The Devil's Excrement

Some thoughts by our current Vice-President five years ago when he was a reporter:

On the opposition: Many in Venezuela would give their life not for a horse (referring to Shakespeare) but for an opposition. True opposition. Opposition to stop the Government. To guarantee the mechanisms of control of the State. So that there is a watchdog Congress and a Judicial power that is not submissive….

On protest:There is light at the end of the tunnel. I am talking about the type of protest that is appearing in the country. It is not a loud protest, violent, but one that is eminently civic, in which citizens adopt revealing maturity and responsibility.

On Negotiations: Then there is a problem of violence, of armed confrontation within the territory, you resort to politics to find solutions

On the media and the truth:  The topic is on the table. It is systematically addressed by the Government which could be considered as suspect. Why? Because when Governments address the issue of information or freedom of speech, they do it with an interest. With objectives that are nuclear. They proclaim, there is freedom of speech, but in practice, there are omissions, suspicious pressures and various manipulations…

On Criticisms:  What good is criticism for if it is not listened to? What good is freedom of speech if power can disqualify a priori any questioning that is made? The sense of a criticism that is granted in a democratic system rests not only in the possibility of making a proposal public but that it produces change.

On the reaction of the powerful to criticism:  The best way to appreciate the authenticity of a democracy is through the attitudes of those that are in power in front of the critics. If….says that President caldera should resign, he is immediately disqualified and accused of participating in a destabilizing plan. The world turns… but what never changes is the attitude of those in power in Venezuela in front of criticism and the right of citizens to say what they think.

What a cynic!!!

This entry was posted on January 19, 2003 at 10:40 am and is filed under Venezuela.