September1^st., 2008

Chavez In Campaign

I feel like requesting another Enabling Law, so that the Opposition not be ridiculous; this was Chávez´ comment in his Aló Presidente upon referring to the fact that a group of people, comprised by social sectors, is currently obtaining One Million signatures in order to call to the attention of the OAS regarding the decrees that he dictated within the exercise of the legislative function that was delegated on him by the National Assembly (NA).  This group alleges that the decrees violate fundamental principles the Inter-American Democratic Charter, such as the rule of law, the separation of powers, the transparency and probity in the exercise of the public performance, the principle by which the Military must be subjected to the civilian power, and not vice versa, the respect for freedom of expression and the binding character of democracy and human rights.    In the document, addressed to José Miguel Insulza, they claim that One Million signatures should be significant enough so that the OAS turns it head towards Venezuela and verifies the compliance of such Charter.  Chávez affirmed that this initiative, one of “traitor and pitiyanqui” minds, could prosper in the times when the OAS was a Ministry of the US colonies, but today it is an organism with most of its countries identified with the Bolivarian ideals, such as Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, the Caribbean and Central America.

The promoters of the Letter to Insulza have already obtained 500,000 signatures, although they admit that this may have a symbolic character, since Chávez, before the international entities, is shielded with the sovereignty allegation.  The most recent case is a Sentence from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that orders the Supreme Court of Justice to reinstate Magistrates of an Administrative Contentious Court that were fired in October of 2003 upon an unsatisfactory ruling for the regime.  The Magistrates had been appointed to the positions upon winning by their credentials.  The government spokespeople declared that the ruling was a violation of the sovereignty.  The Supreme Court acknowledged receipt of the Sentence by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and put away the file.

The Aló Presidente took place in Barinas, Chávez´ State of birth, in order to give support to his brother Adán, as the candidate to succeed his father in the Governor’s  Office of the State and to other family members who are candidates for Mayor’s  Offices.  In this State, as in other many more, “pro Chávez” candidates have risen, who are not in agreement with Chávez “finger pointing” proposals and with the evidences that the Chávez family make a scandalous ostentation of richness. One of the dissidents has presented documents wherein brothers and nephews of the President have seven major agriculture and cattle ranches.  Chávez said to the ones that do not support his candidates that they were traitors to the country and “pitiyanquis”, sold to the oligarchy.  He makes a similar activity on a daily basis, visiting one State sometimes several times a day to identify his candidate and to offer projects which are “being studied”.  An analyst from the opposition has elaborated an estimate of the future costs from the Presidential offers:  more than One Hundred Thousand Million Dollars at the current prices.  Today´ s  papers highlight his manifestations regarding international politics, specially, the reiteration of his alliance with Russia.  “If any Russian strategic bomber needs to make a technical stop in Venezuela, they will be able to do so”. 

FRIENDSHIP REASONS AND STRATEGIC ALLIANCES

The war between Communists and Right Wings is over, the hegemonic relations with the US have not benefited the people from Honduras. If we have to turn to alternatives that benefit us, then we must do so.  This was the justification that President Zelaya gave in order to sign with Chavez the incorporation of Honduras to Alba.  He added that Chavez help will be in the order of US $ 400 Million, double of what the country receives from the World Bank and from the North American cooperation programs.  In Santo Domingo he met with the Work Group from Petrocaribe and Pdvsa and offered $326 Million to finance a gas duct between the Dominican Republic and Haiti.  The Simon Bolivar satellite, built by China, at a cost of US$ 400 Million, will provide rural telephone services to the Alba countries.  China and Venezuela have a monetary fund of $6,000 Million for energetic development and agriculture and cattle projects in the sub continent.  The fund with Iran, of $2,000 Million, has more than one year in its execution.  The President of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo, started his first journey in government, signing cooperation agreements with Chavez, who offered “all the oil that Paraguay should need”.  The Venezuelan ambassador at Montevideo announced that Chavez will soon visit Uruguay to sign new energy cooperation agreements and to preside the re inauguration of hospital centers provided with Venezuelan supplies.  President Correa visited Chavez to sign energy agreements “that impulse the revolutionary integration”.  The participation of Petroecuador in the Orinoco Strip is a fact, expressed Correa upon signing the agreement regarding joint exploitation of a block in the Strip.  As per newspapers in Quito, the assigned block has an estimate of 20 Thousand Million barrels of heavy oil, that may be exploited by a consortium of companies from Ecuador, Chile and Venezuela.  In the event of the signature Chavez said:  “ If the revolution is moving on, let us not be stopped by those who request calm”.  In Sao Paulo, PDVSA negotiates with the Brazilian Association of the Industry of Machinery the supply of equipment that opens to Brazil a market of $10,000 Million.  In Miraflores, Chavez signed with Argentinean entrepreneurs numerous contracts for the “installation of 209 Socialist Industrial plants”, with an initial fund of One Thousand Million Dollars.  “Venezuela offers herself -  said Chavez -  as a platform for the advance of the Argentinean industry towards the Caribbean and Central America”.

