Last February, London Mayor Ken Livingstone announced a scheme that would benefit a quarter of a million low-income Londoners by reducing bus prices. The scheme has been made possible by the contribution of the Venezuelan state-owned company, Petroleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa), towards cheaper fuel. In turn, Venezuelans would get advise from British specialists on areas such as transport, protection of the environment, development of tourism, and town planning.
During a ceremony in London's City Hall on February, 20, Livingstone said: "That country (Venezuela) has started on the road of using its oil riches for the benefit of the majority of its population, which lives in cities, prioritising areas such as improving health care and the environment, public transport, better housing and town planning. This will gradually transform the quality of life for the majority of Venezuela’s population, including replacing slums with modern towns and cities served by first class public services."
It seems to me that the Mayor of London has not really taken the time to visit the cities that are being "improved" by the Bolivarian government. If he had, he would have realised that the money Pdvsa is so keen on spending abroad should well be used to bring back to life the squandered barrios and streets of Caracas or even to clean the once healthy Lago de Maracaibo. Where are these "modern towns and cities" with "first class" public services? Caracas, the biggest and most populated of Venezuela's troubled cities, has the highest crime rate of the country. There are an average of 150 deaths per week due to violence and insecurity. Problems with the collection of rubbish have resulted into unsanitory living conditions and the majority of homes do not have basic services. According to declarations from the Venezuelan Chamber of Real-Estate (Camara Inmobiliaria de Venezuela) only one in every two Venezuelans live in dignified conditions. The wildly out-of-control informal sector populates the city centre, with stalls and markets set up on sidewalks and squares. Pedestrians are then forced to walk on the road. Public transport fares no better. Without any regulations, old buses and taxis wreak havoc on the city's roads more often than not ignoring signs and traffic laws.
While I am sure that lower-income Londoners deserve any help they can get, I think it is wrong for the Bolivarian government and Pdvsa to attend to them instead of looking first after their own.
During a ceremony in London's City Hall on February, 20, Livingstone said: "That country (Venezuela) has started on the road of using its oil riches for the benefit of the majority of its population, which lives in cities, prioritising areas such as improving health care and the environment, public transport, better housing and town planning. This will gradually transform the quality of life for the majority of Venezuela’s population, including replacing slums with modern towns and cities served by first class public services."
It seems to me that the Mayor of London has not really taken the time to visit the cities that are being "improved" by the Bolivarian government. If he had, he would have realised that the money Pdvsa is so keen on spending abroad should well be used to bring back to life the squandered barrios and streets of Caracas or even to clean the once healthy Lago de Maracaibo. Where are these "modern towns and cities" with "first class" public services? Caracas, the biggest and most populated of Venezuela's troubled cities, has the highest crime rate of the country. There are an average of 150 deaths per week due to violence and insecurity. Problems with the collection of rubbish have resulted into unsanitory living conditions and the majority of homes do not have basic services. According to declarations from the Venezuelan Chamber of Real-Estate (Camara Inmobiliaria de Venezuela) only one in every two Venezuelans live in dignified conditions. The wildly out-of-control informal sector populates the city centre, with stalls and markets set up on sidewalks and squares. Pedestrians are then forced to walk on the road. Public transport fares no better. Without any regulations, old buses and taxis wreak havoc on the city's roads more often than not ignoring signs and traffic laws.
While I am sure that lower-income Londoners deserve any help they can get, I think it is wrong for the Bolivarian government and Pdvsa to attend to them instead of looking first after their own.
2 comments:
what about the health system, the agriculture, the schools, the legal system , the children in the street?
Thank you, Susi. I agrred that there's even more problems in Caracas and Venezuela... I was just trying to keep 'em focused to city-specific problems!
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