The Devil's Excrement

Another good article by Priscilla West in the Christian Science Monitor, particularly her description of the evolution in time of people’s reaction to Chavez. (Sent by Alex)

I transalted this article written by Nicaraguan reporter German Novelli for today’s Tal Cual newspaper. It speaks for itself.

This may happen (From my exile)

On January 10^th. 1978 Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Cardenal, director of newspaper La Prensa and martyr of public freedom was assassinated in Nicaragua. A year later, in the Riguero neighborhood of Managua, two US reporters, from the ABC news team, were detained by National Guard troops. The cameraman managed to stay back half a block away and, hidden behind some bushes, taped one of the most negative images of the war that would completely wipe out Somoza.

Reporter Bill Stewart was forced by a guardsman to lay face down on the pavement and, without any type of compassion, he was shot by two rifle bullets in the head.

The attacks by Anastasio Somoza began with sanctions against the printed media that was denouncing the abuses. Later he arrested the Editor of the newspaper la Prensa, who suffered, before being assassinated, jail, tortures and exile. Somoza had as his motto:” To my friends, the honors, to the indifferent, the stick, to my enemies, the bullets”

As to the televised media, Stewart was assassinated as revenge for showing on the screen the horrors that the regime was imposing on the people.

The intimidating visits to Venezuelan TV stations, the threat that there will be no dollars for newspapers to buy newsprint, the Content Law that will be discussed by the National Assembly and the repeated announcements by Hugo Chavez to shutdown TV stations are the first steps. Afterwards, more abuses will come. It would not be strange if Gustavo Cisneros is detained for treason and Miguel Henrique Otero assassinated. Neither that the deaths of Virgilio Fernandez and Jorge Tortosa (reporters killed while covering demonstrations) will be followed by those of others.

They are notes of history. A history that is repeating in Venezuela. Chavez, just like Somoza, argues Constitutional reasons to stay in power, just like Somoza, ignoring the majority that rejects him. Hugo Chávez, just like Somoza, has turned the National Guard into his storm troopers to quiet their voices and run over defenseless women.

Chavez, just like Somoza, has proven that he is not willing to leave stone over stone in the places where the opposition lives. Then, gentlemen of the media, my fellow reporters: Known things are silenced and because they are silenced they are simply forgotten.

 
Germán Novelli

It is difficult to explain what is going on in Venezuela. I just heard a tape of Chavez’ speech yesterday. In two minutes he said something like (I have no link to prove it) “We will revolutionize agriculture by having people grow things in the cities in every  empty space available……..We have a project to make vertical chicken coops in the cities since there is so little space available” 

Now, just two comments: Since there is so much empty space in the countryside, why grow in the city? Second, how about the health probelm of chicken coops all over the city?. Finally for those abroad, the Venezuelan Government owns over 50% of the land in the country. Truly a revolution of the stupid. .

I am full of gloom today, so bear with me. Besides Chavez celebrating yesterday the 11 year anniversary of his attempted coup, which I consider to be absolutely grotesque, he also claimed that that day was simply a “popular” victory, while he absolutely disregarded the more than four million plus signatures of the Firmazo on Sunday. As if this were not enough, the Government appears to be rejecting any possibility of negotiation, not only rejecting the proposals by the Carter Center, but apparently also having Chavez tell the Vice-Chancellors of the group of friends that he did not know what they were doing in Caracas, since he had not invited them and he was the democratically elected president of Venezuela. According to a Brazilian newspaper even Lula Da Silva who was supposed to be Chavez’ best ally in the Group of Friends, is said to be mad at Chavez for his refusal to negotiate. Reportedly, the meeting between them at Chavez was tense, they found the President so arrogant and conflictive that reportedly the Mexican Vice-Chancellor is threatening to quit the group. The group believed that the easing of the general strike would create the required atmosphere to begin negotiations. Instead, Chavez gloated on Sunday, claiming victory over the opposition.

