August 15th., 2009

Chavez Calls To Terrorism

Chavez is acting like a wounded animal, weakened, making it more dangerous, says political scientist Andres Oropeza. “His challenge is to psychologically break the population and make them feel that they just have to  surrender”.  He adds that the ideological sale failed and now he goes to repression, which relies on fear to ensure social compliance, but fear does not guarantee nor fidelity or acceptance; issues like classless society, poverty is good, the wealth is bad; disappearance of private property; the Cuban model; media in the government hands, control of education; they all have a high rejection of the population. This last assertion was expressed during the last days. Throughout the country, there were demonstrations of protest, usually suppressed by national guards and the police, resulting in injuries. As the volume of protests and protesters increased, violence by authorities and the so-called “parapolicemen” civilians trained and paid by the regime to “defend the revolution” increased as well. Recent episodes have shocked the nation. Rectors, professors and students from universities, accompanied by parents, attempted to submit to the National Assembly (NA) a paper on the Education Law, requiring compliance with the constitutional provision under which the organized citizens and society should be heard during the discussion of laws. “We went to ask for discussion, reflection, because we are playing the country’s future with the Education Law, and were greeted with tear gas”, said one of the teachers. The president of the Parents Federation complained that the long walk to the NA was suppressed in an “excessive” way by government gangs and the police. “The whale truck was thrown on top of us, pellets were fired, and we bathed in toxic substances”. Among those affected is Father Ugalde, president of the Catholic University (UCAB by its acronym in Spanish) and Nicolas Bianco, president in charge of the UCV. Journalists found that parapolicemen with red shirts and logistics – music and free distribution of food and beverages – were installed in three of the four corners surrounding the legislative building. From platforms, they waved pro-government people, who stoned two TV cameramen who were injured, one seriously.

Simultaneously, a group of journalists who were delivering flyers against the media repression was attacked by “numerous people, with flags and insignias of the ruling party”, said one of the attacked people. “We were kicked and beaten with stones and sticks. Some of the victims had to be transported to medical facilities to be treated for the injuries”. Others said that the assailant group came from the near studios of Avila TV, wearing channel badges, one of them identified with the pro-government party. The victims work for the Cadena Capriles, which includes the newspaper Ultimas Noticias, where the President publishes his column “The lines of Chavez”. Pot-banging protests reappeared in Caracas and other cities, as opposition to the controversial law. Similarly, new and numerous demonstrations demand punishment for those responsible, who are identified in videos published by independent media and international news. Terrorism used by Chavez to intimidate Venezuelans has no effect. The country is ready to face neototalitarism, said analysts from Venezuela Today.

WINDS OF WAR AND PEACE CENTERS

The first step in a war is the installation of U.S. military bases in Colombia, Chavez said at a press conference to foreign correspondents. He stated that the war equipment seized from the FARC were disposable, useless. To reaffirm his thesis, he said that they were stolen in the attack on the naval post in Cararabo, on the border with Colombia. He maintained that it does not matter what the world thinks about him and that he will not give the explanations required by Sweden on the fate of war equipment bought by Venezuela. He said he felt threatened by the U.S. military bases, and announced that in the coming days he will visit Russia for the purchase of tanks "of which there are more modern," and that he will buy from China radars to improve air defense. He stated that the Armed Forces remain in "for combat readiness." Colombian journalist Vicky Davila obtained an unusual interview with Chavez for RCN. It was transmitted by Globovision and three days after the state television gave fragments, as the journalist asked him questions that he evaded to reply. "You are very jealous of the principle of sovereignty. You do not accept that Colombia has a treaty of cooperation with the U.S., in exercise of its sovereignty”.  "This treaty was signed many years ago. Why did you wait 10 years in power to consider it as a threat against Venezuela?” "Don’t you consider a serious offense to say that President Uribe is a person with the ability to navigate in the feces, as you did in an Alo Presidente "? At one point she interrupted him to protest for qualifying Colombia as a narcostate. "You admit that there is corruption in Venezuela. Would you like that people say that Venezuela is a corrupt State?” When Chavez presented a few artifacts, which according to him, they were the war equipment stolen by the FARC in Cararabo, Davila clarified that the naval attack was not a FARC work, but the ELN, and that no one could believe that the ELN would give to the FARC an important cargo of weapons. Chavez only gives statements to foreign reporters and to the state television station. It is the first time in 5 years that he is subjected to an interview without prior selection of those who may ask questions and his disgust was such that he ordered to fire the officer for not warning him about the characteristics of Davila as interviewer.

