KOMPAS.com – In 1980, old age was something that seemed far away for Norma Mujica.
“At that time I was 27 years old. I was married and danced salsa with my husband in the disco. We really like Oscar de Leon and Celia Cruz,” she said reminiscing about her youth in the capital. Venezuela, Caracas.
“Sometimes we buy Chinese food in restaurants and on the weekends we go to the beach or go for a walk.”
Now at 67 years old, Norma’s days are very different.
As the Venezuelan currency (bolivar) continues to experience devaluation, his pension, which used to be equivalent to US $ 172 (Rp2.4 million) a month is now only worth US $ 1.30 (around Rp.18,500).
Her humble home, with its tin roof and peeling plaster, was set on a steep, hollow road.
Inside the house, worn curtains, Jesus posters, and dilapidated furniture adorn the room, but the floor of the house is in good shape.
Norma also has an old washing machine and gas stove.
Growing up with the sound of drums
Norma sits on a small plastic chair, wearing a shabby negligee, and fake Crocs with wool socks.
Since he was born, he has lived in the same poor district on the outskirts of Caracas, a hilly area on 23 de january.
“My father played a musical instrument timbales in an orchestra. Here at 23 de Enero there is always salsa and music merengue, “he told the BBC.
“I bought this little house with my husband and little by little we built it with sand and cement. When I was 40 years old, God heard my prayer and gave me my only son. It took me a long time to get pregnant.”
Eliécer, his son, “never wanted anything,” he said.
Rafael Alcalá, her husband, works as an IT systems assistant at a bank.
Norma is a civil servant in the social welfare section of the Ministry of Education. He has been working there since he was 19 years old.
“I do everything: I’m a secretary, an office assistant … shifts start at ten and finish at nine.”
Become ill
In 2000, Norma had a stroke at work. “My blood pressure jumped, I fell to the floor and was in bad shape,” he recalls.
At last he was able to talk and walk again with a cane. But he was never able to continue the work. He retired early, in September 2000 due to a disability.
At that time, Norma’s allowance was equivalent to US $ 172 (Rp. 2.4 million) per month, which enabled her to meet all her basic needs.
“I can afford to buy enough food, pay phone bills, buy medicine, and most importantly, my husband is working,” she said.
He benefited from changes introduced after constitutional reform in 1999 by former President Hugo Chavez.
The change mandates the government to pay a minimum wage and pensions that are sufficient to meet the basic needs of citizens.
When Norma’s husband died in 2015, that pension was the only thing she earned.
Sistem kolaps
In Venezuela, as in many other countries, the pension system is funded by employees whose salary is deducted a few percent to pay the salaries of retirees.
But many workers, especially highly qualified ones, have left the country.
Overall wages in the country are low and many people work in the informal sector, which means they do not contribute anything.
The pension burden of the 4.5 million Venezuelan people is largely borne by the state. But mathematically, that’s impossible.
Oil is the main source of national income: US $ 9 out of every US $ 10 that goes into the country’s economy. However, oil production has dropped sharply since 2017.
Apart from a poor government with few sources of income, Venezuela’s inflation is among the highest in the world, wreaking havoc on the value of the country’s national currency.
Over the past three years, the Central Bank has tightened the supply of US dollars, which many Venezuelans see as a safe haven for their money.
As a result, the US currency skyrocketed while the bolivar plummeted, along with a drop in the value of the pension money.
For most elderly people, their quality of life takes a nosedive, leaving them in a more vulnerable situation.
Living with limitations
Due to the decline in the value of the bolivar, Norma’s pension is only US $ 1.30 (Rp.18,500) per month.
He received another form of bonus given by the government in an effort to alleviate the impact of the economic downturn.
When all of her income was added up, she had about US $ 5 (Rp.70,000) a month, enough to buy a kilo of meat.
But Norma’s top priority was not meat, but the blood pressure-lowering pills she had to take every day.
The drugs are usually supplied by the state through Farmapatria, a network of pharmacies that supply basic medicines to the public.
But he doesn’t always get the pills on time, which is why he’s saving up.
“I saved a little of what they gave so I could buy medicine when I needed it. I can’t afford a whole box, but at least I can buy half a box, which contains 20 pills.”
Norma said doctors had told her she had to make sure her pressure was under control to minimize her stroke risk.
“I’m thankful I almost never don’t have pills. Sometimes my child makes a little sacrifice and buys me some medicine. When I don’t take the medicine, I can’t sleep because I’m afraid.”
To reach Farmapatria, Norma had to walk about 1.5 km to the nearest metro station. The steep slope down the hill is a perilous journey.
He walked with his cane on the uneven and potholed pavement, past street vendors and trash cans.
On the way home, he repeatedly stopped to rest.
On the way to the car, it passed three stops. The train is free for people of its age.
“I need to walk. If I stay at home, I’ll be sick and just lie in bed and I don’t want it. Sometimes my leg hurts because I recently fell and sprained my ankle. A little swelling, but I keep walking,” said Norma.
Very little food
The norm depends on the food distributed by the government to those on low incomes.
“The lunchbox comes every month and a half. The last one contains two kilos of rice, two packs of flour to make arepas [roti pokok Venezuela], two kilos of pasta, a few packs chickpeaand coffee. That time, they didn’t provide sugar, “said Norma.
There was not enough food and Norma said she often felt “dizzy.”
“Today I ate bread, coffee, and eggs that someone gave me for my breakfast. For lunch, I ate peas and rice, and more peas for dinner.”
“It’s been a long time since I didn’t eat meat, chicken, milk; I never thought I would starve in old age. It’s not just me who has this, many people in this neighborhood are in the same situation,” he added.
Norma says her son can’t help her now.
“He is 25 years old, is married and has two children. He gets the minimum wage at a restaurant, but the job ended due to the pandemic. Now, he makes cakes with his wife to make ends meet.”
Inadequate electricity and yellow water
Norma is grateful that the old washing machine she has had for years is still working.
Likewise with the refrigerator and TV as a source of entertainment. However, he was worried that the sudden drop in voltage and repeated blackouts would damage his equipment.
“That’s why microwave I’m broken. It’s not working anymore and I can’t possibly buy a new one, “he said anxiously.
It’s not just the electricity supply that’s a problem.
“Almost every week, I had water shortages for two days. Fortunately, when my husband was alive, he bought a plastic tank that was installed in the bathroom. But the water that came out was yellow and very dirty, so I had to boil it.”
Norma avoids talking about political matters.
He is reluctant to say whether he supports former President Chavez, and whether he will vote in December’s parliamentary elections.
He just resigned: “I no longer expect anything good; things are always worse.”
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