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Editorial Commentary
VenEconomy: The con trick
This Wednesday, VenEconomy held a seminar on the implications of the changes to the 1999 Constitution proposed by Hugo Chávez Frías.
At this event, lawyers, constitutionalists, economists, and businessmen did an in-depth, detailed analysis of the presidential proposal. None of them found any substantial improvement for Venezuelans’ standard of living anywhere in the proposal; what they did find, however, were many changes that augur a black future for the country.
To start with, the proposal itself is a well devised fraud against the 1999 Constitution and democracy. It aims to transform the Constitution taking the reform route, when the radical changes proposed can only be made via an elected National Constituent Assembly in which the minorities are represented.
The proposal modifies the fundamental text of the Constitution and proposes transforming the political system, the legal system, and the form, structures, and principles of the VenezuelanState.
Besides that, what the President seeks with this proposal is for the people to “abdicate its democratic values and sovereignty in favor of the person presently occupying the office of the Presidency of the Republic.”
What is more, several of the amended articles contain clear violations of the human rights guaranteed in international treaties, among them the right to property. “The property of Venezuelans will be increasingly scant and insignificant and become less and less important. It will be discouraged and taxed and incentives for holding property will be eliminated, while State property will be promoted and privileged.”
As for the essential individual freedoms, values, and principles, among them free enterprise, freedom of choice, and freedom to work, these will be truncated.
Overall, the new constitution that the President wants to impose would set up a State similar to those founded by Stalin in the defunct Soviet Union, Mao in China, and Fidel in Cuba. As in those cases, at the head of this totalitarian, communist state, there would be a “single leader,” perpetuated in power. History shows that this has been a sad trio of failed states whose citizens have enjoyed neither social welfare nor happiness; quite the contrary, they have suffered hunger, abject poverty, persecution, and death.
The Chávez administration is attempting to push the country over the edge into a communist venture on the back of the “endorsements” reaped during these nine years in power, among them, violation of human rights, harassment of private property and dissidents, poor management of public services, and a far from transparent administration of public funds.
VenEconomy urges every person in the country who believes in democracy and freedom to spread the news of the dangers that this proposal to radically change the 1999 Constitution entails. Only a well informed people can stop the dictatorship from advancing further!
VenEconomy is a Venezuela's leading specialized publisher in the economic and financial area. VenEconomy's Points of View on the issues of the day, as seen by VenEconomy during the last week. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.Editor's note: This commentary was originally published by VenEconomy, on 10/12/2007. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.
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Petroleumworld News 10/12/07
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