Talking with the Mute, Deaf, and Blind

www.11abril.com Alexandra Beech New York 8 de Enero del 2003

Hi,

Early summer last year, the Minister of Economic Planning, Felipe Perez Marti, launched an interactive website in Venezuela, www.foronacional.gov.ve. The goal was to allow Venezuelans to contribute their opinions in areas such as Economy, Politics, Technology, International Relations, etc. I started to write in the forum almost from the start, though it quickly became evident that the minister would only respond to those who agreed with the government.

On one occasion, I asked a well-known Wall Street strategist to participate in the foro, and soon after, the minister speculated whether the "Cuban Mafia or the CIA had infiltrated" the site. On that day, I sadly realized that the government's economic framework was in the hands of an incompetent individual. A few months later, during a visit to the University of Chicago, I mentioned to the Alumni Director that the minister was a University of Chicago PhD in Economics, and he grimaced. As you may know, the University of Chicago is famous for Robert Lucas, Gary Becker, James Heckman, Robert Fogel and Milton Friedman - all Nobel Economics Laureates. More than any other school of economics, the University of Chicago economists emphasize that the only engine of growth is private investment, best achieved through free markets. Anyone would think that Minister Perez Marti would have walked away from Chicago with a firm understanding of the basic concepts that shape the first world, after the seven or eight years it took to complete his PhD. Instead, he took the concepts and distorted them for the Chavista Revolution, which he regards with messianic fervor. On one occasion, he wrote in the foro that truth would prevail as Christ prevailed, something Chavez might say to his body guard while scrubbing in the shower.

I'd like to share a cyber conversation that took place between Minister Marti and a close friend of mine today. During a chat, I had mentioned to Carlos that the Minister had once written that he would resign if he didn't succeed at downsizing the state. Needless to say, those who didn't read between the lines assumed that he would launch a stable program to cut bureaucracy. What I never imagined is that what looks like a haphazard slaughterhouse at state oil company PDVSA today, where almost 10,000 have almost been fired by reading their names in the newspaper, would actually be part of the minister's Grand Plan. While nothing less than a criminal brain drain takes place in Venezuela, the Minister toasts. Talented nuclear engineers, scientists, managers, accountants, human resources specialists - ten thousand Venezuelan professionals - are scrambling to find homes and food for their children - all part of the Minister's successful plan.

Please visit that site, if you have time and patience, and share with Minister Perez Marti your opinions on his current economic success.

Autor: Carlos (200.44.242.---) Fecha: 02-08-03 16:10 08 de Febrero 2003

Sr. Ministro Felipe Fernando Candelario Pérez Marti Phd.

Tomando sus palabras de fecha 06-07-2002, la cual formaron parte de una intervención en este foro denominado "Sobre los ingresos", usted implementó el uso de estas palabras:

"ESTOY FORMANDO UNA COMISION PARA REFORMAR EL ESTADO Y ME COMPROMETO A QUE SI NO HAGO ALGO SUSTANCIAL EN ESTE SENTIDO, RENUNCIARE (ME TRAZO SEIS MESES PARA HACER LA PROPUESTA Y EMPEZAR A TOMAR ACCIONES, PERO EMPREZARAN A VER "EXITOS TEMPRANO" MUY PRONTO, YA LO VERAN............"

Sr. Ministro, en nombre de una mayoría calificada de ciudadados soberanos de La República de Venezuela, se da en lugar y aceptamos su renuncia por no haber cumplido sus metas trazadas. Favor tomar nota que se le extendió el plazo por 2 meses, para un total de 8.

Firma: La Sociedad Civil Democrática

Autor: Felipe Pérez Martí (200.44.150.---) Fecha: 02-08-03 16:46

Hola, Carlos. Te recomiendo que visites la página www.foronacional.gov.ve, en la biblioteca, sobre el trabajo de la referida comisión. Desde que se formó tiene un tiempo de seis meses para hacer su formulación, y el plazo es en Marzo. Sobre los éxitos tempranos, te voy a remitir a nuestro coordinador en materia de tecnología, Ricardo Strusberg, y a nuestro secretario ejetucivo de la comisión, Jorge Baralt, quien deben responderte con más detalle sobre esto (en realidad parte de nuestros éxitos han sido en Pdvsa, pero esta es de las cosas que no se van a comentar en detalle todavía). Pendientes (y no cantes victoria... ;-),

Felipe

Autor: Carlos (200.44.242.---) Fecha: 02-08-03 17:13

Sr. Ministro,

La única victoria que quiero cantar es para el colectivo del pueblo Venezolano. Aquí ninguno de nosotros somos más que otros, somos todos Venezolanos. Yo soy un opositor a este gobierno Sr. Ministro, pero si estoy de acuerdo con los cambios en PDVSA aún cuando no estoy de acuerdo en la forma como lo están realizando. Yo viví por muchos años dentro de la industria como contratista, viví las injusticias y corrupción, fui dueño de una empresa que limpió más de 3.000 pozos a nivel de oriente y occidente, hoy en día tuve que vender todos mis equipos especializados de bombeo debido a la política petrolera implementada por este gobierno y estoy a la espera de ver cual va ser el rumbo que va a tomar nuestro país. A mis 32 años me siento inseguro del futuro de mis tres hijos, no voy a abandonar mi tierra natal, sigo creyendo en ella.

I still remember the day Mr. Chavez announced your name on alo presidente. I also remembered the day you gave your first press conference in Miraflores, you mentioned this site, I gave you my humble blessings via this site, I really believed in you and your word, hearing you speak that day kept me from sending my family to the U.S. or Dominican Republic to start a new life, I feel you let us down.

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