In Aló Presidente he informed that this Sunday he will travel to South Africa to prepare the Africa South America Summit that will meet in Caracas at the end of the year.  In Pretoria, as per government sources, the dialogue with the government includes the arms industry.  With respect to the next trip to China, he pointed out that one of the objectives will be to buy combat airplanes.  Chavez also announced that the acquisition of arms will be the theme of his next trip to Russia, “our strategic ally”.  Chavez was the first western ruler to pronounce itself regarding the Russia-Georgia conflict:  “We support the dignified position of Russia, who defends its interests, we would do the same.  Today’s  Russia is not that of Boris Yeltsin or of the Perestroika… Who cares for NATO?  Russia is right”.  As per AP, the Israeli intelligence services are convinced that the strategic alliance between Venezuela and Iran, has given place to a growing number of operational cells from Hezbolla in Venezuelan territory.  Arthur Herman writes in The Wall Street Journal:  “The term “axis” has been used too many times in the last years and in deceitful contexts.  But Russia, Iran and Venezuela are acting as Japan, Italy and Germany did in the 1930’s, when each one took advantage of the expansionist movements of each other to ample their own power at the expense of liberal democracy, taking the world to the brink of war”. 

THE NOVEMBER ELECTIONS

Chávez affirms that on November 23, his candidates will win all the Governor’s  Offices and also the Mayor’s  Offices.  He is monotonous in his speech with the threat that he will “pulverize” the opposition. He says this in his radio and television chains.  Upon the claim that he violates laws, wherein public officers may not engage in electoral propaganda, he responded that he has a project in mind that consists of a 24 hour TV chain, non stop, and that he will continue to have them because this is about a media battle against the so called “independent media”, controlled by the “pitiyanquis”.  He is repetitive while announcing a war if the opposition triumphs in the “strategic” regions.  He senses the serious fractures in his movement and he tries to compact them.  He says:  “A defensive war of the 26 laws is imposed because the revolution is threatened”.  According to the analyst Roberto Briceño, in Chávez´ military mind, the laws are a part of the psychological war that he proposes to create as discouragement in the opposition and he tries to nationalize the debate in order for the voting to become a plebiscite.  His strategic objective is to maintain himself indefinitely in power and the tactic aspects are the November elections.  He announced a new Mission:  April 13.  He commemorates the day of his return to the Presidency after the April 11, 2002 events.  For the analyst Ramón Aveledo, it is an initiative of “military conception and Saudi execution” that tries to rescue the votes lost on December 2, whose magnitude and geographic location is only known by the Government, since the National Electoral Council barely gave an information bulletin stating that the NO option had won.  Relying on Chávez´ declarations and the ones from his Ministers, Aveledo affirms that he takes care of two scenarios:  Inspection of the slums, to detect, house by house, the problems that cause unhappiness in the people, and Social Battle, to reduce the Missions and the use of the public resources towards the electoral objective, in each sector that has demonstrated inconformity with the government’s  performance. They want the Revolution to be identified with a hands full money distribution and with the promises-threats of the Aló Presidente:  “If we loose the elections the Revolution is over and there will be no resources for the poor”. 

The answer from the opposition is obvious.  On November 23 the Presidential position is not at stake.  The problem is that the public expense exceeds the income, notwithstanding the high oil prices.  All the polls show that the main anguish of the Venezuelans is related with the insecurity and the economic situation.  The Minister of Finances declared that this year inflation will be of 27%.  In the last twelve months, food, which is 80% imports, have increased 50%.  The stands in the popular markets, where the food is sold at subsidized prices, are ever more lacking in their supply.  Upon the insecurity, the regime´s  solution is not to provide any number figues regarding crime.  The most affected zones are the slums wherein the poor people live, where the police dares not to confront the bands of “thieves” that are in control.  Upon three months of the electoral event, the pro Chávez ones are betting on the airplane carrier and Chávez´  check book.  The dissidence appears with great strength in the north-shore axis spaces wherein the majority of the population live and in the Andean region.  They denounce the “Package of Laws” as the final step in the implantation of totalitarianism, making an echo of a growing feeling in the national community.  It challenges the power of the State, controlled by Chávez, and it tries to create a new obstacle to his obsession for a lifelong Presidency.