Bequeathing a country in the red

http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/131019/bequeathing-a-country-in-the-red

Venezuela is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Corruption-wise we rank 165th out of 174 countries, sharing the most dishonorable spot with countries like Haiti and Burundi. Homicide-wise we rank among the top three in Latin America and at the top of the leader-board worldwide, with 73 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Economic-wise, we languish at the bottom end in areas like growth, country risk, inflation, competitiveness, economic freedom, and human capital, according to studies released by the UN, ECLAC, Transparency International, the OAS, and other international agencies monitoring development.

By requesting an enabling law, President Nicolás Maduro is implicitly acknowledging that his administration is facing two fundamental problems, namely corruption and the current economic situation. Back in 2007 his predecessor and mentor, Hugo Chávez, requested special powers to root out government corruption. This problem has worsened over the last six years, but Maduro says he is the one who will ultimately solve it "by constructing a new ethics." Likewise, the economic crisis, which puts us among the worst-performing economies, will be solved "by changing the economic model."

After 15 years of successive governments led by Hugo Chávez and now Nicolás Maduro, the most important indicators unquestionably reveal a country "in the red" that shares the bottom end with the least advanced countries in the region and the world. Such worst performing levels are the result of the late Hugo Chávez's 14-year government, a legacy that his political heirs term "an example to be followed in Venezuela and around the world." Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chavez's successor, blames the opposition for such dismal rankings, even if it has been barred from taking any major part in public administration. The most important global indicators are discussed below.

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It is noteworthy that, according to Transparency International's rankings, the police are widely believed to be the most corrupt institution in the country (with a score of 4.4 out of 5), followed by public officials and civil servants.