No light in the attic: unenlightened chavismo and a lightless Venezuela

The news today is yet again another massive blackout in Venezuela. It is not clear how much of the country was cut off as amazingly government seems to be clueless. But I can say that San Felipe was more than 3 hours without electricity, some areas of Caracas are still not back up on the grid and Valencia was wiped out, hospitals only starting to get back some service around 5 PM. Maybe Gustav was bearing down on Louisiana but hurricane Hugo keeps in its never ending quest to destroy Venezuela.

Though I felt for those trapped in Caracas overburdened subway today, this massive blackout was a good opportunity to think about a few things and get back into posting mood. There was this very nice article by Roger Santodomingo this morning in Tal Cual, which I could read before the computers went out (here, for those without a subscription). The topic was the censorship that Maripili Hernandez imposes at Canal I. Some background is needed.

Maripili Hernandez is one of those chavistas that are presentable. She can say several full sentences in a row without being improper, something that Chavez himself is unable to do. She does have some knowledge of the world and some professional dedication, though in her case it does not seem to be very productive. She was on board with Chavez from the start but somehow never quite made it up to the inner circle. Or was dropped form it. Whatever. She was briefly foreign minister for North America, about the only chavista that could be sent there. On many an occasion I had the opportunity to expose her in this blog, in particular in such a stellar moment as her patriotic histrionics. Gustavo Coronel has also told her down.

But apparently she did something improper as she is the only chavista of some weight that was also inhabilitada by Clodosvaldo, that is, barred from seeking political office without a trial. But that is not big deal for her: she obviously is not into electoral politics and besides now she has her own TV network, Canal I.

Canal I was inaugurated over a year ago by one of those chavista groups that made millions in half a decade of chavista rule (William Ruperti is the face). It is meant to be the counter weight of Globovision but, well, it is having trouble as it is just too obviously pro Chavez, not to mention far from the professional standards of Globovision or even Venevision (heck, not even a working web page!). I did try to watch it a few times, hoping that perhaps I would get a more palatable point of view of chavismo ideas. But quickly I realized that I was better off reading directly Aporrea or watching Alo Presidente on Sundays.

At any rate, Ruperti did hire Maripili to direct the new network. That was a gamble form the start as Maripili presided over the downgrading of VTV early in Chavez term. I think, in her discharge, that she did not agree with the 24/24 propaganda nature of VTV and found a way out. But her tenure was considered a failure and her jobs hereafter were in the great chavista tradition of mediocrity and incompetence. Then again, if Ruperti did not want to get into trouble with Canal I, hiring Maripli was a good move I suppose.

So Roger Santodomingo narrates in his article today how Maripili fired one of her journalists, Mairim Unamo, because she wanted to do a piece on the Antonini trial starting in Miami this week, as Miguel is following closely. That is right, Maripili Hernandez, once a defender of free speech is now your ordinary censor once her political side is threatened by an exploding scandal which revelations would undo any normal government. It will not undo this one because well, there is justice in the US but not in Venezuela.

This poses once again several questions. One, is what are chavistas thinking? How long can they pretend that what is happening in Miami is just a media conspiracy? That the 800 000 USD bag did not exist, or was just Antonini pocket money for his Argentina vacation? There is a point where you can legitimately start wondering about the mental capacity of these people such as Maripili who in a previous life had still some self respect. Now, the more the ship sinks the more willing they are to sink with it it, or so it seems.

But the answer to this first question can come from the second question: what is their concept of democracy? We have already seen that often: for chavista hard core defenders the only democratic credential chavismo, and Chavez, need is to win elections. The more often they win them, the more they are allowed to trample minority rights. That when they were a minority their rights were not that trampled, witness of it that eventually they came to power, does not seem to cross their feeble minds.

But what can you expect from true understudies like Maripli when her real boss this week attacked the opposition once again in a totally undemocratic way? Apparently Chavez was sore because the opposition is collecting signatures to protest the 26 laws from the enabling law and to send that to the OAS (I signed, by the way, did you?). Why is the opposition sending that to the OAS? Because there is no justice in Venezuela and because the High Court already approved some of these laws BEFORE they were known by the public in general, or a legitimate debate took place in the country.

So a very miffed Chavez replied to the folks gathering the petition that they were ridiculous and that what he should do is to ask for a new enabling law and stick to them 26 more decree laws. That is right, he just spoke like the neighborhood thug he is ("clavarle", with a sexual connotation), imposing his will and only interested in finding ways to screw his opponents and control his turf. HIS, is the operative word here. Not an ounce of democratic talent here. So, why should we expect democratic talent from Maripili?

But they are not making good progress. For all the efforts to ignore the Maletin, for all the self-censorship we saw for too long in the Venezuelan media (with the notable exception of Globovision and some bloggers who never forgot the issue), we are seeing again articles on the coming up trial making it to the front pages. Maripili might have fired Mairim but it might not be enough to save some of her superiors. Then again, we could ask a third question: is she able to understand what is going on in the country? I doubt it, the light in those attics was shuffled long before the country went blank today.

