A time less smooth

Well the year hasn’t got off to a great start. The electricity shortage is getting worse (while actually blackouts here in the part of Merida where I live are less- about one every 2 days now, there is now quite strict rationing of electricity in shopping centres, cinemas, casinos, etc as well as on advertising, which makes me very happy- they are the ones who do the most wasting of electricity!) but this comes at the same time as the government announced the devaluation of the Bolivar to half its worth, effectively, and there’s a fair bit of discontent.
In practice of course a devaluation only means something if one is travelling or purchasing things over the internet (im talking about for ordinary people not for business), but in practice its massive, because 70% of things are still imported, and those things are going to get more expensive (except food and medicine, which will have an exchange rate of 2.6) – that is, if companies do things the legal way, we will see the effects once they sell their old stock bought at the old rate and start selling their new stock.
Honestly, when I first heard the news, I was dashed. Mostly I was thinking about my boyfriend who has been working very hard on top of study so that he can try to get a computer, and in a few years, travel to Australia with me. The devaluation means that both those things will now cost about double the amount, making them almost impossible. Of course, later, after chatting to a friend, I put things in perspective and calmed down a bit. The measure is meant to encourage local production, which is an economic effect we’d feel in the long term, after going through inflation in the short term. I am not so convinced that this measure will work, but that’s the idea, and frankly I think “sacrifices” are worth it, in order to get the economy here less dependent on oil and more sovereign… and of course ultimately in the hands of the people.
I felt even less worse about it when I went to the dentist today, and unlike in Australia where such consultations would cost like $200 or more (I have no idea, I hardly went to the dentist in Aus cos they were so expensive), this one was free.. of course. So that’s the other perspective- social services, food, education etc, the important things are not effected- and that’s how it should be right? Paying more for the “luxuries” (its debatable how much a computer is a luxury for a student) but the important things are easily accessible.
Nevertheless, the measure is not popular, with only my most hardcore revolutionary friends really understanding it and supporting it, and many unions, and a range of other left organisations have come out against it- calling for a respective increase in wages.
Merida isn’t a very commercial city- there isn’t a lot of big billboard advertising and shopping centres, so it’s hard to know just what proportion of them are implementing the electricity saving measures. True, there are shopping centres out along Avenue Las Americas, frankly I just haven’t been anywhere near any : ). M and I did go for a walk to Plaza Las Heroinas- a place with artesania at nights and food stalls, a place to hang out late at night basically. And at 9 the police van started driving around telling the food stalls (which have lighting) to close. I’m guessing that was for the electricity measures, since they usually stay open quite late. Or maybe it was the heavy January security stuff.
Otherwise, its all just bits and pieces. Our communal council meeting didn’t happen again because for some reason its just tragedy time of year- with a few members looking after sick mums, an uncle that died, someone else very sick etc. I was also going to participate in a diploma of communal councils starting tomorrow but that’s been postponed as well. A shame, I was looking forward to it! Oh well, it’ll happen soon.
And then there is Haiti. Oh Haiti, bashed and bruised from all sides, yet one of the heroes of this continent for being the first to liberate itself from slavery, for constantly struggling despite it all. The youth of the PSUV have been organising stalls in the main plazas for people to donate medicine, food, and clothing, which will then be sent to Haiti. I think right now that is more useful than money. I have a lot to say about the Haiti issue, but this is not the place. Today though I walked down to the plaza with two big bags of clothes, some medicine and some food from myself and the people in my house.