Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez affirmed Monday that her government is working to simplify citizens’ lives by streamlining procedures, with the goal of having “a state that solves problems.”
During a national address broadcasted two months after the June 24 catastrophic earthquakes that struck the country, she stated, “We are working to reduce bureaucracy, simplify procedures, expand digital services, and prevent people from having to submit documents multiple times that the state already possesses. We want a state that solves problems, not one that complicates or overwhelms.”
As part of this initiative, progress is being made on a simpler, digital, automated, and transparent tax system that respects taxpayers and contributes revenue to the country’s social protection system and its people, she added.
She further noted that a state that supports its citizens means institutions function better and serve the people.
Progress in post-earthquake reconstruction
Two months after the double earthquake, the acting president presented an overview of the social assistance and national habitat rehabilitation efforts.
She specified that with the Dignified and Safe Clearance Plan, implemented in coordination with local teams, international technicians, and United Nations (UN) specialists, 28% of the debris in affected areas has been removed, totaling approximately 580,000 tons cleared following environmental protection protocols.
“These rubble piles are not just materials to be removed. They represent homes, memories, and in some cases, the entire history of a family. That is why we are doing this work with respect and dignity as we advance in the recovery of each community,” she emphasized.
Regarding housing, she highlighted the allocation of 335 new homes directly benefiting 1,172 people, as well as the comprehensive rehabilitation of an additional 1,001 properties for another 3,503 citizens.
She also reiterated that the Venezuelan government’s goal is to deliver more than 4,000 additional homes before the end of the current year, thus ensuring continuous assistance to families who remain in temporary shelters or transit after the earthquakes.
During this emergency, she noted that the Venezuelan health system attended to almost 20,000 patients, while more than 25,000 Venezuelans had to be temporarily housed in comprehensive camps. “Today we are in another stage,” she affirmed.
“It is about rehabilitating families’ living conditions and rebuilding better, following the same direction that has guided our decisions since we assumed this crucial responsibility with the country on January 5,” she emphasized.
Deepening the reunion among Venezuelans
In her address, she stated that steps are being taken to deepen the reunion among Venezuelans. “We can think differently, we can defend different political positions, but we must be capable of working together when issues that affect us all are at stake,” she added.
Rodríguez highlighted that a first agreement was reached with a sector of the opposition, represented in the 2015 National Assembly, to work on concrete matters, “among them the recovery of resources and assets belonging to the country and the renewal of the Judicial Branch. As a result of the Democratic Coexistence and Peace Program, to date 1,046 Venezuelans have been released.”
She added that “12,000 people have received procedural benefits, and we will continue to advance responsibly.”
Police checkpoints to be eliminated
The acting president also announced that police checkpoints in cities will soon be eliminated. “In the coming days, we are going to eliminate police checkpoints in cities, and in their place, to guarantee comprehensive security, the patrolling mechanism will be reinforced,” she explained.
However, she did not specify whether the measure will extend to highway checkpoints, which many experts, travelers, and producers view as a persistent hurdle. These road checkpoints are widely criticized for infringing on freedom of movement, while their effectiveness in reducing crime remains heavily questioned.
She assured that they believe security must be guaranteed with “effective, professional, and respectful mechanisms” of people’s rights.
Improvement of services
In her message, Rodríguez informed that the government has a national plan to progressively improve electricity, water, and health services, as well as schools, housing, roads, among others.
“The earthquake aggravated and made more urgent a task we were already committed to … We have signed agreements that will allow the incorporation of new megawatts into the National Electric System, among them, the agreement with the Argentinian-American company Impsa,” she recalled.
She explained that they are executing a plan to significantly expand thermoelectric capacity, with the aim of “increasing the available capacity to meet the high demand generated” by the climate emergency and economic growth. The goal is for services to function better and be “increasingly reliable.”
Reestablishment of relations with several countries
Rodríguez referred to the reestablishment of diplomatic, economic, and consular relations with different countries. “We do this because Venezuela needs investment, technology, financing, markets, and operations. And our compatriots in the rest of the world, the Venezuelan diaspora, need a country that can support them and provide its services normally,” she clarified.
She said that Venezuela’s relationship with the world must be guided by a simple idea: the country’s interests and the well-being of the population.
Furthermore, she highlighted the cooperation maintained with the International Committee of the Red Cross to review the conditions of detention centers “and continue addressing what needs to be improved.”
She added that the aim is for the international community to know, firsthand, the improvements and advances desired for the country’s penitentiary system.
Barbados Prime Minister Arrives in Venezuela to Strengthen Bilateral Cooperation
She reiterated that Venezuela must be reborn from spirituality and encounter, building a country that is safer, more efficient, more productive, and with more opportunities for all.
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/JRE