-The end-

A candid confession from the director of the state TV, VTV

Or how he is there for propaganda purposes

Tuesday 17, February 2004

People that have read some of my past posts will know that I admire Milagros Socorro as a journalist and columnist (Reconciliation, 10.05.2003). Last week she undertook what was likely going to be a thankless task, to interview the newly appointed head of the Venezuelan state TV, Vladimir Villegas, who was ambassador to Brazil until last fall. The interview hit the newspaper El Nacional on Sunday, one day after the dismal and incredibly biased coverage of the opposition march of last Saturday by VTV. When you read the interview you can understand why VTV has sunk so low. I have put the Spanish complete text in my documents section for those that can read Spanish and do not have access to EL Nacional web site which is paid service. Below I will only give a translation of choice excerpts.

First, to set the tone of the interview:

MS: I was referring to the governmental propaganda which is presented as information

VV: But information is one thing and propaganda is another. We cannot confuse them.

MS: They are confused in VTV.

VV: I could say that the propaganda of the opposition is included in the programming of the private broadcasters.

Then we move on to some more direct confrontation.

MS: In my newspaper...

VV: In the newspaper where you work…

MS: There are a few journalists and columnists who are chavista. How many journalists or talk show hosts in VTV are not chavista?

VV: I do not know. I have not asked anyone as to them belonging to the government or the opposition. Some I know them and I am aware of their position but I did not come in with the idea of performing a journalistic maccarthysm or to index anyone.

MS: When the VTV journalists perform their duties, how many of them express a critical regard or independence vis a vis the government?

VV: Our journalist express themselves according to our informational policies. In El Nacional journalist know which are the parameters of information and act accordingly. In VTV journalists know where they are working and what is the informative policy.

MS: I insist, in El Nacional there are chavista journalist and columnists, not chavista but in the center, and, because they know where they are working they say as they please.

VV: I do not know these journalists that say what they want in El Nacional.

MS: No? So Maripili Hernández does not write as she pleases?

VV: She is a columnist.

MS: I told you of journalists and columnists.

VV: I do not know whether the theme of this interview is EL Nacional but we can discuss a lot of things about this newspaper such as the informational line, the headlines, the manner in which some journalists include opinion in their reports. Yourself have frequently mentioned that the line is crossed that should separate information from opinion.

MS: Yes, I said so in El Nacional and not behind closed doors. How many VTV journalists may say that they criticize what is done in their work surroundings?

The exchange becomes quickly acrimonious and is interrupted. Eventually tempers cool down and the interview is continues.

Now the pearl of the interview!

VV: I came to VTV as a politician, not a journalist. [snip] I am going to be clear with you, we are in a fight. You were asking me for the informative equilibrium of VTV because you see the company as an isolated entity and that is not correct. [snip] The opposition media in general are asking VTV an equilibrium that they are very far from exhibiting. I am besieged here, that is the truth, against the permanent lies of 5 TV stations. Do not ask me for equilibrium in information when we are in the middle of a battle. In this battle neither myself or VTV is impartial. The station took sides. That VTV belongs to the state, so what! The signal of the commercial TV also belongs to the state and those who were given a concession supported and promoted the forces that tried to unseat the government and close this station signal which is effectively from the state. [snip] It is not a matter to justify myself, Milagros, it is about acting according to one's beliefs. You are asking me to behave like a journalist and to give you a good interview. You say that I defrauded you. The one in the wrong is you: you must interview me as a politician, as the president of a political institution.

My comments now. Mr. Villegas is of course acting with bad faith from his side of the ideological divide that rifts our country. The unaware reader might indeed think that poor Mr. Villegas is besieged. But Mr. Villegas forgets a few crucial things:

1. If VTV was closed briefly in April 2002 it had already been abandoned by its staff who run away as soon as they heard that Chavez had resigned. Nobody was there to wait for the "new administration", or even to pose as martyr for the freedom of the people. They run away ASAP. And the "new administration" did not even set up guard since when Carmona showed his first signs of weakness chavismo was able to re-activate VTV fast.

2. Chavez has done several actions against the private media that justify this one to feel as besieged as VTV seems to feel. Be it the menacing throngs that were sent one night at the early days of the general strike, or be it the seizure of the short-wave communication system of Globovision.

3. The journalists that are assaulted in the streets doing their job to gather news are 99% from private media and not the expected 83.4% if indeed there were 6 broadcasting system at war in Caracas. But perhaps VTV journalists are not assaulted because they do not bother to cover opposisiton events? "Opposition journalists" do risk their lives to go and cover chavista events even when they are frequently barred from covering these events, in particular if Chavez attends.

But more importantly. Mr Villegas fails to mention the hours and hours of cadenas that the private media must endure. He fails to mention that VTV is funded at taxpayer money. He fails to mention that opposition TV always complains that chavistas are reluctant to go to their talk shows unless something big happens. Etc…

Simply put, Vladimir Villegas is a self made victim of the chavista paranoia that exists now.

And of course we know now why VTV has stepped up its offensive by character assassination such as last Saturday.