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Editorial Commentary
Veneconomy:
What part of “No” did Chávez not understand?
On December 2, 2007, Venezuela said “No” to the new constitution proposed by Hugo Chávez. The president, however, seems not to have understood that No means NO!, with no room for his usual little catchphrase of “for the time being.”
Ever since the early hours of December 3, when he “acknowledged” (most reluctantly and not at all chivalrously) that his “amendment” had been defeated in the referendum, Hugo Chávez has done nothing but attack the will of the people, democratically expressed in the ballot box.
Not only did the president insult the majority in the opposition when, during a press conference and in front of his Joint Chiefs of Staff, he used an unmentionable term to describe the opposition’s victory: Later on in another public address he attacked his followers, berating them for not having supported him in the referendum. Chávez let them know that those areas where the Yes option had not prevailed owed him something, Caracas andMiranda especially. He then asked “are you or aren’t you going to pay?”
Far from diminishing as the days go by, the threats are becoming more widespread. First of all, the threats against his followers are now being broadcast in short spots on state-owned TV channels.
In addition another witch-hunt has begun. Among other examples of abuse, Captain Carlos Guyón, arrested just hours before the referendum, has been added to the long list of political prisoners. Unwarranted court cases have been reopened – all having to do with the events in April 2002 – against former judge Mónica Fernández, founding member of Foro Penal Venezolano; the mayor of Baruta, Henrique Capriles Radonsky; the former governor of Miranda, Enrique Mendoza; and the journalist Milagros Durán.
Then there are the physical attacks on people from sectors that oppose the president. First of all, the case of Larry José Arvelo, the Globovisión cameraman who was arrested, while covering the assault by a group of Chavista motorcyclists on a traffic-police post, and then severely beaten while being hauled away in the back of a Policía Metropolitana truck. Next Cardinal Jorge Urosa, was set upon by a group of pro-government thugs who spend their time on the esquina caliente (or ”hot corner”) and are allegedly paid by Miraflores to make sure that downtown Caracas is “territory conquered by the Bolivarian revolution.” Lastly, there is the damage that pro-government students and groups caused at Lisandro Alvarado University in Barquisimeto.
As though this were not enough, the newspapers this Tuesday include two items offering a preview of what is in store with the new Bolivarian march forward. One, that, after 30 years, the Correo del Caroní will no longer be coming outdue to lack of newsprint, caused by the government’s refusal to approve the dollars needed to import paper. The other is the new set of regulations aimed at controlling text messages on mobile telephones, a very effective means of communication used by the Movimiento de Estudiantes organization, greatly feared by the government.
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 12/11/2007. Petroleumworld reprint this article in the interest of our readers. Petroleumworld does not necessarily share these views.
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Petroleumworld News 12/14/07
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