VENEZUELAN ECONOMY AND bachaqueros. By Gustavo Angel Cabrera
"Sorry Mr. / We are filled with poor the hall / And do not stop coming / From the rear, by land and by sea / And the Lord says that out / And in the case of an emergency, / I have been asked to indicate their I / where it's going to the pantry. " Joan Manuel Serrat.
What will be the relationship between economy and bachacos? I'll try to explain. It is no secret that the Venezuelan economy depends on oil revenues since the beginning of last century. We went from being an agro-exporting economy to a mineral-extractive economy. This means it is an economy that fluctuates in relation to prices on the world oil market and the amount of barrels exported. If prices are high The state will have enough money to cover the expenses of its institutions and services. If prices are low must adjust the belt of his trousers down to the last little hole.In recent years the oil had considered increases to reach unprecedented historical. What did the government with those petrodollars? To put it in colloquial terms, he went crazy and spent wildly, from a populist vision, not just what was in the coffers but had to resort to loans to other countries, such as Russia, China, putting guarantee our oil. What I spend? - Excessive bureaucracy; - Social Missions; - Administrative Corruption; -Wages and salaries; -Social Pensions; -Import Food, medicine, machinery, luxury goods, and so on. Besides infrastructure. Not forgetting the loans and gifts to other countries such as Argentina, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, among others.
Today the situation is different, barrel oil prices have been falling sharply and the government never foresaw, so must borrow to meet half the national budget and import products of the basic basket, because l6 years government what was done was to attack the capitalist production model offering as an alternative to nationalization level of industry, commerce and agriculture, with the sonorous name of "Socialism of the XXI century" which has been a real failure in all aspects : There is a decline in domestic production considered; No sustained industrial development;High level of unemployment; Shops and businesses closed; Galloping inflation with economic stagnation. What does the government do? Blame the entire crisis to an economic war that is only in your head diverted to the dogmas and orthodoxies of the nineteenth century; insists on maintaining exchange controls with economic losses and directly favoring the financial bourgeoisie; does not care about the social consequences suffered by the people and aims to keep you happy and distracted with political discourse, queues for regulated products. And continues to be nothing squeezing orange called "legacy of Chavez," now with open threats against citizens who do not want to follow their political line.
It is under this scenario that called bachaqueros emerge. As there is a production system in bankruptcy, rising unemployment: youth, adults, media professionals, housewives, etc. Impoverished social layers of the population who do not already receive the gifts that the government gave them.Then they armed themselves with patience, they have the information of regulated products, where they are, when they arrive and until the amounts. Subsequently they negotiate higher prices. As the product is not achieved, many people prefer to pay the price that put them arbitrary.Of course, in the huge queues humble people who prefer to spend five hours of waiting, in order to bring home some good basic consumption basket is also located.
The word bachaqueros comes from bachacos, and I understand, they are called bachaqueros because they behave like the bachacos, in the sense that they are tireless and tenacious, day and night, seeking their support to save it in the huge caves and tunnels built below Earth's surface. We know that in Venezuela is not for direct household consumption but for sale at exorbitant prices. In socialist countries like Cuba, the bachaqueros there too, in the sense of workers and employees of nationalized companies that steal and sell products on the black market. In Venezuela the government has made this much political pandering to regulated prices and the supposed protection of the people. It turns out that the bachaqueros act freely and sell the goods at public.
The bachaqueros fit very well in an economy that discourages productive work, a parasitic economy and dependent on Venezuelan oil as income.So that people who lend themselves to this kind of trade often used to spend all week from one queue to another hunting where products are regulated, including early and to be Pernot against established businesses. Small family businesses with a small capital manage to maintain the purchasing power of the products covered probably down. For this kind of company no intellectual effort is required, not even read or write, nor any legal registration, only physical strength and ability to withstand being outdoors between the sun and the rain. The point is that this type of business has moved from food products regulated parts of vehicles, drugs, cell phones and even cars of state enterprises. I wonder what will happen to those thousands and thousands of people who have become accustomed to these business practices, when one day cease this anomaly and the State declare a cessation of imports and the allowance market reality: The bachaqueros that come from the grassroots, will again join the ranks of the unemployed and the subsequent misery? What employment policy offered the Venezuelan government and private enterprise under this economy that all matter? It will be incorporated to a productive economy or remain in that condition of lumpen proletariat ?, Will bachaqueros vote for the government candidates because they think of winning the election this will continue indefinitely. I remember a song by Joan Manuel Serrat entitled "Excuse the Lord" in which the Secretary of God tells him alarmed that poor filled the hall and they keep coming from all over, what happens is that they are not aware that Karl Marx is dead and buried. After This election in December 2015 may be more clarify the picture with this social sector.
Finally, in the eighties, Ali Primera, great popular protest singer, he composed a song titled "The Bachaco Fundilluo" where bachacos and ants working for the Bachaco Fundilluo, is like saying the King of the herd kept enslaved community bachacos. Well, as we are now in the XXI Century Socialism, it seems that defeated bachacos Bachaco Fundilluo or culón and own their labor and capital to produce them. Easy comes a stage comedy of all that we are living in this embattled country and tarnished speeches, fictions and realities
