UPDATED.
Reader Syd sent me that link to interview yesterday of Renée Fregosi. The interview is in French but in case some of you can understand I am putting it up anyway because she is the best, more coherent, more rational, more subtle "specialists" on Venezuela I have heard (and I have watched a lot of CNN notable guests....). As I was watching the interview I was my usual on edge, ready to find fault as I am doing every time these days. I did not find a mistake. Then again basically all what she says has been written through the posts of this blog in recent days, from electoral fraud to the abandonment by Latin America. So maybe I am biased :)
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Exit Globovision
I was at a small social gathering when through twitter we learned that Leopoldo Castillo, the anchor for 12 years of Alo Ciudadano, was quitting. Thus ended the party. Thus died the last independent talk show on Venezuelan TV, and I dare say Globovision. As of tonight there is no TV network in Venezuela that has a critical view of the regime: all are either outright propaganda or neutered journalism that passes as little as possible unfavorable news for the regime. If any. Now, to get a more complete view of the news in Venezuela, the real news, the real problems, you need to read more than one newspaper, you need to scour through Internet, and if you are lucky you live in a town that has still some semi independent radio stations (independent radio stations seem to be rare these days, and only in major centers). But TV is out.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Comparing Venezuela and Egypt. NOT! Musings on youth protest...
Even though this blog likes historical coincidences readers will have noticed that I have stayed clear from the latest Egyptian revolution cum coup. For one thing, my allergy to anything military, reinforced by the utter corruption and amorality of the military in charge of the Venezuelan regime. Nothing good comes from military and for a single de Gaulle or Eisenhower you have scores of creeps like Chavez or Velasco Alvarado. But apparently some are not so coy and reach the pages of the NYT OpEd.
Thursday, May 02, 2013
BBC "imprecision": who is at fault, the lousy journalists or the Capriles/CSB media people?
When I read the account of the BBC for the latest "punch up" in Venezuela's assembly I have to wonder about whether the journalist(s) in charge are clueless or biased pro Maduro; or the press folks at the Comando Simon Bolivar (CSB) are failing dismally in their task of informing accurately the foreign press. Which is the right one? Or should I shudder at the thought that both ideas are right?
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
A quick review of the big anglo media: El Pais wins
UPDATED
First, this does not include the NYT because I have already exhausted my quota of free articles...
Second, there is enough elsewhere anyway to figure out that after 14 years of chavismo and Venezuela allegedly focused attention, too many of them still do not understand what is really going on, while a segment in that group seems sorry that Chavez may go, probably thinking still that he is the dreamed for socialist knight. Oh well...
Are we talking about the same country?
First, this does not include the NYT because I have already exhausted my quota of free articles...
Second, there is enough elsewhere anyway to figure out that after 14 years of chavismo and Venezuela allegedly focused attention, too many of them still do not understand what is really going on, while a segment in that group seems sorry that Chavez may go, probably thinking still that he is the dreamed for socialist knight. Oh well...
Are we talking about the same country?
Thursday, June 07, 2012
The 2012 French Vote: the Venezuelan representative
After voting for president a few weeks ago, last Saturday for the first time ever I was allowed to vote for a Representative to the French National Assembly. And it was quite a tale of woe, worthy of a Venezuelan "telenovela".
Friday, June 19, 2009
Iran early lessons
OK, someone must start speculating on the consequences of what is keeping us riveted on the news this week.
Established Facts
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might have won the election but whatever the real margin of victory he might have got, his victory is desperately tarnished. He is a lame duck president from almost election day. It is to be doubted that he will finish his mandate as if nothing.
After 30 years of of Islamic Revolution, the model is exhausted, as any undemocratic model always gets exhausted. It is the law of history: it can last as much as the 70 something years of the USSR or the 12 years of the 1000 years Reich, but authoritarian models always exhaust themselves one way or the other.
The information system as we know it has irremediably changed.
Implications
I would not dare to speculate on Iran's fate: I simply do not know enough about it. I always had a gut feeling that an Ayatollah regime was no good news and I was one of the very people in my very leftist college of the time to be scared by Khomeini. All my colleagues were simply pickled pink that the Shah was out, regardless of who kicked him out. I was frowned upon but time has proved me right.
