Venezuelans in Curaçao have been with the consulate closed for almost two months for a move that has never been completed.
About a month ago, in a program of the local television station TV Direct, Marisol Gutiérrez who, until there is a new appointment, holds the position of consul of Venezuela before the government of Curaçao, said that the moving process was in the "last phase".
What did the consul mean by "last phase"?
We are not talking about moving a multi-story building that deserves the effort of large teams of people for a long time. Nor do we speak of the transfer of a complex laboratory that requires strict schedules or specialized personnel. We refer to the moving of a number that goes between ten and fifteen desks with their respective computers. We talk about reconnecting two, or maybe three systems. To accommodate some shelves.
How long can all this take?
There is a previous experience that was the move of the same consulate from the offices of Banco Industrial in Punda, to the previous headquarters in Scharlooweg. This work was carried out in the first days of January of the year 2009 and was done entirely during a weekend. Not for a single day was the service neglected, which, by law, they are obliged to provide.
When the Venezuelan consul in Curaçao Marisol Gutiérrez says "last phase", maybe we should understand "last priority". Well, there is no evidence that attention to the problems of Venezuelans in Curaçao is important for her or her team.
Meanwhile, dozens of Venezuelans cannot renew their passports and run the risk of losing their legal status on the island. More than thirty Venezuelans held in the so-called "barak di ilegal" were forced to organize a hunger strike to draw the attention of local authorities to their health situation and their right to asylum. At least eight Venezuelans, undocumented, are in the women's prison of Curaçao without having committed any crime, because there is no place for them in other detention spaces. Thousands of Venezuelans try to make money to help their families in Venezuela while escaping from the local police when they should be protected because of their refugee status.
But to the Venezuelan consul, nothing of this takes away her sleep. Her position helps her to live peacefully at Casa Bolívar. Far from the trauma that her compatriots live in the streets of Curaçao, but even further from the disaster that her government has generated in our country.
If we are not going to have consular attention, you should not have the privilege of enjoying, nor of the comfort, nor of security that is associated with a work that is not being performed.
Mrs. Consul Marisol Gutiérrez, Venezuelans who live in Curaçao, in our capacity as employers of your position, we ask you to: Open the Venezuelan consulate on the island or return to live in Venezuela under the conditions of misery that your government has created.
