Carlos Ortega, the fallen angel

It is with some nostalgia that I assist to the fall of the once powerful leader who with a simple declaration could launch half a million people in the streets of Caracas, without buses, without booze, without gasoline in the cars.

But contrary to what might have been the first impression of the reader, it is not nostalgia for those days or Carlos Ortega as a leader. I never cared much for him nor for his side-kick Carlos Fernandez, or even Carmona in days now long gone. No, the nostalgia if for those days when the opposition was aware of the evil in front of us. The evil has now met us and the opposition is silent. Saturday there was a small rally to support political prisoners in general while the social column of Roland Carreño in El Nacional was telling us how the visit this week of Pavarotti in his farewell tour gathered at the Teresa Carreño chavistas and escualidos dressed to the hilt and with no cacerolazo. Times have changed. What has not changed is that I could not afford a ticket to go and hear Pavarotti while plenty of chavista officials seem to be able to do so now.

But back to Ortega's plight. His arrest at least demonstrated that he preferred to run in Caracas streets, even play at a local casino rather than take the safer routes of exile. I am not too sure if it was bravery or foolishness, but they did not get anything interesting from the search at his refuge. Wigs, magazines, hair dye, stuff. No weapons, no material to print samizdat, nothing even to suggest a significant role in the opposition leadership. This one indeed seems to have dropped him after having only too willingly followed him in now remote days. Do they think that "forgetting" Ortega will erase their connection with him? Even Ortega own party, Accion Democratica (AD), is paying lip service to defend him (though I assume that they will at least pick the tab for the lawyers that defend Ortega).

But that ignorance of Ortega should not hide the fact that he is very much a political prisoner. And the way the Chavez justice deals with him will be quite telling. Already the indecent gloating of Jesse "James" Chacon would have garnered a dismissal in a normal administration. Quite a cowardly act towards a fallen hero, a gloating not even seen when a famous Iraqi was captured by its enemies. And that Iraqi certainly had committed more crimes than Ortega.

One thing is sure, there will be a trial and Ortega will be in the slammer for quite a while. Chavez never reached trial for the many people killed by his 1992 adventure. Yet for political reasons Caldera released him saying that he should not be prosecuted for his crimes, without actually pardoning him. Chavez has a golden opportunity in front of him if he wants to show that he means reconciliation. He could "forgive" Ortega the way he was "forgiven" himself. My bet is that he will no take that opportunity.

And what about the opposition leadership? The rather intense apathy that followed Ortega's capture should give it pause. But even more, should make them realize that as long as the opposition leadership does not fess up to its mistakes its followers will not go back to street protest or the ballot box. Just as they did not hit the street for Ortega this time.