Thursday, July 18, 2013

Carta abierta a Michele Bachelet, ex presidenta y candidata a la presidencia de Chile

Estimada (ex)-presidenta Bachelet

Me permito escribirle por que me parece que usted manejo mal el asunto de la visita intempestiva de Henrique Capriles a Chile. Entiendo muy bien que para usted él llega como pelo en la sopa, sin haber preparado debidamente su viaje. No se extrañe, desde el pasado mes de abril el ha cometido varios errores de “timing” como dicen los norteamericanos. Pero eso no la exime a usted de no comportarse como una estadista. Usted será la candidata presidencial a la reelección, pero también usted es una ex presidente y se espera que en ciertos asuntos se comporte como una estadista y no como una mera política buscando votos.

Entiendo que usted necesitará los votos de gente como el triste senador Alejandro Navarro, pero sin embargo usted no se puede rebajar a los intereses anti democráticos de gente como el dicho senador. Le toca a usted asumir posiciones históricas y recordarles a los chilenos el rol que tuvo Venezuela en los tiempos de Allende y de Pinochet, de la cual usted ha sufrido pero ha superado a su gran honor. Lo que yo creo es que mucha gente en Chile, empezando por el propio presidente Piñera que también ha manejado mal el asunto, no entiende el momento histórico de Venezuela. Venezuela no está en 1973, mas bien en 1972 donde todavía se hubiese podido evitar la tragedia que empezó en su país el 11 de septiembre de 1973. Claro, no se trata de una comparación, algo que sería ridiculo a 40 años de distancia, lejos de la Guerra Fría. Me refiero mas bien al ambiente.

Cuando Salvador Allende llego al poder yo era niño en la escuela. Me acuerdo que a las pocas semanas de su elección empezaron a llegar exiliados chilenos a Venezuela. En mi salón llego uno. Me consta porque fui amigo de él hasta que regreso a Chile tres años después. Si, la gente se olvida de eso, pero hubo dos oleadas del exilio chileno, la primera al llegar Allende a La Moneda, y la segunda después de que Pinochet bombardee La Moneda.

No viene al caso saber porque le Papá de mi amigo tuvo que salir de Chile a penas ganó Allende. Me imagino que algo tenía que reprocharse, uno entiende esas cosas de adulto. Me contaba mi amigo que todavía en Chile, siendo el mayor de sus hermanos su Papá le había dicho donde el guardaba la pistola cuando tenía que salir de noche con su Mamá. Por algo era. A los pocos meses empezaron a llegar más y más chilenos, huyendo de la terrible deterioración económica que sufrió Chile bajo el gobierno de Allende. Los exiliados de entonces tienen su equivalente en los centenares de miles de exilados económicos, y políticos, que ha tenido Venezuela desde 1999. En Chile hay muchos, usted lo sabe.

Después del 11 de septiembre llego la segunda oleada de exiliados chilenos, y Venezuela los recibió con los mismos brazos abiertos con los cuales había recibido los refugiados de Allende. Y con gran valor porque el gobierno de Allende no se había preocupado de sus exiliados mientras que se daba por descontado que la Junta en Chile si iba a preocuparse por lo que hacían sus exiliados.

En fin, el asunto es que el ambiente polarizado de Venezuela hoy en día tiene más relación con el ambiente polarizado de Chile de principios de 1973 cuando las elecciones parlamentarias fallaron en resolver la crisis política, como las elecciones del pasado abril en Venezuela fallaron en resolver la nuestra. Es allí donde tengo que hacer reproches a los gobiernos de Sur América, en particular el de Chile como a su oposición. Si hay un país que debe de entender como la polarización excesiva de un país lo llevará al desastre, es Chile.

Usted, como el presidente Piñera, sabe muy bien que hubo fraude en las elecciones de abril en Venezuela. No sabemos si la magnitud del fraude puede en verdad cambiar el resultado, pero fraude hubo y de que no se investigue crea un gobierno ilegitimo que nos lleva al desastre tarde o temprano. Usted tiene, estoy seguro, que entender esto aunque pretenda no hacerlo.

