An exchange anchorage, the increase of the imports, the control of prices, a policy of little efficient industrial push and the increasing residential deficit continue being the great obstacles that could not have been surpassed during the “10 years of the revolution”. The enterprise sector, in that sense, asks for an economic adjustment and a reconsideration of the policies in this matter.

Maria Ramirez Hair
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The uses contributed by the industry have been reduced in 23%

The change hopes that arose in 1998 with the electoral victory of the military coup participant Cold Hugo Chavez encouraged to all the economic sectors of the country. Little by little, the promises of “industrial revolution”, “oil revolution” and so clucked “endogenous development” began to crumble, as well as the illusions of the Venezuelan enterprise sector.

In his first televised press conference, in December of 1998, president Chávez exposed between its objectives to recover the spending power of the wage and to reduce the fiscal deficit, in a difficult economic context in which the price of petroleum arrived at little more from US$ 8 by barrel.

Nevertheless, that verbal magic that on a daily basis the national agent chief executive uses has managed to disguise the reality of the economic sector.

Alexis Garci'a, president of the Association of Retailers of San Felix (Asocomercio San Felix), indicated that the positive oil rents that have been Venezuela in the last years old make think that the economic situation would have to be better. However, “the Government has been dedicated to solve the problems of other countries and to rescue companies broken in the outside, to the detriment of the Venezuelans”, he said.

The enterprise leader showed that the enormous oil and gasíferas reserves are not profiteer that the country owns, because in the last ten years “many resources in the outside have been distributed”.

The concept of “endogenous development” has not borne its fruits with the creation of cooperatives, either emphasized the Garci'as, when assuring that the country follows following the imports of foods and products, “who could well become in Venezuela”.

“What they are heard are threats of expropriation and nationalization, that maintain a permanent instability and legal and personal insecurity, because the Government changes the game rules to the heat of the revolution”.

It assured the president Asocomercio that “uncertainty” destabilizes to the national productive sector that is limited to invest and to continue growing. “That uncertainty has been constant in the last 10 years and rather it has been accentuated, we only have speeches and more speeches”.

Although Garci'a recognized that the commercial sector has grown years in the last, clarified that this expansion has been in volume, but not in wealth.

It emphasized that the continuous regulations that have been implemented for the deprived sector, far from to stimulate the productivity, have favored the unmannerliness “and there is not one that puts brake to him”.

Really, it indicated, “there is no intention to order to the country so that people can work in abundance”.

Controls in bulk
The controls have caused damage. In February of 2003 an exchange control mode settled down and, for the implementation of the measurement, the Commission of Currency Administration was created (Cadivi).

The control happened after oil unemployment of the 2002 that originated a “diminution of the international reserves and the oil income, decreases in the contributions the state treasury, destabilization of the external value of the currency, uncertainty, investment to take care of the contingency caused by the fuel shortage of supplies and some nutritional headings of first necessity, as a result of unemployment, among others”.

Still today, when the international reserves reach optimal levels that allow, even, that the Executive decides the crossing of a good part of these resources (US$ 12 billions) to other accounts, stays the currency regime.

Also the price controls have limited the productivity and have induced the product shortage of the nourishing basket then, in the majority of the cases, the real cost exceeds the fixed one by the Executive. Thus it has happened to milk, the sugar, the coffee and the rice.

Exponential imports
In the last 10 years, in addition, the product import has been maximized. While in 1998 the imports were located in US$ 16,755 million, in the 2008 closed in US$ 47,601, which demonstrates an increase of 184% in the purchase in the outside.

Although the Executive has tried to reduce the imports, these have not been able to control itself because the national production is insufficient to satisfy the increasing demand.

The increase of the imports has harmed the local productive sector that it has denounced in diverse opportunities that the National Executive favors the imports, instead of to stimulate the national production.

The inflation in the country that closed the 2008 in 31,9%, although is smaller to the registered one in the decade of the 90, continues striking the spending power of the Venezuelan to a great extent.

Decreased industrial sector
As far as the industrial sector, so important in this zone of the country in which it is based an important median and network small train, the numbers of the Venezuelan Confederation of Industrialists (Conindustria) register 36% less than companies with respect to last the 10 years; about 104 thousand lost direct uses, more than 300 thousand indirect ones, and a progressive reduction in the participation within Producto Interno Bruto (PIB).

The jobs contributed by the private industry have decreased in 23% of 449 thousand 636 uses in 1998 to 345 thousands 168 in 2007.

The small industry is the one that has undergone greater impact in the last years, with a reduction of the places of work of 46%, in agreement with the calculations of Conindustria.

Nor to speak of the great industries of Guayana, drowned from the financial point of view, and important decrease in its production.

From which the president of the cupola, Eduardo Go'mez Sigala, would demand an economic adjustment recently, when considering that Venezuela loses day to day its productive capacity, as well as the competitiveness in front of the international markets.

Gerald Serrao, president of the Association of Metallurgical Industrialists and Mining, Guayana chapter (AIMM), indicated that although there are companies that have received stimuli of the Government, “is necessary to deepen in the sector of the small and medians companies and to invest more, because they are those that generate major amount of uses”.

House and wages
The debts in residential matter and improvement of the spending power of the Venezuelan follow slopes. The Venezuelan Government has managed to construct in the 10 years of management of the president of the Republic, Hugo Chavez, 357 thousand 490 residential units, being located in the last places in houses constructed in the last 30 years, in spite of the high prices of the petroleum that has shown, according to numbers of the Real estate Camera of the state Bolívar (CIEB).

As far as the spending power of the Venezuelan, the deterioration is evident, and the minimum wage reaches to cover half with the nourishing basket, according to deprived studies, without considering the expenses by educative services, health, transport, dress and entertainment then, that could have a family.

The economic adjustment and the reconsideration of the policies in economic matter are the priorities that, in agreement with the enterprise sector, must be in the agenda of the Executive.

26 missions in 10 years

To put the poverty as main point in its agenda granted major to him support to president Chávez. The implementation of the missions generated expectations, but today it is almost impossible to evaluate the concrete results of these social programs that, nevertheless, are clear, have benefitted to a portion of the population of low resources.

Throughout the “10 years of revolution” 26 social missions have been created. The Zamora Mission was first in being created, specifically in the 2001, with the purpose of to reorganize the possession and the use of idle earth with agricultural vocation. Under this mission, the expropriation of diverse property in the country has been protected, because one of its objectives is to eradicate the large estate.

They followed to him this one, the Sucre missions, Robinson, Ribas, Cheeping, District Inside, Guaicaipuro and Miranda.

From the 2004 the missions were created Habitat, Miracle, Identity, Feeding, Smile, Villanueva, Revolution Energetics, Children and Children of the District, Hipólita Black, Music, Science, Che Guevara, Christ, Jose Gregorio Hernandez, Mothers of the District, Tree and 13 of April.