Venezuela News And ViewsVenezuela News And Views: Carabobo day: Venezuela as a military regime
Venezuela News And Views
Friday, June 24, 2005
Carabobo day: Venezuela as a military regime
Today we commemorated our decisive battle in our independence war. Just as many were protesting our loss of independence in front of the embassy of the senile dictator of Cuba. Indeed, even though the mayor of Baruta refused to give the permit for the rally, some opposition NGO, and some not so NGO, did manage a respectable protest march to the Cuban embassy. With protests on the planned education law, it seems that timidly the opposition is renewing with street demonstrations.
First, in May of this year Chavez "granted" a 26% increase on minimal wage. The "official" inflation is "only" less than 20% expected for the year. Why do the army get 50 to 60% increase? What are the real inflation numbers? Why do the poor get screwed once again?
Second, the army is part of many business deals in Venezuela. It also gets plenty of privileges (see for example the extensive housing constructions on military bases!). Not to mention its participation in social programs such as food distribution schemes which obviously benefit also the soldiers handing out the food stuff.
How can we explain such a gross inequality between the treatment to civilians and the favors to an army that has nothing left of an army, and army that could not resist an invasion because instead of controlling guerilla at our borders it has learned to invade our lives and our pockets?
Well, there are two explanations I can think of.
Chavez is really scared of the army. The rumors we heard are true. He is not managing to get the control of it he seeks. So he is trying to buy them off.
Or we are officially under a military regime and today's announcement is just the "official" announcement. As the ruling caste, the army decides how much of a paycheck it gets and how often it gets it. No need to go to the National Assembly to get the necessary credits, the budget office will have to manage. Tough luck for civilians. We can only congratulate the Venezuelan army from having reached highest power without having had to make a coup, and without even having to be responsible of running the country as the presiding fake civil administration will take all the blame of the failed policies.
The reader may chose. Or come up with a better explanation if possible.
posted by Daniel Permalink 11:46 PM
Written from the Venezuelan provinces, this blog started as private letters to my friends overseas, letters narrating the difficult days of the 2002/2003 strike in Venezuela. These letters became this mix of news, comments, pictures of the Venezuelan situation. Unknowingly, I have written the diary of Venezuela slow descent into authoritarianism, the slow erosion of our liberties, the takeover of the country by a military caste, the surrendering of our soul to our inner demons.
Click logo above to go directly to the English language blog. Click here to go to the Spanish language mirror.
Estamos en Venezuela, nunca se sabe. In spite of its Spanish title, an irregular blog about a French student observing Venezuela. Interesting pictures.
General info and discontinued blogs but with good archives
Venezuela Crisis has a visual and textual record "hors pair" of the recent electoral campaign in Venezuela, the first blogger to have covered live a Venezuelan campaign. Seems to be on a resting phase for a few weeks.
Digital papers with Venezuela and LatAm in mind (in Spanish)
There are two major digital papers with forums and all, for a permanent clash between factions. Noticiero Digital is the oldest one and Noticias 24 is giving it a run for tis money.
And a new comer:Venezuela es noticia.
Ciudadania Activa has a large selection of articles on Venezuelan politics and civil rights issues.
Relevant info to expose some of the regime's propaganda and human rights violations
The lies of April
The famous "infamous" video "The revolution will not be televised" has been duly analyzed and shown to be in large measure a crass manipulation. Counter-video in Spanish here, and summary of main points here.
There is a documentary that follows the April 2002 events from the perspective on what Chavez did that April 11, "La Cadena". It is about the forced broadcast made by Chavez to hide the massacre of the pacific march on Miraflores.
The infamous apartheid like system of the Tascon and Maisanta lists
The compilation of various documents from Miguel.
The video "La Lista" and my reviews in English and Spanish by invitation at Hispalibertas.
The El Nacional review of Perez Oramas.
The original video itself can be seen here.
Diverse Human Rights pages
Of course, from Amnesty International to the Human Rights Watch page, without forgetting local organizations such as prestigious COFAVIC, the Venezuelan government comes only too often lacking in its Human Rights record.
OTHER FOLKS WITH VENEZUELA MORE OR LESS IN THEIR MIND (Please send links that should be added here)
And of course to be fair there must be links to pro-Chavez sites. I do pride myself of having been the first opposition blog to have listed pro Chavez links; a situation that has now changed. However extremely rare is the pro Chavez page or blog that links to any of the sites listed above. The readers might draw their own conclusion
Aporrea (Beat up, bruise! as in the imperative mode of the verb; the only interesting one if you can read Spanish. Predicts the future)
And of course the full time propaganda agencies, ALL at tax payer expenses, the National Radio coverage, RNV, and the rather deficient official news agency, ABN (both in Spanish).
Without forgetting the "official" newsletter in English.
Some blogs, more or less sycophantic.
Yosmary, campaigning for Mario Silva, quite something.
Less sycophantic, even critical on occasion Terreno baldio.
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Map of Venezuela to help you locate the different locales mentioned through the blog (click here for a more detailed map)
For the memories. The picture below dates from the epic days of the December 2002/January 2003 "El Paro", when the opposition was strong and decided, and when Chavez was low in polls.
Then came the "misiones" and the worst populist episode of our history. Through pacific protests and strikes we tried to preserve democracy.
History proved us right even if we lost that battle.
Marching toward Hotel Melia, 01/31/03, 5 PM.
Small yellow square under the Pepsi ball is the big stage.
A special thanks to JoAnne Schmitz for the suggestions and help in setting this blog up.
