VICAR
Dear Readers of Country Squire Magazine, I trust that You are well.
Today a brave gentleman called Edmundo González will win the elections in Venezuela where, for over a decade, the incumbent Nicolas Maduro has been President, despite losing previous elections.
In the UK We may well grumble at the British government but at least our political system respects election results.
Do not expect Maduro to hand over power. In effect, Venezuelans are living under a dictatorship. Those who have fought for democracy have been jailed or exiled. Many lives have been lost since Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez took power.
Venezuela may seem a long way away. It is. Its future hardly impinges on that of most British people. Nonetheless, as Christians We should be empathetic to the Venezuelans’ plight of hunger, starvation and oppression by a violent clique who should no longer hold the reins of power. Many Venezuelans have left the country anticipating a bloodbath while crime and inflation have skyrocketed. There are those, like the Editor of this magazine, who have seen relatives (in his case inlaws) killed or imprisoned by out-of-control Chavistas.
Have a positive and peaceful week. And God bless You all.
Dear Lord, Venezuela has unravelled before our eyes in the past decades. Recent leaders have driven the country to ruin. President Maduro’s policies, his obduracy in the face of massive protests, and the highly questionable presidential elections have accelerated this decline. Even vast oil reserves have not been able to prevent economic meltdown. Corruption and poverty were both widespread even before this meltdown. 60% of city dwellers live in slums. Venezuela ranks as the 2nd most corrupt nation in Latin America (after Haiti). Health care crises, massive food shortages, and hyperinflation have caused millions of Venezuelans to flee the country, desperately seeking survival and opportunity elsewhere. An increasing number are children, the elderly, or pregnant women, all at risk of exploitation by unscrupulous traffickers and criminals. We pray for their protection. Another presidential election is set for today. We pray to You, Lord, to bring relief to the suffering of the Venezuelan people and for Mr Maduro to resign and seek exile. Amen