April 16th., 2007

The Unknown Of April 11

Five years ago, means of communications of the planet took over what happened on April 11 and the days that followed.  They reported facts:  on April 11, a giant civic march moved towards the center of the city requesting Chávez resignation.  In the vicinity of Miraflores, the Presidential Palace, 19 people died and more than one hundred were injured by fire arm wounds.  On the dawn of April 12, in chained national TV, the Inspector General of the Armed Forces, Lucas Rincón, from Tiuna Fort, wherein Chávez was located, announced that he had been requested of his resignation and that the President had “ accepted it”.  On the afternoon of the same day, the entrepreneur, Pedro Carmona, from Miraflores, declared himself in the exercise of the Presidency.  On April 13, Chávez denied having signed such resignation, whilst his party men came out on the street to manifest support, a military commando rescued him from the naval base where he was detained and he reappeared in Miraflores, 50 hours after his exit from the Palace.  Notwithstanding, five years later, the polemic is maintained alive regarding the facts that occurred in April, even though the Supreme Court, in a sentence dated August 2002, decided that “there was no coup d ´etat”; that no rebellion took place, and that the denial on the part of the high military positions to undertake the Avila Plan, ordered by the President, “was on account of defending the human rights of the ones manifesting”, “to avoid a massacre”.  The polemic was nurtured by the official denial of creating a Truth Commission and for the designation of Lucas Rincón as Minister of Interior and later Ambassador, a position that he still holds today.  It is now, when the National Assembly has approved the creation of a Commission that studies the truth and identifies the ones responsible.

Chávez dedicated one week to commemorate what occurred.  Long speeches, in radio and television by way of chain, wherein he added novelties and made emphasis on the putting together of the sceneries that would display the worship that is expressed towards him by the masses of red shirts and uniformed military, specially cadets, in charge of initiating applauses and cheer on the slogans ordered by the Commandant.   “The dead of April 11 died for me, he affirmed, they are the martyrs that gave their lives so that I could live…the march wanted to reach Miraflores to assassinate me”…”April’s victory allowed us to enter a new period, trespass certain limits, those events acted as a shot that triggered us to deepen the revolution”, “in the military world, country, socialism or death is the new call…it is time for the Armed Forces to create an industrial army as part of the implementation of the social property”.  “It is false that the military man be non political.  The institutionalism was a way to assume a position contrary to the people’s  mandate.  “the officers are obliged to pick up the flag of socialism or death, without complexes, without ambiguities… if anybody feels uncomfortable he may proceed to prepare his dismissal, since he has no room in the Armed Forces”.  Chávez produced the first national consensus regarding the April events.   He demanded the Judges to fight impunity.  The Opposition was in agreement.  Its spokespeople declared:  “no one has been sentenced for the murders of April 11 and General Rincón never explained his affirmation regarding Chávez resignation”.

CHÁVEZ “NEW MAN”

According to Chávez, “the Revolution has entered a consolidation period, charged with dangers and threats”.  Regarding the issue of his assassination, as something being cooked up, according to him he has proof of this, he made such emphasis on the former, that he caught the attention of some analysts.  He affirmed that if he had been murdered on April 11, the people would have demolished the middle high class neighborhoods.  He mentioned some of this neighborhoods by name, in which “not even a stone on top of another stone should remain standing”  if such assassination were to occur today.  “Many cities and oil fields would be in flames”…”the people and the soldiers of the revolution know what to do, and from this tribune I ratify the instructions that have already been given”.  As in past occasions, the accused the CIA and the Colombian paramilitary, financed by the oligarchy.  “I take care of myself, I am confident in my bodyguards and in the security rings, but history is full of unpredictable events”.

“I bring to your attention new intents of destabilization”.  This was another common declaration.  They will not find the Chávez that kept holding on almost on the verge of the abysm, the answer now will be very impressive”.  According to the director of Ultimas Noticias, seen as the official spokesperson for Chávez, this is information received by the President’s Intelligence, which explains the reiteration of his allegations.  Chávez mentioned the RCTV case as a reference of a national and international maneuver and announced a response plan to the destabilization on May 29, “if we can not prevent or neutralize Washington’s  conjure with the opposing sectors”.