Meanwhile the destruction of PDVSA continues, this week most of the workers of PDVSA’s technology center were fired as the Government announced it would reduce its staff from 1,300 to only 200. This is not only depressing conceptually, but my wife worked there for almost twenty years, almost from its creation. During that time INTEVEP became not only a research and development center of the Venezuelan oil Industry, but it made the Venezuelan oil industry more sophisticated and  self-sufficient. I hear that the Government thinks this is all just a victory, as they have tighter control of the country’s premier industry. Meanwhile, the country has essentially no external income as the balance of importing gasoline at $38 a barrel and selling it internally for $5 is barely compensated by the country’s oil exports. Finally, rumors are that the Government will suspend TV station Globovision by the end of the week for 72 hours, threatening the company with removal of its concession if it violates the law again. This is simply a threat to freedom of speech and who knows what may come next. Pessimistic, yes, but there are too many reasons not to be.

Representatives of the Minister of Infrastructrure and Telecommunications showed up today at TV station Venevision, owned by the Cisneros Group, to notify the station that it was being investigated for violations of a 1940 law due to the broadcasting of some news that make the Government uncomfortable (my words). Curiously, Chavez’ Bolivarian Circles had shown up two hours before the Ministry’s lawyers showed up to cheer them when they arrived. Another case of organized state terror. The picture from teh TV shows the lawyers arriving with the bolivarian circles in the background.

For a Government that has had many types of fundamentalists in their midst, it is curious that up to now, none have been of the religious kind. It is only fitting then, that Hugo Chavez will name his first Bible toting fundamentalist to Head the newly created office to manage the exchange control system to be created this week. The office will be run by Edgar Hernandez Behrens, a former military officer, who participated in the 1992 coup attempt with Chavez by leading a column of tanks and soldiers from Guarico state, south of Caracas. While barely known, Mr. Hernandez has been President of Banfoandes, a state bank. He has said in interviews that following the principles of the Bible has made Banfoandes prosper and obtain some of the best indices of the Venezuelan banking system. He has said “When one acts with love, you look for what people need…..we looked for change based on biblical values”. He also says his confidence in God has been fundamental to capture new clients and return confidence to depositors. He believes in tithing like the Bible commands and Banfoandes will contribute 10% of its profits to local communities. Hopefully, those asking the Central Bank for foreign currency will not have to pay a “tithe” to obtain it. In fact, even if the do, they may not get anything as Hugo Chávez announced today in his usual democratic way “Not one dollar for the coupsters”. Since all of the opposition is supposedly part of the plot to overthrow him, and 4.7 million people signed Sunday’s El Firmazo in favor of the opposition, maybe the militaristic/bible toting/fellow loving Mr. Hernandez will be using those lists to determine who should or not get foreign currency.

After almost three months at the negotiation table, Hugo Chávez’ Government confirmed yesterday what we have suspected all along, they simply feel there is nothing to negotiate. Cesar Gaviria has simply wasted his time living in Venezuela since Nov. 8^th. Even more stupid were the Club of Friends from the US, Brazil, Spain, Mexico Chile and Portugal who wasted their time attempting to mediate in the negotiations. But it must be Jimmy carter who feels the worst, his two proposals made in good faith two weeks ago as a solution to the Venezuelan crisis were met by a very simple answer: We have nothing to negotiate. The terms of the answer are clear, the proposals are “positive”. But, the Constitutional amendment, in the words of the Government is not a subject to consider in the negotiations and the date proposed for the referendum goes beyond the will of the negotiation table. Thus, we wonder, what is positive about them if only the opposition is really willing to negotiate. I just wonder what Gaviria and the amigos think about this. Why did Chavez want to expand the group of “Amigos”? What’s Gaviria doing in Caracas? But perhaps, the true spirit of the Chavez revolution is condensed in the fact that there was no meeting of the negotiation table today, as Government representatives were celebrating the 11 year anniversary of the failed 1992 coup attempt. How Democratic, no?