The issue of war was reconsidered by Chavez at the UNASUR meeting. "I fulfill my duty to warn that with the Colombian-American agreement war winds begin to blow. This may create a war in South America”. Commentators believe that insistence of Chavez about a war in Colombia was one of the consequences of his failure in UNASUR. He had insisted that the agenda included the topic. It was not. Moreover, the final statement did not mention it. A future date was agreed with the Colombian President to discuss the agreement, but this time in Buenos Aires. Colombia does not react with the same speech of Chavez. The press in Bogota does give weight to his interest to be present in the internal affairs of Colombia, as Chavez seems to change the game. During the meeting with Piedad Cordoba and members of the Democratic Pole in Miraflores, it was agreed that Chavez will assume the leadership of a binominal show to promote dialogue with the guerrilla as a way to peace. In fact, the first "center of peace" proposed by Chavez was installed. His spokesmen, guerrilla refugees in the country, have daily programs on Telesur, the state channel VTV and National Radio, whose transmissions are captured at the border. It is a sign of his growing interference in politics and the internal debate of Colombia. Reliable analysts warn that, with the subject of peace and the petro checkbook Chavez can be a major player in future elections in the neighboring country.

 METHODS OF CENTURY XXI SOCIALISM

Chavez has always had clear objectives. In his view is now the media, still survivors, freedom of education and the electoral system. According to spokespersons of opposition, the Situation Room of Miraflores, which is dominated by the Cubans, warns that the government communication machine and the restrictions on freedom of expression are insufficient to control public opinion. From there came the decision to close 34 radio stations, which maintained a separate line, allowing people, including Chavez’s, to outline their concerns and demand solutions. According to CONATEL ads, 240 cases of other stations are in process to be seized and delivered, as Chavez himself said to the revolutionaries who seek to put these stations at the service of community councils. The management of the radio by the regime puts an end to freedom of expression, already limited by the Resorte law and self-censorship. The Media Crimes Law, named Law of Silence, now deferred due to the collective protest, considers imprisonment for those who commit acts appreciated by judges as such. For the Attorney General, who acted as speaker, is necessary since the Resorte Law does not establish imprisonment, but administrative sanctions, and does not apply to print media.        According to a light chavista, who was Ambassador to Mexico, the law gives legal status to censorship and self-censorship; criminalizes journalistic exercise and the dissemination of information, which though true, could be considered by a court, as contrary to "social peace". This is intended to silence the protests and complaints from Chavez activists, which occur daily.

The Education Law, passed by the NA “between cocks and midnight” allows the regime to control the admission and entry to universities, teacher training, research and postgraduate level, budget execution, academic career, student organizations, internal controller office, election procedures, graduates profile, adequacy of authorities and teachers, and to decide what and where the school, college and university graduates will work; and includes rules allowing to punish the media communication in the spirit of the Law of Silence. To the Rector of the UCAB, Father Luis Ugalde, the educational rights disappear because the fundamental approach of the law is to control everything from the government party, pursuant to the Cuban model. The educator and student organizations state that the law imposes the socialism proclaimed by Chavez, therefore, they call for disobedience for violating this law express constitutional rules. It is the beginning of defiance as a form of resistance.

Reforming the law of suffrage empowers the CNE, which is dominated by the regime to regulate key aspects of the electoral system, such as the formation and modification of the districts, the creation of mobile districts in rural areas, changes in the electoral roll, the integration of the electoral tables, which is related to witnesses and observers. It destroys the principle of proportional representation. If a majority of votes is attached to the government by the CNE, 80% of representatives will be allocated to them, although the opposition gets more than 40%. Century XXI socialism, whose tenets are rejected by the majority, according to surveys, prepares for a fraudulent and overwhelming dominance of any popularly elected body.