by Gustavo Coronel : Ch=E1vez talks to Aljazeera: a grotesque interview
COMMENT: Ladies and gentlemen Editors,
Many of us Venezuelans wonder what more proof does the major powers of =
the world need to contain this madman that we have as president of =
Venezuela, when it is obvious he threatens world stability. Asides from =
harboring terrorists and passing out citizenship papers to terrorists to =
FARC members and giving them residence. Or have you forgotten the visit =
and invitation the the daughter of Manuel Marulanda (alias: Tiro fijo) =
received from the Chavez government when it was recently installed back =
in 2000? Please remit to the Colombian Diplomatic Notes of protests if =
you will. The Colombian Government has a chronological list and =
inventory of trespasses in that respect, in the comings and goings of =
guerrilla cover ups in Venezuela.
Juan Jos=E9 Herrera
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Date: Sat, 08 Jan 2005 20:23:22 +0100
From: "To: upla-ven_opinion@gruposyahoo.com, =
upla-ven_usa@gruposyahoo.com
Ch=E1vez talks to Aljazeera: a grotesque interview
by Gustavo Coronel
January 5, 2005 | Recently Venezuelan strongman Hugo Ch=E1vez gave =
Aljazeera TV an interview in which he openly disclosed his plans to lead =
a global "offensive war" against U.S. "colonialism and imperialism."=20
The interview was one of those prepared events in which the questions =
are carefully designed to invite the answers. Not journalism but =
impudent advertisement. The presenter, Mr. Faysal Al-Quaim, starts by =
telling Ch=E1vez that he is so popular in the Arab world that, if he ran =
in an Arab presidential election he would "win by more than 90% of the =
votes" and hastened to add: "I mean a genuine 90% and not falsified."=20
This was a serious slip of the tongue, considering that the Venezuelan =
Presidential recall referendum in August 2004 was plagued with fraud and =
blatant abuses of power by the Ch=E1vez regime.The reasons for this =
popularity are two, says the presenter: "Your care for the poor and =
downtrodden in your country and second, your defiance of the United =
States."
My initial comment has to do with the ignorance of the economic and =
social Venezuelan conditions exhibited by "brother Faysal," as Ch=E1vez =
refers to the presenter. During the six years of the Ch=E1vez regime, =
the Venezuelan poor have become poorer. Unemployment has rarely been =
below 20%. Informal employment includes 60% of the population (street =
vendors). Poverty engulfs 80% of the population.=20
Venezuela is the only country in Latin America where the social and =
economic goals of the Millennium set by the United Nations are not being =
achieved. The number of abandoned children has increased. Crime is at an =
all-time high. If "brother Faysal" ever visits Caracas, he will see more =
beggars than he has ever seen in his life. And the filth of the =
Venezuelan cities may surpass anything he has seen in the Arab world. =
How comes that care for the poor can produce this social tragedy? The =
answers to this paradox are only two: either the care for the poor is =
real but accompanied by a monumental ineptness or the care for the poor =
is pure pretense and propaganda.=20
As a Venezuelan citizen, who has witnessed first hand most of the =
Ch=E1vez political circus I believe that the true answer is a blend of =
the two given above: 25% ineptness and 75% political maneuvering. Any =
impartial observer will notice that the social programs installed by =
Ch=E1vez under the name of Missions (Christ, Robinson, etc.) are =
designed more to produce an immediate propaganda impact than to solve =
the structural problems of the Venezuelan poor.=20
Ch=E1vez boasts of giving free medical services to 15 million =
Venezuelans and wiping out illiteracy in three years. However, there are =
no reliable statistics being kept any longer. Venezuelans know that this =
is not true. Ch=E1vez has brought into Venezuela 50,000 Cubans: =
bodyguards, doctors, nurses, teachers and sport trainers, many of who =
double up as political and military operators. Before these Cubans came, =
Venezuela already had a very low illiteracy rate and health services =
were already free of charge. The claims made by Ch=E1vez to Aljazeera =
are untrue and constitute disinformation by a news agency that, =
according to Ch=E1vez during the interview: "is a symbol of courage, =
principles and dignity, and that it always tells the truth." The truth =
is that the Ch=E1vez regime has created a nation of beggars, people over =
dependent in the handouts being made by Ch=E1vez to buy their loyalties. =
When loyalties are bought, however, they only last as long as the money =
lasts. The Ch=E1vez regime as champion of the poor is a myth fueled by =
very expensive propaganda. Sadly, the money that Ch=E1vez should use to =
really solve the social problems of the Venezuelan poor is being spent =
in talking about it.
