Venezuela: Netizens Comment on Possible Gasoline Use Restrictions · Global Voices
Marianne Díaz Hernández

On February 15, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez announced possible measures to start rationing gasoline [es]. This matter constitutes a very sensitive issue for Venezuelans, since Venezuela is a country with one of the world's lowest gasoline prices, where according to the government, about 90% of its total cost is subsidized. After the announcement, bloggers and Twitter users reacted in different ways.
Gas station in Caracas, Venezuela. Image by flickr user Eunheui, under a CC BY-NC 2.0 license
Daniel, a Venezuelan blogger, writes an open letter to Rafael Ramirez – president of state-owned oil company PDVSA – in his blog, Venezuela News and Views [es]. He says that the government's previous measures led to an energy crisis and insufficient production of gasoline, and asks:
¿Y ahora quieren imponernos a nosotros racionamiento sin ni siquiera  disculparse? ¿O será que ustedes tampoco son culpables del racionamiento  en el Táchira donde sus militares corruptos hacen todo el contrabando  de gasolina posible con el vecino país?  ¿Eso es lo que quieren, que la  Guardia Nacional se agarre ese negocio y nos revenda a cualquier precio  la gasolina que ellos obviamente serán los que controlarán?
Blogger moctavio, at The Devil's Excrement, said:
rather than eliminate these subsidies and/or increase the price of gasoline, Chavez solution is very simple:
Gasoline rationing. The Government will force us to consume in 2011 100,000 barrels less a day than in 2010.
What’s next? Rationing sand? Because after all, we have had water and electricity rationing, food shortages and now gasoline rationing, all once abundant in Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Twitter users expressed all kinds of thoughts on the subject. @Tupacamaru19 tweeted:
El subsidio astronómico q recibe la gasolina está  causando serias distorsiones y más problemas al País y desventajas para  las mayorías..
Tomas Sancio (@Tsancio_vzla) asked:
¿Que preferimos los Venezolanos, que escasee la gasolina o que se nos cobre más por ella? http://bit.ly/erlFtm
Heryck Rangel (@Heryckrangel) said:
La gasolina debería tener un precio más justo y acorde con la realidad. Q sea 20 veces más barata que el agua, debe llamarnos a la reflexión
"A full tank of gas for $3." Photo taken in March 2009 by flickr user Rob Sinclair, Gribiche, under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
Arturo Claro (DJUnplugged) stated:
Un país que funciona y se mueve a punta de gasolina y no tiene conciencia del racionamiento, quiero verlo con estas ideas locas del gob