In times of crisis, (in)competence becomes evident | En momentos de crisis se hace evidente la (in)capacidad

By Cecilia Vargas Vásquez, Brujula Digital:

The house of cards is collapsing, not due to external factors, but due to clear inefficiency and even negligence in governmental administration.

The “fortress” built since 2006, or perhaps earlier, considering all the tantrums and speeches before Morales came to power, lacks solid foundations, proper materials, and both its structural and finishing works are deficient. It was all part of a plan of lavish propaganda, filled with speeches about “revolution,” “indigenous people,” and “the people,” but devoid of substance because we are all the people: entrepreneurs, union members, teachers, doctors, freelancers, and many others. We are fed up: there are no dollars, we can’t move our money freely, and when we travel, we can’t access the money we’ve earned through our work because the country is bankrupt. During times of prosperity, they squandered resources, and it’s clear that there was never an intention to work for everyone. The so-called process of change was only for a few, to secure social and economic positions.

Today’s crisis, or rather today’s multi-crisis, is a reflection of what was not done, what was not planned, what was not foreseen, and the analogy was made this time with a sick person, the real one, the one who does not obey the recommendations, who eats everything despite warnings about too much salt for their hypertension, who celebrates with a creamy cake despite poorly controlled diabetes, and who now requires intensive care because all their organs are failing.

When studying medicine, one learns about diseases separately, by modules or rotations, often with textbook cases showing classic signs within the expected epidemiological characteristics described in protocols, consensus statements, and textbooks. The real art lies in integrating all this knowledge to manage the real patient: the obese, hypertensive, smoker who doesn’t take preventive measures and suddenly suffers a heart attack. That’s when true competence is revealed, the ability to give precise instructions to save a life, because anyone can handle a textbook case; the complicated patient is the real challenge.

Evo Morales boasted multiple times, and Luis Arce still boasts, about having the best economic model. The president contradicts his own discourse, not only blaming Evo Morales’ government—where he was the Minister of Economy—but also proposing a referendum with tricky questions that serve as a smokescreen and buy time. They seem to believe that this, along with meetings with various sectors and relentless industrialization propaganda funded by a bankrupt state, will create a large enough smokescreen or bring about a miracle to save the situation. In summary, there’s no evidence of concrete solutions to the current crisis, because the best person wasn’t the one managing the economy; nearly 20 years of government weren’t enough to prevent these kinds of problems: falling reserves, fuel shortages, and other dilemmas. No, they sought power not to work for the country, but to seek power for power’s sake.

Cecilia Vargas is a doctor and university professor.

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