Sin embargo, sabiendo las consecuencias de ese fraude, ustedes dos se distanciaron del asunto, usando posiciones diplomáticas, y ahora toreando la vista de Henrique Capriles, que si bien desorganizada y a destiempo representa una realidad política para nuestro continente. En realidad es Chile quien hubiese debido de invitar a Capriles a visitar Santiago el mismo día que el gobierno de Chile reconoció al de Maduro por formalismo.

Me despido de usted, esperando que si usted no lee esta carta habrá alguien en su entorno que tenga la historia en mente y que por su cuenta sepa explicarle el craso error que tanto usted como el presidente Piñera están haciendo, abandonando al país que tal vez mas ayudó a Chile en el siglo XX. El gobierno de Venezuela hoy en día es un desgobierno de forajidos y por más que ustedes traten de aislarse de este hecho no van a poder evitar las consecuencias de lo que viene encima para Venezuela, algo que de alguna manera afectará a Chile también. Todavía hay tiempo para no abandonar a Venezuela, pero poco.


17 comments:

  1. a qué periódico chileno mandaste tu carta abierta, Daniel?
    y si no, por qué no?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Primero, no creo que ningún periódico chileno se va a preocupar por un blog venezolano.

      segundo la bachelet ya ayudo mucho a chavez con su pasividad.

      tercero, piñera resulto ser aun mas blando con el chavismo que la concertación que por lo menos tiene adentro algunos demócrata cristianos alborotados con lo que pasa en venezuela.

      y para rematar a nadie le importa en chile este asunto de capriles ya que el candidato del gobierno a las presidenciales le dio un yeyo psicológico y están desamparados.

      dicho esto, nada impide que lectores de este blog promocionen este escrito, algo que tendria mas clase que el autor haciéndolo el mismo. :-)

      Delete
  2. Anonymous10:16 PM

    Yo ando también con depresión (un termino mal utilizado pero mas que un yeyo psicológico) desde hace aproximadamente un año y puedo dar testimonio de cuan debilitante es. Soy ingeniero y mi trabajo es intelectual, no gerencial, servicio al publico ni de ventas. El que un ingeniero no pueda concentrarse es equivalente a que un futbolista tenga un accidente en la rodilla: it renders him useless for his work.

    Hasta ahora he evitado la ruta química (antidepresivos) ya que el riesgo de un efecto secundario serio aun es suficiente para disuadirme.

    Como Longueira, yo he estado pensando en renunciar también.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon,
      No sé si esto te sirve de pequeño alivio, el saber que hay una manera de controlar la depre: http://www.stephenfry.com/2013/06/24/only-the-lonely/ .
      Suerte.

      Delete
  3. margareth11:20 PM

    I don't have twitter nor facebook, but I sent your open letter to some friends and family. I think you should send this letter to a newspaper in Chile and elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "I think you should send this letter to a newspaper in Chile and elsewhere."
      Ditto. After all, what good is an open letter to Fulano, if it's kept at a discrete distance from eyes that matter?

      Delete
  4. Anonymous4:51 AM

    La USB recibio gran cantidad de profesores de Chile, en 73-74, muchos de ellos brillantes, aparte de ests caso conozco varios `rofesionales chilenos que vinieron a finales de los 70 y se quedaron aqui

    moses

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lemmy caution8:36 PM

    After that disaster, Capriles may better think about his communication strategy in foreign countries.
    I do remember that at the beginning of german reunification in 1990, there were a lot of perhaps not very rational emotions against that idea from France and England. And most politicians in both countries supported this general (and understandable) sentiment by talking against reunification for some month.
    Politically Chile has fundamentally changed in 2011. A majority sees serious flaws of the model of the last 30 years and they are welcoming change. Like France and Germany at the end of the 60ties, when the very succesfull Governments of Adenauer/Ehrhard and Charles de Gaulle weren't no more capable to satisfy the expectations of the people. Politically interesting times are dangerous, but often they direct a society towards a better path. Bachelet wants to win a election and has to respect the emotions of quite a big part of the Constituency.

