Ostrich

Ostrich

22 August 2026

Our biggest problem at the moment may well be the complacency of the government, the ministers, the governing party, and the Members of Parliament. In their perception, things are going exceptionally well, thanks to their exceptionally good governance. Around them, an applause machine constantly reinforces that image.

But the opposition, the media, the trade unions, the organized business community, social media, and protests also seem unable to break through that wall. Even signals from state institutions and rulings by the judiciary fail to penetrate sufficiently or have insufficient effect. To some extent, this situation could have been foreseen after an election result that gave one party a dominant position.

The real problem is that signals no longer get through the firewall of denial. After all, those who are convinced that everything is going extremely well feel no need for change, adjustment, or self-reflection.

Meanwhile, tourism has exceeded the island’s carrying capacity. I now also understand why the government was in no hurry to make public the report on this issue, which had already been completed at the end of last year. But in fact, we do not even need that report to see the warning signs. They are everywhere.

Traffic congestion is getting worse. Power outages continue. Food and housing are becoming increasingly expensive. The hospitals, CMC, and the Capriles Clinic are under severe pressure. The landfill can absorb only another 11 percent of waste before reaching full capacity. Education is struggling as well. Many children require special education, while dozens of schools face closure because the number of students continues to decline.

These are not isolated incidents. Together, they tell the story of an island under increasing pressure.

Yet every signal of an island in distress is perceived as a deliberate attack on the government. Criticism is not regarded as information that could help adjust the course, but as something that must be defended against.

And that is precisely where the danger lies. As long as every warning sign is denied, downplayed, or dismissed as a political attack, there will be no change of course.

The ostrich buries its head in the sand. Not because the danger does not exist, but because it does not want to see it.

That does not make the danger disappear.

Miguel Goede