The answer is simple: When Hugo Chavez is the perpetrator. In one of his most cynical statements to date, Vice-President Jose Vicente Rangel, who interprets every act of the opposition as fascist or a coup attempt, reinterpreted history and common sense today when he said that Hugo Chávez’ attempted coup in 1992 was a coup of opinion not a coup de etat. Moreover, the more than 200 people who were needlessly killed that day, the Vice-President said they “immolated” themselves for the cause. Meanwhile, Hugo Chávez himself said he could not believe in Sunday’s signatures gathered at “El Firmazo”. How easy it is to believe your own lies! One of the plans in the 1992 coup attempt was that people would take to the streets to support the coup, but nobody did. On Sunday people stood in line and traveled to other parts of the cities to be able to sign the petitions against Hugo Chavez and his Government. More than 4.7 million people signed, but Chavez and his cronies simply refuse to accept the reality of their failed revolution.

While even skeptics accept how impressive the “Firmazo” (The Big sign up) was yesterday, Government officials either ignored it, like Chavez did yesterday, or attempted to minimize it as a former Foreign Minsiter of Foreign Relations did today. The Vice-President at least had the decency to recognize the event as a “respectable” democratic event, while casting doubts that the signatures could be used for anything, calling them “not auditable”. But the truth was that it was a massive display of democratic spirit, combined with the desire to have Hugo Chavez leave the Presidency that led, according to the organizers, to more than 4.7 million people to sign most of the ten petitions presented to them yesterday during the event. (In the 2000 Presidential election Hugo Chavez received 3.7 million votes, indicating a recall referendum would pass easily)

But it was there for everyone to see, even if the US press appeared to mostly ignore it. As local newspaper Tal Cual said today, the people came down from the barrios (cerros)….to sign up…. and not loot, as it is commonly assumed. And they did it despite the social pressure not to attend or not to show that you are against the Government as well as the possible social stigma of abandoning the Chavista revolution. (In fact, many went far from home so as not ben seen). And it was not a matter of an audit or not, a petition is simply a list of signatures without any formal proof, so that the Vice-President’s statement is simply one more cynical comment from someone that no one has much respect for anymore. Yesterday was a huge display of democratic spirit. The whole affair was privately organized. It was done only in populated centers, but somehow it became international too (see the Pictures section) and a legion of volunteers handled the logistics. There was no support from the Government, little security was provided to protect people from intimidation by chavista bands of thugs and the whole country participated. The numbers, as reported, were indeed impressive; 4.7 million signatures were obtained for the Constitutional Amendment as well the other petitions. This, despite the fact that only 3,600 of the usual 9,000 polling centers were opened. In fact, interest was so high, that many polling places turned back volunteers simply because they were not needed. While some violent incidents were reported, where Chavistas tried to block people from participating or simply attempted to rob signed petitions, the only serious casualty was a former Chavista activist that lost his eye. There was also some material damage to property, including the burning of a car owned by a TV station.

But perhaps nothing demonstrated the frustration of the Chavista leaders more than the failure of their own activities yesterday. On Thursday, some Chavista Deputies announced they would counter the Firmazo with a day of “Citizens Assemblies” all over the country, where they would match the opposition by having assemblies near each polling center. In the end, very few of them took place and those that did, had fewer people than any single polling center of the opposition had during training on Saturday. That the chavistas are worried could be seen today as some members of Patria Para Todos were already talking about having the Supreme Court rule the petition for the amendment unconstitutional, even before it has been submitted to the Electoral Council. Their argument is that it is not an amendment but a reform of the Constitution, which requires a different procedure.

The Firmazo was simply, a huge success. It showed that the opposition is democratic, that it has the support that Government officials have always denied it had and that the Government will not survive any of the referenda proposed, when and if they are ever held. To the negotiation table and the world it sends a strong message that people in Venezuela are sick and tired of Hugo Chávez and his revolution. It is just unfortunate that the US press has chosen to focus on mostly irrelevant details (“the opposition is not united, they signed ten petitions!”) or on Hugo Chavez declaration of victory over the opposition, while he is destroying the Venezuelan oil industry. But the truth was that those that brought Chavez to power are mostly no longer with him and that the display of democracy by Venezuelans on Sunday, was the real story to report, even if they simply missed it.

Venezuelans continue having a sense of humor as shown by this picture in which the highway sign is faked to have the words of a chant used by marchers: This is the path to get rid of the son of a b……