    Placards with the house of Diosdado Cabello would have been a much better idea than those with "Presidente electo" I've read about. Chile is not the TV studio of Jaime Bayly in Mega TV! Also I think its a bad idea to praise a model, which about between 60 and 70 percent of Chileans don't see as theirs no more. Its not a question of right or wrong. Its a question of professional politics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think you are confusing issues.

      First, let's wait a little bit before qualifying Capriles trip as a disaster.

      Second, your historical comparisons seem out of place.

      Third, when we speak of "Chilean model" for Venezuela we are discussing a model that was very successful to ensure peace and economic growth. Once that was ensured, the model could not be called a model anymore because it had changed the conditions where it started and OF COURSE, it cannot be considered valid anymore.

      Whatever problems Chile has today, I gladly exchange them for those Venezuela has.

      Delete
    2. Lemmy Caution5:53 AM

      The point I am trying to make is that in International Relations as a representative of a political group you have to take into account the perception of the citizens of that country towards your issues. And in the general publics perception of other countries politics theres often a lot of fuzziness involved. Chileans know a lot less about Venezuela than for example Colombians. Chavismo always has put a lot of effort in public relations. And unfortunatedly their shady propaganda games work to some extent.
      Capriles has visited Chile to gain support for his just cause. So why doesn't his team doesn't adapt his performance towards the playing field in that country? Chileans aren't that into venezuelan politics that they understand those posters of "Capriles presidente electo" in Santiago I have seen via twitter, but can't find no more.
      For those with a more keen interest in such stuff Capriles can count on exelent blogs, but the general public in Chile simply doesn't read you. So they relate chavistan propaganda to their own conflicts, even if its out of place.
      If you really want to spoil your day, read the facebook page of left-wing candidate Marcel Claude, with economics diploma from Université Catholique de Louvain, who worked some years for Chileans Central Bank during the dictatorship. Bachelet competes with him for certain constituiency in first round. The clarity of her victory in this years election will define her weight to determine the politics in a country at cross roads.

      Delete
    3. Why would Chileans read me? I do not read their blogs (though at least I read on occasion Mercurio and Tercera). Venezuela has had a deluxe collection of blogs in English that were the envy of many. But the novelty wore off and now we only get spikes in times of crisis. That is, for better or for worse, the first only use of English written political blogs in countries where the main language is not English.

      As for Capriles. It is not his job to rise Chilean masses. He can only convey the magnitude of the problem to intelligent politicians and let them translate as they see fit for local consumption. And even, hypothetically, HCR were to rouse the masses, burn down the Venezuelan embassy and tie down the rails the Venezuelan embassador so that the funny cars of Valparaiso rode over him to slice him, would that get him the keys of Miraflores?

      Delete
    4. All these attempts, Daniel, to rationalize why you didn't send to the Opinion editor of a Chilean newspaper your worthy-of-consideration Open Letter to Bachelet ....

      Let me try reverse logic.

      Why would Venezuelans read specific articles in Spanish papers, Colombian papers, Peruvian papers, etc., where these discuss an issue related to Vzla? Answer: Because of relationship content. As such, Chileans would be very interested in reading an article in a Vzlan paper (or a blog post) that has something to do with them.

      Let me try a corollary: Why would you pen an open letter to a foreign someone, knowing that they or their handlers would be 99.9% unlikely to read it?

      Let me also try to remind you: In the past 2-3 days, the attempts by Capriles to meet with Chilean officialdom was met with rabble-rousing conflicts from the Chilean left. An opinion from you would not have stopped this rabid left from their protests. But your opinion would have added to greater understanding from other less rabid sectors of Chilean society.