At the very least what we see going on in Iran is a major rift in the power structure, sore and cranky after 30 years of doing as it pleased. The end? Who knows. Maybe a pact between factions to avoid the regime to fall? An extension at best. Maybe a civil war? It would not last long: with the Basji and the militant country side repression will eventually win a temporary hollow victory and the new Iran will be a mess as new forms of internal terrorism will appear without a doubt. Will a FARC like situation that will never end develop? With all the rivaling interest in that area of the world we can be sure that there will be enough people willing to let and help the Iran situation fester.
What the Ayatollahs did not foresee was that the education they gave to many Iranians was going to fire back at them so badly. What we could call already the Twitter revolution has changed the political dealing all across the world. What we sensed as early as during the unsuccessful Dean Internet presidential campaign in the US has now become a full fledged mass movement able to unseat a regime. Maybe not Iran today but a lot of other countries have been served notice.
What happened? Massification of Internet in urban centers has met and created a generation of technologically educated youths. Maybe not that educated in other aspects such as political orthodoxy, but educated in the ways of the world where through Twitter and Facebook they can date as they cannot date in the streets. And this is not a cheesy example when you know that young women in Tehran streets are routinely asked by the Basji to tighten their scarf/tchador, not hold hands, etc... To these people Facebook was a taste of freedom that prepared them excellently for what is happening today in Tehran.
The shift to the Internet as a major source of information is now complete. We were not quite aware of it and we would have never expected Iran to tell it to us, so crudely, almost. Even this blogger only got to Twitter two days ago. That does not mean that newspapers are dead: few bloggers will ever be able to do and to write the deep research needed on many issues, a depth that can only be offered by newspapers, not even TV news too worried about the now, right now ratings war. A major realignment in the media is to be expected everywhere in the world.
And thus we come to the real objective of this post: what will Chavez (and China, and Belarus, and Cuba) do to stop Internet, text messaging, Twitter, etc....? I do not know what they are going to do though it is predictable that major Internet progress in China and Cuba is now going to be less likely. But can Chavez put the genie back in the box? Right now at Miraflores they know, without a doubt, that closing Globovision will simply accelerate the development of alternative Internet media that can be even more dangerous as it cannot be easily controlled or sanctioned for spreading lies as needed. We are back to the era of the samizdat. Chavismo is simply faced with the daunting task of a massive media control of which Globovision might be the easiest part.
The ones who have a clearer panorama now are the opposition political leaders: they have a few months, not too many but a few, to organize a network system that will come in handy at election time and even better, at repression time. Internet maybe "no sube cerros" but SMS and phone based mail or Twitter "si puede subir cerros". (sube cerros, Venezuelan equivalent of will it play in Peoria? If your program reaches the extensive uphill shanty towns of Caracas, cerros, your chances of being elected increase.)
-The end-
Established Facts
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might have won the election but whatever the real margin of victory he might have got, his victory is desperately tarnished. He is a lame duck president from almost election day. It is to be doubted that he will finish his mandate as if nothing.
After 30 years of of Islamic Revolution, the model is exhausted, as any undemocratic model always gets exhausted. It is the law of history: it can last as much as the 70 something years of the USSR or the 12 years of the 1000 years Reich, but authoritarian models always exhaust themselves one way or the other.
The information system as we know it has irremediably changed.
Implications
I would not dare to speculate on Iran's fate: I simply do not know enough about it. I always had a gut feeling that an Ayatollah regime was no good news and I was one of the very people in my very leftist college of the time to be scared by Khomeini. All my colleagues were simply pickled pink that the Shah was out, regardless of who kicked him out. I was frowned upon but time has proved me right.
At the very least what we see going on in Iran is a major rift in the power structure, sore and cranky after 30 years of doing as it pleased. The end? Who knows. Maybe a pact between factions to avoid the regime to fall? An extension at best. Maybe a civil war? It would not last long: with the Basji and the militant country side repression will eventually win a temporary hollow victory and the new Iran will be a mess as new forms of internal terrorism will appear without a doubt. Will a FARC like situation that will never end develop? With all the rivaling interest in that area of the world we can be sure that there will be enough people willing to let and help the Iran situation fester.
