In Venezuela only: Chavista oath is more important than Hippocratic oath
Purges in the Public Administration

Saturday 20, March 2004

Today was another day of marches in Caracas. It was against the usual themes but with a new urgency considering all the repression tales are coming through louder and louder, against the holding of political prisoners.

I did not go to the march, not feeling well enough for the few hours march under the sun. It seems to have been an interesting march, daring to cross some sections of downtown that are supposed to be pro Chavez. Well, if they are it is not a fervent support. I did not hear of any incident.

There is only one significant piece of information that is worthwhile sharing tonight, and it will earn the Health minister the award Vile Person of the Day, and while we are it, the Vile Moment of the Day. Since I am on my third edition in three days of this award, I should perhaps establish certain rules to make sure people do not think I am doing that out of a mean anti Chavez streak. These awards will be given to people that have made particularly vile statement going against basic reason or human decency. The statements need not to be important or have definite implications. What matters is that they reflect the moral corruption of the regime. And opposition members could deserve such award too in case they lower themselves to levels of the pseudo public servant that we seem to have, though I think that chavismo is on a roll.

The Minister of Health, Roger Capella, has confirmed today that his department would be firing all the doctors and personnel that have signed for the referendum against Chavez. Questioned twice by a Globovision reporter he stated twice that to sign was to conspire against Chavez and that in any country that is what they do to conspirators. And he meant it, the tone was right.

Gone was the Hippocratic oath. Gone were the years of service for low pay. Gone were the equality before the law. Gone was the duty of the state towards curing the people above any consideration.

But if this was the brashest declarations on that matter, it was coming from only one of the many departments that started such witch hunting. This is observed in the workers of the Caracas subway system. Or even in PDVSA where workers that did not join the strike and were hailed as heroes are now fired for having exercised their constitutional right to ask for a referendum.

Fascism, quite simply.