VHeadline.com guest commentarist Leandro F. Chique C. writes: The political situation in Venezuela seems to be calm and even some of the people I know that have been opposition to Chavez government seem to actually agree with some of the government's policies ... this my impression after about a week back here at home.

But since I arrived in Venezuela ... here in my hometown Puerto La Cruz ... I felt I should share my impressions about what is happening with VHeadline.com readers around the world.

No worries ... Venezuela is still beautiful and full of contrasts.

When I arrived at Caracas (Simon Bolivar) international airport, I thought about how I love this country and how happy I was to be back here again after a long and hard year away.

My international student status keeps me away from my country and is only possible to visit two times a year ... I like to think that being away for several months and coming back to Venezuela gives me a broader perspective.  Each time I'm here, I ask my family and the people in the streets about the government and look around for positive/negative changes.

My first surprise was when I stepped on the plane in Atlanta ... it was filled with foreigners from Spain, India, Americans and elsewhere. The woman next to me, asked one of the Spaniards who said that they were all tourists heading for Merida in the Venezuelan Andes ... the conversation concluded that the plane was filled with tourists who wanted to visit and get to know Venezuela.

• Believe me, my Venezuelan pride was flying as high as the plane when I thought that for the first time in a long time I was heading to Venezuela with more foreigners in the airplane than Venezuelans ... and all of them wanting to stay for few weeks in my country.

Arriving at Simon Bolivar (the airport) was another cheerful surprise ... they had remodeled the airport ... it is clean, new, well-maintained, well-illuminated and it seemed and felt very safe ... everything seemed perfect except for a big construction project by the parking lot outside the airport building, which had everything dirty and very unpleasant compared with inside that airport.

I do not know how old the old airport was ... but this new one surely is a decent and modern facility.

When I say that Venezuela is a country of contrasts, it is.

When you get out of the most important airport in the country you start driving up to Caracas along a highway which is has not been fixed, either by this government or the ones before. It's just amazing how everything changed from my first impressions and that part from Maiquetia to Caracas is very very awful ... there are little or no lights along the highway and the tunnels are awfully maintained ... when you think that this is the main entrance to the country you just cannot believe it. And after having been in the airport (which is very superior in my opinion to others in USA) it just cannot be understood by anyone that the main highway is in that terrible condition.

When you arrive in Caracas, everything seems a lot better.

• At least a lot better since last December (2004) ... the highway in Caracas is in good condition and well-maintained ... everything seems clean ... with the exception of several cars without rear lights everything seems ok.

I just cannot understand why the police system has not been upgraded to prevent the transit of cars without brake lights ... I know most of the owners are poor, and may not have money to fix them (although this quite hard to believe) ... but being poor does not give the right to put others peoples' lives at risk ... anyway, is widely known by everyone who knows Venezuela that police and security matters are rather retrograde.

That night I went to bed just hoping to be home in Puerto La Cruz as soon as possible ... Puerto La Cruz is a city in eastern Venezuela; a mid-sized city with about 700,000 inhabitants; divided into four municipalities or alcaldias.

• It's no surprise that because of the “polarization” of the country, two of the municipalities are governed by the opposition and the other two by MVR (Chavez’ political party).

Since my arrival in Puerto La Cruz I've been in only three of the municipalities ... Bolivar Urbaneja and Sotillo municipality.  The mayors of each (in same order) are:

• Bolivar …Capitan Perez Fernandez (MVR Chavez’ political party)
• Urbaneja … Gustavo Marcano (Primero Justicia, opposition)
• Sotillo … Nelson Moreno (MVR)

If you want to see, write or feel the contrast of Venezuela and the differences in efficiency and effectiveness in one place. Come to Puerto La Cruz.

Bolivar municipality, an area with a Chavista mayor, is a zone of disaster ... everything seems to be dirty and during the night there is a lack of street lighting ... holes in the pavement are the rule and some sectors such as Colinas del Neveri -- a middle income neighborhood -- seem to be abandoned and part of a no-government zone. I keep counting and counting many things that are very wrong in this municipality and probably, I will never stop.

But when you cross from Bolivar to Urbaneja municipality is like if you were in a different country ... the area is cleaner and you can start to see that there is more order and people working on paving or changing light bulbs (at least during this period of time). During the night, Urbaneja seems to be safer and public lighting is present almost in every place. At least in this municipality you can hope that a hole in the pavement can disappear from one day to the next.

The same, but with a lot less effectiveness and efficiency, can be said regarding Sotillo municipality which also has a Chavista mayor ... but in Bolivar and Sotillo there's a lack of understanding on the importance of maintenance and public lighting.

