Agreed. Helping bolster your image in the eyes of others whilst failing to foresee the ever increasing strain on an already fragile economy is only going to be detrimental in the long run.
I can see what the country is trying to do here, but the last thing they need is more outgoings from taxation, which will lead to more people staying at home.
Those who stay at home are not paying taxes and therefore are not contributing back to a system that is putting more investment in them.
To support the people who are being paid to stay at home, those who work will be taxed even more.
Higher taxation will impact the lower paid workers most with many being unable to live adequately, forcing them too to stay at home. This puts more people on the tax bill.

Besides if a country is developing, shouldn't it be doing more to encourage more women INTO work. It seems a bit ass backwards to me.

Ah cumon now, I'd hardly call that racist!

Can someone please explain what could possibly be considered racist in it to me?

It's probably because you assumed that people would have standard Hispanic names in Venezuala. I didn't find it racist, though.

Yeah I can only assume it was the Juan and Carla statement. Pretty mild but people are people.

you generalised that 'Jaun' and 'Carla' (note use of stereotypical Hispanic names) were probably struggling to feed their families. And the analogy of the sandwich indicated they were poor.
In 2013, this is a bona fide example of racism.

Pretty much just proof that no matter what you say, someone will take offence to it. I wouldn't worry about it. I think you just made a fair point, and someone tried to back out of defending their point by branding you racist. Classic internet.

Huh, okay. I could see the racism angle if I'd done something Like call a Chinese man Wing-Ding Ching-Ping but to be best of my knowledge Juan and Carla are fairly common names in Gran Colombia.

Jaun is the 53rd most popular name for a male in Venezuela.
Carla didn't make the top 100 for female names.
Now had you called them Andreina and Jesus, then that would have been more accurate.

Venezuelan names - Top first names in Venezuela - Penpal statistics

You'll find that they do and are fairly standard across Latin America, there are a number of exceptions but I'd say there is less variety than in a English speaking country.

The vast majority of populations in these countries right upto the lower end of the middle classes, struggle with certain essentials. Also that penpal list of names, is only really targeted at the younger end of the population. t

Btw isn't the name meant to be Juan;) or is this some other name?

In any case, the obvious point already made is that it is a bit of a false economy. At least, for a start, some of that ginormous oil wealth better spent over a weekend than the importation of more arms than what was required for over a decade.