September 29th., 2008

Concerns Regarding November 23

The voyage through Beijing, Moscow, Paris, Lisbon ended up as usual, in Havana.  According to Cubadebate, the meeting with Fidel and Raúl Castro was prolonged for two and a half hours. Fidel ratified his “Reflexiones” (thoughts) of the previous Friday, wherein he alleges that Chávez´ Socialism is the exact answer to Capitalism.  “Chávez makes correct and efficient use of the real power that means to own the major oil reserves in the world…Imperialism tries to eliminate him at any price, without considering that his death would constitute a catastrophe for Venezuela and for the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean”.  He requested him to concentrate the resources to the max “in the internal battle he is fighting against the media offensive and the conditioned reflexes planted by Imperialism”.  This battle, from now until November 23, is of great transcendence and we must triumph, as emphasized by Castro.  In the event of the initiation of the PSUV campaign Chávez made reference to his meeting with Castro.  He presented his candidates for Governors and Mayors, whom he requested to impose themselves in a way overwhelming.  “It is fundamental that the opposition not occupy one single position.  We must achieve a resounding, splendorous triumph so that I, a humble soldier, may accelerate the revolution.  The total victory on November 23 will allow Socialism to be implanted”.  Fidel would have explained to him the battle against the “conditioned reflexes”.  It is the battle to impose the ideology, the revolutionary conscience, to profoundly know the theory that orients action, and for such purpose you must study Marx and Engels, Lenin and Mao, and the authors that hold the ideology to the objective current conditions, to the XXI Century Socialism.

The ones who comment on the speech are wondering how may Chávez´ candidates win, when the surveys, including the government ones, coincide in that the majority thinks that the Socialist economy does not work, that its policies are not efficient upon inflation and unemployment, that it is contrary to the national interest to give away thousands of millions to friend countries, that those resources should be invested in Venezuela, that not enough has been made to alleviate general poverty, that the government’s  handling of crime is terrible, that they are not in agreement with the arms race, nor with the Russian bases, or with the systematic preaching of hate and confrontation…They observe that the strategy of turning the elections into a plebiscite plays against Chávez since the majority makes him responsible of the unsatisfied needs.  They add that the pro Chávez party is very fractured, as acknowledged by Chávez in his speech, and the opposition presents unitary candidates in almost the totality of the districts.  A commentator pointed out that the US considers that they can face the financial crisis with US$ 700,000 Million and Chávez, in 9 years, has administered US$ 812,000 Million.  As per the criteria of our analysts, sooner or later, the 27 Million Venezuelans will reach the conviction that given such substantial resources, administered with good sense, should have placed the country at the head of Latin America, towards development with equity, conditions and quality of life.

NO RUMBA OR CHA CHA CHA, REVOLUTION

Chávez is folkloric, very Caribbean, “he brings to our imagination a Rumba o a cha, cha, cha”, stated Antoine Blanca, upon being consulted of the new visit from Chávez to Paris to sign strategic agreements with “his good friend”, Sarkozy and to give guarantees of the oil activities of Total in Venezuela. Blanca used to be a traveling Ambassador for Latin America.  Given his condition as an expert in Latin American issues, the French diplomat probably included within his judgment, Chávez’ scatological order wherein the US Ambassador had 72 hours to leave the country, the violent expulsion of José Manuel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), the threat to declare the Papal Nuncio as persona non grata (an unwelcome person) for having granted asylum to Nixon Moreno, an emblematic student leader, an opposer to the regime, and as of elemental logic, he would have read front news of the Paris press that informed of the previous itinerary:  Havana:  to attest once more the absolute identification with Fidel; Beijing:  to negotiate the acquisition of arms on credit guaranteed by oil, and Moscow, in similar negotiations, without loosing the opportunity to ratify unconditional support to Russia in the conflict with Georgia.  Possibly, Ambassador Blanca is kept up to date regarding Venezuela reading Le Monde Diplomatique, the newspaper by Ignacio Ramonet, who alleges that Chávez, by way of 27 Law-Decrees, was able to transform the country in a “model of what the XXI Century Socialism should be”.  The doubt from Monsier Blanca is regarding the musical sounds that allow him to characterize Chávez:  rumba or cha cha cha.  Hours after Blanca´s  declarations,  the President, from Lisbon, gave him a contribution to his job as an analyst.  “The majority of the European leaders have no exact idea of what is going on in Venezuela.  In Europe they don’t understand the Revolution”.  (Efe)