Generally speaking, there's a big problem with paving and lighting on the streets and main avenues throughout the whole city ... and it is hard to believe that during a “golden time” for Venezuela (thanks to petroleum prices) the problem has not been confronted and dealt with.

Economically speaking, the economy here in Puerto La Cruz seems a lot better than in December 2004. Malls, cinemas, restaurants and night clubs are filled with people. If they are spending as much as before or not, I do not know ... but a mall filled with people in Venezuela could be used as an indication of how the economy is doing. The Plaza Mayor mall in Urbaneja is quite full during weekdays and at weekends you have to queue for the parking lot ... which is quite big. Other malls around the city are opening up new stores.

• I'm not a professional in economics, but I'm an international business student. If you compare the data given by Fedecamaras, Fedeindustria and other private chambers of commerce the economy seems to be expanding ... if not exploding.

The malls are not enough in the city and the industrial and commercial sector of the economy has surely started to plan investments for next year, because they will not have the capacity to overcome demand. Of course, poverty and security are weak points ... but the economy has to do its job, just as the government is doing theirs.

The point of all this is the contrast that exists in the efficiency of government ... it is just amazing how big the differences are between municipalities in the same city. I understand that Bolivar is a lot bigger ... but they also receive more money from central government and have more bureaucracy to do their job.

Frankly, Chavez has a big problem!

The problem is inefficiency, ineffectiveness and corruption in lower levels of government. The government of Perez Fernandez in Bolivar municipality is simply not doing its job ... he's been there for one mandate period already and this is his second.

Chavez is doing his part ... providing education, health and creating infrastructure plans around the country ... but the revolution can not allow inefficiency among revolutionaries. It just can not be comprehended that the main avenue in Puerto La Cruz is in such a really bad shape ... without lights and with potholes in the paving.

Maintaining a city and keeping it nice and tidy is important ... it helps the economy grow by allowing residents to feel safe to spend or open businesses in several areas. Because how can you open a business on an avenue that's full of trash, potholes and a very bad lighting system?

And not just for the economy ... being a socialist, I believe that the residents' quality of life can be highly increased by the state of their streets and highways ... all the health, education and infrastructure programs have no importance if these mayors are going to forget other important aspects.

If we're talking about a city in the middle of nowhere, or about a country with no money to confront these kind of problems, I would understand ... but certainly this is not the case in Puerto La Cruz where the workers of one of the most important oil refineries in Venezuela and the world are to be found ... put simply, Venezuela has enough resources to confront this problem effectively.

So ... who is to blame here?

We cannot blame Chavez, because he is doing his job, and his job can be seen in the streets of Puerto La Cruz. The ones to blame here are the mayor of Bolivar and Sotillo municipalities ... mayors who have been in government already for one period and are on their second.

Fake revolutionaries? Inefficient and ineffective revolutionaries?

I do not like to use names, but Perez Fernandez and Nelson Moreno are the ones to blame for damaging the image of the city, the country and the revolution. What happened? Is it that they do not have time? Is it inefficiency? Many sentences can be used to describe what is happening here that is not happening in other cities.

It is really hard to keep the government pure ... it is really hard to make people do an effective job ... but as the Revolution is revolutionizing many aspects of Venezuelan society and the Venezuelan economy it is still in debt on other aspects or sectors of the country, such as police and security.

Of a Venezuelan Revolution I want to see control and use of the money municipalities spend ... there must be a way to measure their affectivity and efficiency to avoid the kind of people who take advantage of Chavez’ image to get into government and to do so badly.

Obviously ...and I mean obviously ...the “Contraloria” is not doing its job.

• Maybe a revolution inside the “Contraloria” has to take place to improve the efficiency of the government in lower stages. There has to be corruption in local government here in Puerto La Cruz ... or in the “Contraloria” because the status of the city has no excuse.

We cannot pretend that in a country that is approximately twice the size of France, the President is going to be aware of all the problems of every city. We cannot pretend that the economy will keep growing and developing in dark streets full of potholes, industrial zones that are insecure, dark and pavements almost non-existent or in incredibly bad shape.

The Governor of Anzoategui State, Tarek William Saab also has part of the responsibility ... because he is the local State leader of Movimiento Quinto Republic (MVR) and he lives here in the city.

... if he is going to be an effective leader, he must do it effectively and make sure that these two mayors work ... or leave the office to others who can do a much better job.

Leandro F. Chique C.
lchique@hotmail.com