Corruption: Venezuela & Mexico

Sofia Grimaldi

MEXICO CITY—Mexico and Venezuela. Different in culture yet so similar in politics. Up until 2018, I lived in Venezuela my whole life. My family decided to move to Mexico City from Caracas due to Nicolas Maduro’s dictatorial rule. That same year, Lopez Obrador was elected to be Mexico’s president. Mexico’s Obrador is now following the steps of Venezuela Maduro’s. The former is slowly letting Mexico fall into a similar crisis as the latter. 

Corruption is one of the main issues in both of these countries, affecting and impacting both societies. It impacts the economic growth and magnifies the poverty and inequality of a country. A somewhat nonexistent justice system in Venezuela, as an example, clearly illustrates Maduro’s abuse of power. He is incarcerating any politician who poses a threat to his regime.

In the Venezuelan Constitution, it is established that all citizens have the right to an identity. This right is granted in order to obtain a passport. Apart from the requirements established by law, one must now bribe a public official in order to ‘have an identity.’ In Mexico, one may bribe local public officials to get a license without passing any driver’s test. Moreover, if you disobey a traffic law, such as running a red light, and a police officer is planning on fining you, simply giving 50 Pesos (~2.62USD) to the officer is enough for the officer to forget anything happened.

Mexicans often complain about the high levels of corruption without altering their corruption-feeding actions such as bribing the police officer to get out of the inconvenience of paying a ticket, passing a driver’s test or even waiting too long to get a renewed passport. Actions must be taken into our own hands before it is too late; the current generation isn’t thinking how this mayor problem might affect and impact the future generations and the country’s economy.

I grew up in Venezuela but I left. My family and I traveled to Mexico for a better life away from corruption in Venezuela. Yet this corruption is following us to Mexico. I wish Venezuela realized what was happening before it was too late. But I still have hope for Mexico.