“Suddenly an expropriation was unfair”: Maduro’s son admitted that Chavismo had made mistakes against the private sector

Chavismo promotes new laws in an attempt to gain the confidence of private investors and correct mistakes they have made since coming to power in Venezuela, which generated one of the worst crises in its history and for which they now want to blame the financial sanctions imposed by the United States on regime officials.

From the Chavist Parliament, elected in irregular elections that are not recognized by the governments of the strongest democracies in the world, MP Nicolás Maduro Guerra, son of the dictator, promotes several proposals, among which stands out the Organic Law of Special Economic Zones aimed at simplifying customs procedures and offering tax incentives to entrepreneurs.

“All these initiatives create confidence”Maduro Guerra told the news agency AFP during a meeting this Friday with the foreign press during which he spoke of four economic zones with access to the Caribbean Sea which will have special conditions to attract investment.

“Entrepreneurs cannot without government and government cannot without entrepreneurs (…) We can bet that this law is a turning point for confidence “and creates” opportunities for the country to grow and develop, “he said of the bill they hope to sanction by July.

The 31-year-old politician, who bears a strong physical resemblance to his father, recalls the “difficult” period that the Chavista regime experienced with private enterprise, which he accused of having assumed the role of ” opposition”.

“They devoted themselves to trying to overthrow the government by all means (…) And we surely made mistakes, we are human, we were in the heat of this fight and it did not do good to the country, this fight does not. do good to anyone “said Maduro Guerra, economist and musician.

Controversial expropriations of companies, many of which went bankrupt after coming into state hands, are among the “mistakes” of the past, according to the dictator’s son. “Suddenly an expropriation (was) unjust”, he admitted.

Maduro Guerra says he is aware that attacks on private property have not promoted the image of the socialist regime his father inherited from the late former President Hugo Chávez (1999-2013). “It doesn’t do us any good”he said, distancing himself from this policy.

The employers’ association Fedecámaras, which asked the Chavist parliament to consider the return of the expropriated companies to their original owners, denounced In the socialist era, more than a hundred companies were “bought out” without compensating their owners., and some of them were “dismembered”.

– “Agreements are essential” –

Fedecámaras President Ricardo Cusanno stressed Thursday, during his participation in the plenary session of the International Labor Conference, that “public-private agreements are essential to achieve new solutions” that help to overcome the challenges in full crisis. accentuated by the covid-19 pandemic.

“At the same time, the state needs a determined drive towards corporate sustainability, generating greater confidence and strengthening the institutional and democratic framework, to attract investments that make it possible to cope with the changes imposed by the world. post-pandemic and maintain jobs, ”Cussano said in a speech posted on the Fedecámaras website.

For Maduro Guerra, at this stage of the crisis which is leading the country into its eighth consecutive year of recession, the key is to “recognize each other’s roles”, both in the economic and political sectors, but by working together.

“The first step we have taken is to establish a frank and sincere dialogue, without going backwards, recognizing that we must move forward (…) we have met all sectors of the country, secretly and in public “, he assured.

But in the opinion of economist José Manuel Puente, professor at the Center for Public Policy of the Institute of Higher Administrative Studies (IESA), the flexibilities put in place after years of strict price and exchange controls are not enough. to overcome the crisis. .

“This requires a stabilization program and significant volumes of international financial assistance, in addition to a political transition, these changes are not enough to lift Venezuela out of the cycle of recession and hyperinflation”, he commented to AFP.

(With information from AFP)

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