“It’s not about the oil”: Venezuelan woman says it’s time for most Venezuelans to retrieve basic human rights

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)-- When news broke of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture, Veronica Lam said her first reaction was disbelief.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “It didn’t seem real.”

Once the initial shock wore off, Lam said the news brought relief.

“It was a relief to see someone that has caused our country so much pain finally receiving the justice they deserved,” she said.

Lam left Venezuela when she was one year old and now lives in New York. She said her family would have remained in the country if circumstances had allowed.

“My whole family would have stayed there if we could have,” she said. “But Maduro’s regime was — and still is very oppressive to the people of Venezuela.”

She said part of that oppression stemmed from government control of the country’s oil industry, arguing that ordinary Venezuelans have not benefited from oil production in decades.

“People need to understand that the oil hasn’t been ours,” Lam said. “It hasn’t belonged to Venezuela for the last 30 years.”

That view is echoed by UTEP economics professor Tom Fullerton, who said Venezuela’s oil wealth has long been undermined by corruption and inefficiency.

“A lot of the oil wealth was mismanaged,” Fullerton said. “There were problems with corruption, and there were problems with inefficiency.”

Former President Donald Trump has said Venezuela would hand over up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States. But Fullerton said Venezuela currently produces less than 1 million barrels per day, but ramping up production would require a lot of investment.

Fullerton said, “We may end up spending a lot more money in Venezuela than we actually extract from siphoning off the petroleum.”

For Lam, however, oil is beside the point. She said the moment represents something far more personal.

For the first time, she said, she feels hopeful about Venezuela’s future.

"I think, anyone can relate to loving the place where they come from, loving their heritage, loving the place that made their family with their families like that. Loving the place that showed you what you love to eat growing up that taught you the traditions that you share as a family. The place that gives you, you know, a part of your identity and a place that you know. People often take this for granted. They expect to be able to live in their country forever," said Lam.