, as accidentally damaged six energy generators in four plants, at starting them without proper oil lubricant.

Cuba is aware about Chavez being the hen that lays the golden eggs here, and Venezuela suits to a T, as Cuba profits by Venzuelan shipping more than 36 million dollars yearly of subsidized oil, which means one half regular Cuban consumption.

No doubt this has been Cuban most important foreign trade, while Venezuela is receiving more than 60.000 Cuban experts, as well as food in “exchange.”

Cuba is an island under precarious economy and intensive care economy, and without Chavez assistance, the island would simply collapse, together with castrista regime. That’s why Cuba is clutched, sinking her teeth into the Venezuelan vein like a leech does.

According to serious polls –surveys- Chavez popularity is falling apart too quickly, becoming isolated each time after his vice-president and army chief both resigned recently, claiming Cuba’s meddling and interfering in the Venezuelan army.

On the other hand, Luis Alfonso Davila, former chancellor and old senate president in Venezuelan congress, has just composed a letter aimed at public domains in which it is requested the president’s immediate resign. Chavez former “kitchen cabinet”, the military who participated in an earlier coup, also joined in to write this letter requesting Chavez resign.

Terror and dread would be bigger in Havana than in Caracas, as a general black out ghost in Venezuela is still a threat, and experts reckon a whole black out is certain to take place provided current draught continues for three months more, bringing up a potential political instability both in Cuba and in Venezuela.

Too keep Chavez at power has become top priority for Castro’s regime; such big popularity if lost, can’t get back nor be recuperated in the short term, so this people guess, they’d better be prepared for the worst and would start censorship and repression in Venezuela, and extreme chavismo may well take over again. This is Ramiro Valdes’ job, a certainly skillful guy at this kind of stuff.

Actually, Venezuelan power and authority are handed over to Cuba, and while Venezuela surrender to Cubans, “The Economist” journal has refered that Cuban “advisers” are currently leading harbor, telecommunications operation, as well as police training, issuing ID’s and legal bussiness registration in this country. This why, Venezuela is referred to as “Venecuba.”

“La Vanguardia” tabloid was quoted as saying “There are about 30.000 Cubans on top, important business, as board of directors in dozens of state entities in Venezuela.”

This has been enough, a good chance so experienced Valdes to take advantage of this and ragain control at charge, attack and tighten opposition in the bustle of a controlling dictatorial government.

Another fine post. I have linked it from a new entry I posted today at StJacques Online at:

http://stjacquesonline.blogspot.com/2010/02/caracas-mayor-there-is-cuban-invasion.html

This is a major issue to track in my opinion.

Hope you are well.

StJacques

When you Latinos lose it you certainly go for broke.