The really valid reason why many Arabs like Ch=E1vez is because they =
share, perhaps with better reasons, his pathological hate of the U.S. In =
this respect Ch=E1vez tells Aljazeera: "Confrontation with the U.S. is =
inevitable. Washington's imperialist position . . . goes back 200 years =
in history . . . because the liberator Sim=F3n Bol=EDvar was called by =
colonialism in North America the mad southern rebel. . . ." In saying =
this Ch=E1vez suggests that he is "Bol=EDvar," one of the obsessions of =
many of our former dictators. Our Venezuelan dictators have shared the =
pretension of being Bol=EDvar returned to earth under their guise: =
Guzman Blanco, Cipriano Castro, and Gomez. Gomez's corpse was hidden for =
one full day by his followers so that they could claim that Gomez had =
died on December 17, the same day Bol=EDvar died. Ch=E1vez portraits are =
appearing with an artificially created strong resemblance to Bol=EDvar, =
so that the population associates the two in the back of their heads. =
Ch=E1vez is making a confrontation with the U.S. his main strategy for =
political survival or, at least, for political martyrdom. He adds: "We =
are not on the defensive (in this war against the U.S.). I am a soldier =
and I studied in detail the tactics of war and now we are in a political =
war. We are on the offensive. . . . Yesterday, in Tehran, Ayatollah Ali =
Khamenei told me a true statement: 'Power, power. I can see that as you =
put your questions you raise your fist, the sign of strength. . . .'" =
Here is a person whose obsession is power, strength and war. No place in =
his mind for peace, love, compassion or real concern for the plight of =
his people.
The presenter, brother Faysal exclaims: "Very beautiful!"
Brother Faysal furthers wants to know if Ch=E1vez's message is directed =
to the Arab people. And Ch=E1vez replies: "Of course, the Arab people =
and the world. I was in Madrid . . . and talked to thousands of Spanish =
workers . . . and students. . . . Then I went to Moscow and spoke to =
thousands . . . I addressed millions of people in Europe, central Asia =
and the Middle East. . . . I spoke on this matter with Colonel Gaddafi =
in Tripoli. Another pole (of unity against U.S. imperialism) can be =
composed of China, India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. . . ." And then he =
adds: "The 21st century should be a century of peace!" However, he goes =
on by saying: "We have to unite in South America, Africa and Europe" =
(against the imperialist power of the United States). And he advises =
brother Faysal: "Please follow our recent tour Madrid, Tripoli, Moscow, =
Tehran, Doha and then Madrid, and later our trip to Peru and then =
Brazil. After a few days in Caracas I will visit China. We are not on a =
tourist trip. We are working to gather forces. . . . I believe that here =
lays the secret . . . there is a dialectical and deductive method . . . =
the (Venezuelan) military coup was planned in Washington."
Here is the naked Ch=E1vez, then. A man who has abandoned his people to =
pursue an obsessive compulsion to lead a global rebellion against the =
U.S. He cannot solve the tragic problems of his moderately populated =
country and yet he has pretensions of leading a "world war" against the =
U.S. His people are starving to death while he talks to Aljazeera, to =
Zapatero and to Khamenei and Gaddafi about how to solve the problems of =
the world. This is what makes this interview so grotesque.
Hugo Ch=E1vez was elected as President of Venezuela in 1998 to conduct a =
change of government style and attitudes within democratic bounds. He =
was not elected to conduct a revolution outside the boundaries of our =
democratic institutions. He was elected to solve the problems of =
Venezuelan society, not to lead half of the world against the other =
half, something that he has already accomplished in the domestic =
Venezuelan scene, where half the country has been led to hate the other =
half. Using the petroleum wealth that belongs to the people and not to =
the government of Venezuela, he is now conducting a political campaign =
throughout the planet, in order to become a new Mahdi, a new messiah. =
While he frantically travels form one extreme of the planet to the =
other, Venezuelans are suffering from extreme government neglect, roads =
and schools are deteriorating, hospitals are a disaster, private =
property is being invaded, private companies are closing down, freedom =
of expression is being smothered and people are being put in prison or =
prevented from leaving the country in an arbitrary manner.
Whoever cannot do the little things cannot pretend to do the big things. =
Whoever cannot put his own house in order cannot hope to put the world =
in order. At most, this person will only add to the confusion and misery =
of the planet, while destroying what used to be a rather orderly and =
happy country, Venezuela.
http://www.vcrisis.com/index.php?content=3Dletters/200501051822
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