      Finally, what good is it, if you have proficiency, to write, to paint, to photograph, etc. without exhibiting your work, and not just to a small, discrete audience?

      Delete
    5. I understand and agree 100% with what Lemmy Caution says here.

      Daniel, it's not about YOU, it's about the opposition in general and the Capriles PR team.
      These people have to realise we need to inform differently to different people. It's not very intelligent to try to say "oh, if they don't understand us, they are beyond hope/they are stupid".

      The Capriles team has improved a lot but it still has a long way to go. It is completely different to try to convince the US and English Canadian public or the Colombians, who, as Lemmy said, know much more about Venezuela, than to convince Chileans. You need to find the common denominator in Chile. You need to find and talk about the things these guys don't know about Venezuela, you need to realise what kind of slogans and "images" Chileans are tired of.

      This reminds me of a book by Kundera where the Czech was explaining what images a "demo" brought to a guy who grew up in Paris, intellectual left, and a girl who fled from Czechoslovakia...it is possible to bridge the gap, but you need to try to understand the background of these people, get out of your shoes.

      You don't need to become an expert on "sociology" or the like to know this, just get out of your wee group. Don't write messages as a CATHARSIS means but in an intelligent way to grasp the others' attention with things that really matter to them.

      When I talk to a German about Venezuela I speak differently than to a French (I find it actually easier, even if there are PSFs on both sides of the border...but the Germans have now a thing against Führer and love for the Fatherland and the like.
      When I talk to Russians, at least to those with a certain education, it is way easier...simply because they have a system that is similar in certain ways (even if economically not as destructive as ours).

      Don't praise like crazy a system even if you prefer it a thousand times to the system you have now because you don't know what a lot of people in Chile, even among the centre, are thinking.
      Try to find out the common denominators on values and show
      how Chavismo is much further away from that than your values.

      The commies are beyond repair but there are lots of social democrats in Chile that can be won over...you just have to know how to approach them. By the way: AD and other MUD parties are part of the Internacional Socialista...just is just one start. Think about their links etc.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous5:51 AM

    Don't forget that Bachelet was the president of ONU Womens, which was supposed to protect women everywhere, I guess she never heard the Afiuni Case, otherwise her silence goes against everything she stood for in the past few years...

    ReplyDelete
  7. margareth9:22 PM

    After the incident in Chile "porque no te callas" remark of the King of Spain, the whole world knew about Chavez! I bet the Chileans by then knew even more about Venezuela and Chavez!! Would be very strange if Bachelet didn't know anything about Afiuni, because the ONU Womens organisation mention everything in their report.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Daniel,

    It was no surprise that Bachelet acted the way she did .Throughout her government she was supporting Chavez in spite of all his human rights abuses and election frauds.Also she went to visit Castro gave declarations praising him for the pioneer of the Latin American Left.

    The open letter seems to suppose that Bachelet is essentially a democrat before being an ideologue.

    At this point, that many governments are accepting as a "fait acomplit" that Maduro is Venezuela's president , Capriles can ill afford to make blunders on the International scene.

    I just heard that John Kerry is negotiating an agreement with Maduro normalizing relationships.firepigette

    firepigette

    ReplyDelete
  9. lemmy Caution8:45 PM

    even more black
    We are in 2016. President Bachelet has introduced lots of social reforms, the growth rate is a bit lower, but the country seems somehow on track. If there were not only this important sector of the constituency, which demands a much faster and radical course of action. Bachelet uses the bankrupt Venezuela mired in anarchy as a warning example against a change too swift. You would come in handy.

    ReplyDelete

Comments policy:

1) Comments are moderated after the sixth day of publication. It may take up to a day or two for your note to appear then.

2) Your post will appear if you follow the basic polite rules of discourse. I will be ruthless in erasing, as well as those who replied to any off rule comment.


Followers