Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Middle Class Protesting Venezuela Shortages Drive Poor to Maduro - Businessweek

Middle Class Protesting Venezuela Shortages Drive Poor to Maduro - Businessweek

"For bus driver Jorge Polo, the
protests in Venezuela’s capital city are an irritation, not an
attraction.


Every day, Polo has to navigate around the protesters’
makeshift barricades in the wealthy parts of Caracas. He is
never tempted to join them and blames hoarders -- and the
demonstrators themselves -- for the soaring cost of living and
mounting shortages.


“What’s going on down there in the valley is not our
fight,” Polo said, while drinking a beer in the slum of Petare
overlooking eastern Caracas. “It’s rich people trying to get
back lost economic perks. The slums won’t join them.”


After a month of protests, the demonstrations in Caracas
remain confined to wealthier areas with limited support from the
poor. Many residents of Petare say President Nicolas Maduro
should be given more time to turn around the economy after
taking over following the death of Hugo Chavez a year ago. For
now, the protesters are only making life harder, Polo says."

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