“The biggest danger does not come from Imperialism or external enemies, we have it within us”, he affirmed.  “Its corruption, the need of wealth that regrettably, our people are longing”.  He added that this was not a deformation of his regime, but inherited habits, and more than that, a culture with a social acceptance.  “To build the new man, directed by the most strict of morals, revolutionaries must give the example”.  He said he had knowledge of the acquisition of mansions, farms and luxurious cars by people that affirm to be with the revolution.  “They must donate their goods to the people, as Fidel did with the lands he inherited.  I have no inherited lands, nor blood commitments”.  The TV cameras, strangely, displayed the face of one of the President’s  brother.  “I hope that the real revolutionaries proceed to convert their farms into social property.  Morality and austerity are the motors of the revolution”. 

“The power that the people and the armed forces is delivering me, is not to be enjoyed, as was by many governors for two centuries.  It is to bring to life the dreams of Christ, of Bolívar, of Marx, of the Ché Guevara.  We need a new Venezuelan, a new society, to build the XXI Century Socialism”:  In various opportunities he offered figures to sustain the affirmation that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, and the potential to convert in one of the first gas producers.  “With our energy reserves I propose to transform Venezuela in a great potency, of which, you, the people, and soldiers, feel proud”.  He said to be elaborating a proposal for the South American Summit, meeting at Margarita Island, offering to cover the energy needs of the sub continent for one hundred years.  “There will be supply for the country friends, but not one drop for the North American Imperialism”.

 CHAVEZ´ FEARS

Consolidation period, charged with dangers and threats.  This is Chávez diagnosis.  Communication experts and psychoanalysts examine just up to where rhetoric meets the facts.  The most shocking one was the presence of the uniformed military in the media fanatic and delirious shows in front of the leader, and the rejection to the institutionalism of the Armed Forces.  This time he did not exhibit a sample of the Constitution, as usual.  In the text of such Constitution, it is expressed. “ The Armed Forces constitutes an institution, essentially professional, without a political militancy…to the service of the nation and in no way to the service of one person or political partiality… the members of the Armed Forces are now allowed to participate in any acts of propaganda, militancy or political proselytism”.  Flagrant violation of the Constitution?  Who will declare the former?  The Commandant denies the validity of judicial decisions that are counterrevolutionary. 

Dangers and threats?  “Corruption is the most powerful institution of the country”, affirmed José Vicente Rangel, very close to Chávez during his mandate.  Corruption is also, according to the Opposition, “the instrument that guarantees loyalties, specially between the military and bureaucracy… in order to combat it, the institutions must work:  Comptrollers Office, District Attorneys Office, Courts, Parliament, but such entities are subordinate to the President, and they only act upon his orders”.  In eight years, no high ranking officer, civil or military, has been sentenced for corruption.  Transparencia Internacional places the country as one of the most corrupt in the planet.  According to Chávez, the new man will have as a main rector, morality, and it will be the people’s  social control, in the community councils, the wall against corruption.

“The biggest danger is within us”, warns Chávez.  He adds officers incompetence to the corruption.  He probably does this to transfer to them responsibility for the results of public administration, object of his permanent critic.  Also, other dangers that threaten Chávez are the internal conflicts of the regime, the accusations between his party men, the resistance from his leaders to the Sole and unique party, the critical opinions from intellectuals, scientists, artists, the dangerous deterioration of PDVSA, daily demonstrations against insecurity, lack of housing, hospital problems, the grave deterioration of the infrastructure, the cost of food, better salaries, and in general, for the non compliance of the President’s  offers.  Maybe the real reason of the measures against RCTV is that such TV channel, with the most audience, has constituted the voice and image of the ones that protest and claim, almost always dressed with red shirts.

The commemorative program of April 11 was commenced with Chávez at the Women’s  Neo Communist World Congress, which applauded him as the post capitalist paradigm governor they aspire.  Simultaneously, the international community reaction starts.  For the first time, in many years, a Socialist governor, Chile´s  President, admonishes Chávez for his disrespectful language towards her country´s  Congress.  The Margarita Summit will bring surprises.