I confess: I never bought a savings certificate in gold or Petros. My income never allowed for that. And, in truth, I was never given any reason to trust this: two months after resigning from my job (after ten years working in the public sector) I've yet to get the money from my social security savings plan (which lost its purpose ages ago) and to receive my severance payment.
Before the unblemished condemn me to the firing squad (though they will anyway), let me clarify: yes, I know perfectly well about the deadly effects that US sanctions have had on some of the points listed above. To be clear: on some of them. In others there was a lot more to be done, yet here we are: much more "fucked" than before the plan that was to bring us "growth" and "prosperity" was implemented.
With such a precedent, I was almost scared when I heard Vice President Delcy Rodriguez announce that a "new initiative" is coming up this week. "Maybe best to leave it like that," my mother usually says when it starts looking like the cure is worse than the disease. There's a universal truth to that.
Jessica Dos Santos is a Venezuelan journalist and writer for the web portal 15yUltimo and Ã"degreespale CCS magazine. She is the author of the book "Caracas en Alpargatas" (2018) and a university professor. She's won the Anà bal Nazoa Journalism Prize in 2014 and received honorable mentions in the Simà ³n Bolà var National Journalism prize in 2016 and 2018.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.
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