[News]The illegitimate Maduro regime tries to buy loyalty with negligible increases in military salaries

[WilkerCSBD]

Soldiers patrol in a military vehicle during the elections to elect members of the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela, on December 6, 2020. (Photo: Matias Delacroix / AP)

In mid-November, the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro increased the salary of the military to cushion the impact of hyperinflation, reported the news portals El Pitazo (Venezuela) and Infobae (Argentina).

According to the former commander of the Navy and external advisor to the Defense Commission of the National Assembly, Vice Admiral (r) Jesús Briceño García, a major general would earn USD 17 per month; while a sergeant major, with equal seniority, would earn a maximum of USD 14.

The new table establishes a basic salary of 2.7 million bolivars for a recently graduated lieutenant or ensign. That sum would be equivalent to about USD 5. The monthly income for these junior officers could rise to USD 7.5 if they earn the seniority and professionalization bonuses. In the case of lieutenant colonels or frigate captains, the maximum income to which they could aspire is equivalent to USD 13.8.

Compensation to the military remains negligible, in a country where the price of the basic food basket to feed a family of four is around USD 270 a month.

Luis Manuel Esculpi, former deputy of the National Assembly and analyst on military issues for the Venezuelan Open Space Foundation, which promotes the development of culture and political training, indicated that this increase did not meet the expectations of the military themselves, which is translated into an increase in termination requests and in some cases desertions.
 

He recalled that in previous years the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) had an appeal for people from the lower classes of society, since it allowed certain professionalization, and the uniformed servicemen enjoyed benefits such as good food, first quality hospital services, access to credit for the purchase of homes, vehicles and electrical appliances.

“Before the officers had facilities, such as dining rooms and garrison houses. Now, the food is very bad, when there is. This is affecting the tenure of the lieutenants and captains, and has diminished their strength, ”he said.

According to Esculpi, given the deficient salaries and the de facto elimination of the aforementioned benefits, the heads of units have had to be permissive in the face of certain behaviors that were prohibited in the barracks.

“You can see sergeants who are taxi drivers in their spare time. And something new is that the officers' wives are now going to sell cakes, hacks and hams, to round off their salaries. And they are giving them access to the barracks, "he said.

According to the Valmte. Briceño, this has been the fifth increase applied within the FANB in 2020.

The difference between the salaries of the military and the rest of the public employees is notorious. According to Douglas León Natera, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation, a medical professional with 20 years of experience would not charge more than USD 5 per month. And doctors and other hospital personnel have been the most exposed to becoming infected and dying during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Valmte. Briceño García warned that this is part of a "political strategy", the purpose of which is "to sow hatred from civil society towards everything military."

“This is a strategy of the regime to destroy the institution. But the reality is that the Armed Forces have as bad a time as any member of civil society can, ”he said.