Jorge Castañeda, ex Mexican Chancellor and professor in Latin American studies of the New York University, assures that he is up to date in the Venezuelan reality.  He writes that Chávez has just received a demolishing blow with the HRW report,  A Decade of Chávez.  “Finally, a serious, independent and credited organization turns to the issue of human rights in Venezuela, and issues an opinion that is backed up and that lacks stridencies or exaggerations”.  The report surfaces that Chávez´ performance has been characterized by intolerance and political discrimination, violation of human rights and civil liberties, government control of the judicial power, violation of union rights, harassment of the civil society, systematic denounces of conspirators and those in favor of a coup, against his opposers, harassment of the media and lack of respect to the liberty of expression.  Vivanco, hours after having presented his report, was seized in his hotel, he was deprived of any communicated, taken by force to the airport, and placed in a plane that left for Brazil.  Chávez revealed that it was he, himself, who had given the order.  Vivanco declared that what had happened should be useful for the civilized world “to start turning the reflector lights towards Venezuela”.  According to the government, the measure was an act of sovereignty, adding that the HRW defends and stimulates drug consumption.

Vivanco´s  expulsion was repudiated by governments and instances that are kept very sensible to the human rights situation.  They consider, in general, that what was warned in the report confirmed itself:  political intolerance and restriction to liberty of expression.  The regime replied that for the people it is more important what the Revolution offers:  food, jobs and participative democracy than an alleged liberty of expression that is only good for the conspiring bourgeoisie.

DOES CHÁVEZ BENEFIT FROM DRUG DEALING?

90% of Venezuelans considers that drug dealing is not a concern for the government.  The information appears in the surveys and explains the insensibility upon the inclusion of three of the Military closest to Chávez in the List of Drug Dealers Specially Designated (SDNTK):  Rodríguez Chacín, ex Minister of the Interior, Hugo Carvajal, Head of Military Intelligence (DGIM), and Henry Rangel, Director of the Political Police (DISIP).  In any other country, a major scandal would have occurred, social commotion and feverish judicial activity.  Here, it became part of everyday life.  For the government, the measure taken by the Treasury Department of the US, through the Office for the Control of Foreign Assets (OFAC), is another aggression against the Revolution, and as such it deserves no credit.  Spokespeople for the opposition and several communication means claimed for a serious investigation, given the graveness of the event.  As a response, the claimants were declared as accomplices in the “assassination of the President” which occupies the Agenda of the National Assembly (AN).  A Colombian newspaper made reference to a novel by García Márquez:  Chronicles of an announced death.  For the Colombian press, the links of the three characters from the Chávez regime with drug dealing was no news.  The rescue of Clara Rojas was filmed by Telesur and you can clearly hear the words of comradeship and encouragement that Rodríguez Chacín, duly commissioned by Chávez for this task, expressed to the FARC commandos that delivered the ones kidnapped.  In the video wherein alias Timoshenko informed of the death of Marulanda, he was also filmed by Telesur in a farm of Rodríguez Chacín in Barinas.

The magazine Semana published an article with declarations of an active officer of the National Guard, who reveals to have witnessed a meeting of General Carvajal with German Briceño, brother of the Mono Jojoy, wherein Briceño requested and obtained identity documents and credentials as members of the Disip or the Dgim for a group of guerrilla that operate in Venezuelan territory.  The magazine had access to a recording in which Carvajal alerts a group of drug dealers and frustrates an operation to seize 2,900 kilos of cocaine that were hidden in Puerto La Cruz and which were going to be exported to Europe.  General Rangel is Chávez´ man for the most compromising missions.  In Bogotá it is affirmed that Uribe gave Chávez a report drafted by security agencies wherein the FARC control 80% of the net that is used in the fluvial corridors to take the drugs towards Venezuela and abroad.  Experts affirm that the success of the Plan Colombia determined the migration of the most important drug dealers to Venezuela, where they operate freely and with the complicity of the Military, who have constituted their own business, the “Cartel of the Suns”, in reference to their insignia as Generals.  They coincide in that the increase of violence and corruption have been caused by the increase of drug dealing, already turned into a colossal problem in the country.  According to the ex US Ambassador in Bogotá, Myles Frechette, radars installed in places neighboring Venezuela, intercepted planes that often take off from government airports loaded with cocaine and destined to various markets.  “I don’t know if Chávez – he affirms-  is personally benefiting from drug dealing, but the fact is that he allows it.  The evidence is irrefutable”.