The Daily Journal.- Former political prisoner and former mayor of the Simón Rodríguez municipality in Anzoátegui state, Ernesto Paraqueima, proposed that royalties from oil production in Venezuela should remain in producing states and advocated for greater decentralization of resources as part of a proposal aimed at moving toward a federal model.
“Royalties from oil production should remain in our states, along with other national taxes and even the bank debit tax,” Paraqueima said during an interview with Wilmer Rosas on the program Las Espinas de Wilmer Rosas.
The former mayor argued that, in his view, the regions where companies extract oil do not receive a sufficient share of the benefits generated by that activity.
“While we are struggling in the regions where the oil is found and extracted, we are getting screwed, without electricity or water, with terrible public services and unbearable living conditions,” he said.
Paraqueima said such a change would require modifying the current distribution system and proposed moving toward a model inspired by Brazilian federalism.
“We must move toward Brazilian-style federalism so that wealth can be distributed equitably,” he said.
The former mayor also criticized the way the Venezuelan state operates and blamed the political class for the deterioration of public services.
“The state is the politicians who decide everything,” he said.
When the interviewer suggested that political leaders would therefore bear responsibility for the deterioration he described, Paraqueima replied: “Without a doubt, and that is why we must commit to a resilience that can no longer be postponed.”
Support for dollarization
Paraqueima also expressed support for the eventual official dollarization of the Venezuelan economy.
“I completely agree. The monetary system that has served as our currency has left us in poverty, and that is nothing we can be proud of,” he said.
Regarding the oil agreement between the United States and Venezuela, he offered a positive assessment. He argued that the country needs mechanisms to take advantage of its energy resources.
“Excellent. Because you can see and feel the absurdity of deceiving ourselves. We are rich, yet we cannot extract it, much less sell it,” he said.
Asked whether his position suggested political alignment with the United States, Paraqueima replied that, in his view, Venezuelans should prioritize the country’s economic recovery.
“Conduct a poll, and you will see what people are saying. The country truly wants to be reborn, for the nation that possesses the largest energy reserves on the planet to receive the attention it deserves,” he said.
Recalling his imprisonment
During the interview, Paraqueima also discussed the three years he spent in prison and said authorities violated his rights during that period.
“I confess that I wanted to take my own life. They humiliated me, they mistreated me. There was no due process,” he said.
The former mayor linked his prosecution to a controversy involving graffiti and said he had the right to express his disagreement with the work.
“I had the right to disagree. But the sentence had already come down from Caracas,” he said.
When asked whether he believed his human rights had been violated, he replied: “Without a doubt.”
Paraqueima also faced questions about the situation of other political leaders and political prisoners, as well as the detention of Nicolás Maduro on January 3. Regarding Maduro’s case, he said he did not believe Maduro’s human rights had been violated, arguing that the episode took place, in his interpretation, “in a situation of war.”
The former mayor also said he preferred the United States as a partner in Venezuela’s economic recovery.
“That is why I prefer the United States, which has the means and knows how to chart the path toward prosperity,” he said.
Criticism of Delcy Rodríguez and Lula
On political issues, Paraqueima said he would not have attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York in place of interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
“I don’t need them, and they don’t need me. But that cannot become a source of blackmail. I have already won without their support. And I did a good job in my municipality without them,” he said when asked about his position toward the government and the opposition.
He also criticized Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva over his statements supporting free and fair elections in Venezuela. Paraqueima claimed that Lula still owes Venezuela over the Odebrecht case and argued that “nothing happened” during investigations involving the Brazilian company.
The remarks came during an interview in which Paraqueima discussed his proposals on decentralization, oil, the economy, relations with the United States and Venezuela’s political situation, while also recalling his time in prison and his experience as mayor of El Tigre.
