HERE WE GO AGAIN
Sunday December 1 2002

For the fourth time this year Venezuela is going to experience a major work stoppage. In spite of accepting a referendum petition with almost 2 million signatures (the constitution requires 1.2 million), and its approbation by the main electoral authority, Chavez with his government and his supporters in the Assembly and high court have managed to block it. No wonder, all polls gave him at best 30%. Chavez has clearly shown that he is no better than a Tonton Macoute and freedom is clearly at risk. A general stoppage is pretty much what is left even though the outside world does not think so, considering that after all Chavez went into office by way of elections. But he is fudging elections now, so?

Unfortunately this time things look very dangerous and I am very anxious as the possibility of major trouble is higher than ever. My car gas tank is full, I have drinking water for at least a week, I have food for a week too, even if my refrigerator ceases function. At work I have dismissed everybody for Monday without this time even trying to pretend a moderate approach, just telling them to call on Monday to see if we reopen on Tuesday. Officially the work stoppage is for one or two days but depending of Chavez reactions and the running negotiations, it could become a wide open stoppage.

I really cannot go now into details on why the situation keeps getting worse and looking more and more like April 11 and its fateful consequences. The Friday's editorial of the Washington Post is about as good as it gets on understanding what happens here and better than what I could write now in my rather depressive state at the moment (The New York Times missed it completely a few days ago, not surprisingly since they have been rather weak on South America, contrary to their good reporting on the rest of the world, something I never quite understood from their part).


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52148-2002Nov28.html

Still, the post speaks of tomorrow as a "strike" when actually it is much more than that as not only responsible trade unions will go on strike tomorrow, but business will close doors, education will close doors and health workers will only deal with emergencies. Only public administration under obvious pressures, and Chavez supporters will "work" tomorrow. This is a unique phenomenon where bosses and workers unite against government. No wonder the Post fails to grasp the novelty...

Anyway, I will keep you posted and perhaps write yet another long "history" tomorrow.