Rafael Ramírez: Voted SOE-head least likely to get in trouble with his minister.
After recounting the whole sordid series of fuck-ups that have plagued PDVSA over the last nine years, from Maletingate and PudreVAL to Illaramendi and the Guarapiche Spill, The Economist quips,
In theory, such a string of mishaps should have put Mr Ramírez in trouble with his supervisor, the petroleum and mining minister.
Caracas Chronicles 
They forgot to mention petty issue of the Aban Pearl.
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erm, no they didn’t – read it again!
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Truth be told, Tony Hayward did not get the boot inmediately after the Deepwater Horizon f*ck up. Even with his poor reactions to the whole mess, they waited 5 months before replacing him.
Back to our case, some people might say that we are just asking for a scapegoat to appease the angry mob, and that the obvious candidate is none other than Ramirez, and they’d be probably right. On the other hand, when things are not going well (the missing $500m pension fund, a debt that has risen insanely, the Aban Pearl f*ck up, etc), you just need to make a change.
Probably Chavez will not do it, but luckily the voters will be able to take the business in our own hands in election day…
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FT both your links take to the same The Economist piece… Is that intended so?
…Its a Funny thing, that… RR’s boss is himself.
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Yes, disaters do happen elsewhere such as the Deepwater Horizon and this Chevron refinery explosion on August 6th in San Francisco. http://www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/chevron_refinery_explosion_clouds_sf_bay_area/
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Exactly, accidents and disasters happen elsewhere, but in other places people in power have enough sense to not immediately declare that the disaster was a freak accident and not possibly anyone’s fault. The article you link to is a great example of that, furthermore, far fewer people died and the blaze was brought under control more quickly due to proper preparation. As you rightly point out, comparing these disasters is a damning indictment of Hugo Chavez.
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Hmm…..there is no indictment of Hugo Chavez as far as I am concerned. Until the
investigation is complete and the cause of the explosion established, for me and many others this was sabotage (same assumption as saying it was an “accident” – igual no es trampa) orchestrated by the Venezuelan opposition and their CIA or paramilitary buddies.
The opposition had no qualms about sabotaging PDVSA in 2002 – 2003 and there is no reason to believe that that attitude has changed ten years later – not even one iota when you read the media reports in the private outlets and the declarations of top opposition figures.
Just as the 19 pepole were shot dead and over 100 injured on April 11 2002 by snipers and Metropolitan police employed by the opposition to carry out the coup, the 48 dead so far at Amuay mean nothing to the opposition AND THEIR SUPPORTERS (this includes the opposition bloggers on this site) as long as Chavez is ousted. And you all know this is the truth!
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41 dead+, because no alarm was sounded. Hell yeah, they happen everywhere… Hell yeah!
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Arturo, am I understanding you correctly, that you are supporting an Venezuelan bar to be set at 40+ dead for not having gas detectors sound off when there’s a gas leak just because it would be in line with the international bar?
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Torres – I refuse to answer stupid question posted by idiots like you!
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It was rhetorical, Arturo. By the way, you did reply…
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nonsenses..he is his own boss, and nevertheless the godmother’s boyfriend..
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Just looking at the basic facts it is so clear how responsible Ramirez is. The guy is in charge of one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. As the Economist says he also is in charge of regulating, fiscalization and setting policy for the entire hydrocarbons sector in the oil-rich country. He damn well is responsible for what looks like gross negligence in the largest refinery in the country.
Es uno de los responsables mayores de la incompetencia y el saqueo a PDVSA junto a su jefe.
–Well at least he can have his crooked nephew – he of the Miss Universe assistants- make some money out of the insurance payouts
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Quico! Hilarity results when the Economist, or you try to use modern patterns of thinking to try and describe this situation. Accountability does not exist in the vocabulary of someone, who, like Rafael Ramirez, has been busy building a kingdom out of PDVSA, and the Ministerio de Energia y Petroleo. Empire building and accountability are mutually exclusive concepts, I think.
What should the caption or bubbles be for THAT photo on The Economist article?
Suggestions:
– Ramirez: I, accidentally, Amuay :(
– Hugo: How much d’ya think that gonna cost us?
– Ramirez: All in a day’s work.
-Hugo: No te preocupes Rafael, tu estas blindado conmigo, que es una explosion catastrofica con decenas de muertos entre panas?
-Ramirez: Look dad, it’s blowing up!
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Ramirez: ‘… and you see over there? just to the left of those big, white, round things? that’s where we’re putting the Gran Mision Vivienda apartment blocks. What was that? Smoke, you say…?
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