What the Ayatollahs did not foresee was that the education they gave to many Iranians was going to fire back at them so badly. What we could call already the Twitter revolution has changed the political dealing all across the world. What we sensed as early as during the unsuccessful Dean Internet presidential campaign in the US has now become a full fledged mass movement able to unseat a regime. Maybe not Iran today but a lot of other countries have been served notice.
What happened? Massification of Internet in urban centers has met and created a generation of technologically educated youths. Maybe not that educated in other aspects such as political orthodoxy, but educated in the ways of the world where through Twitter and Facebook they can date as they cannot date in the streets. And this is not a cheesy example when you know that young women in Tehran streets are routinely asked by the Basji to tighten their scarf/tchador, not hold hands, etc... To these people Facebook was a taste of freedom that prepared them excellently for what is happening today in Tehran.
The shift to the Internet as a major source of information is now complete. We were not quite aware of it and we would have never expected Iran to tell it to us, so crudely, almost. Even this blogger only got to Twitter two days ago. That does not mean that newspapers are dead: few bloggers will ever be able to do and to write the deep research needed on many issues, a depth that can only be offered by newspapers, not even TV news too worried about the now, right now ratings war. A major realignment in the media is to be expected everywhere in the world.
And thus we come to the real objective of this post: what will Chavez (and China, and Belarus, and Cuba) do to stop Internet, text messaging, Twitter, etc....? I do not know what they are going to do though it is predictable that major Internet progress in China and Cuba is now going to be less likely. But can Chavez put the genie back in the box? Right now at Miraflores they know, without a doubt, that closing Globovision will simply accelerate the development of alternative Internet media that can be even more dangerous as it cannot be easily controlled or sanctioned for spreading lies as needed. We are back to the era of the samizdat. Chavismo is simply faced with the daunting task of a massive media control of which Globovision might be the easiest part.
The ones who have a clearer panorama now are the opposition political leaders: they have a few months, not too many but a few, to organize a network system that will come in handy at election time and even better, at repression time. Internet maybe "no sube cerros" but SMS and phone based mail or Twitter "si puede subir cerros". (sube cerros, Venezuelan equivalent of will it play in Peoria? If your program reaches the extensive uphill shanty towns of Caracas, cerros, your chances of being elected increase.)
-The end-
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Media in Venezuela; nobody seems to get the reality
If I am able on rare occasions to praise a post from Francisco Toro, I must this time suspend briefly my self imposed rule not to discuss negatively my fellow bloggers and point how particularly naïve a post of his is: The Pundit.
The premise of the latest post from Quico, visiting Venezuela after many years of absence, is to meet with local media folks so as to catch up on the actual Venezuelan mood and what he has missed. And also to look for help to a project of his. “The Pundit” of said post who welcomes Quico to some bar where he is an habitué is apparently someone with a media show of sorts. The conclusion is that the Venezuelan media sucks and we can almost read in between lines that they had it coming, even if they make sure we know they deplore it. Many things might sound right but are in fact dead wrong.
For one thing in the XXI century, in an age of media speed and feeding frenzy, all private media in the world behaves more or less as the Venezuelan does. True, a case can be made that the Venezuelan media, in particular in 2001 and 2002 might have behaved worse that its peers elsewhere, but that is really irrelevant. We could start by pointing out that if private media bias can become insufferable, public media bias in places with no checks and balances is even more insufferable. For example, what has FOX being doing during the last US presidential election, and today? What about the extraordinary forgiveness by the Liberal media on the gaps of Obama's resume? Just to name a recent and well documented example.
The exercise that The Pundit gives in front of what we must call a naïve Quico is simply abuse. After all, The Pundit seems not only to live off well of a system he decries privately so strongly, but we do not get any sense of his own personal engagement, risk taking, at making things better. In other words there is absolutely nothing endearing in The Pundit, only personal agenda and vanity and we are forced to forgive Quico for not probing further since on his own admission he was seeking funds for his project.
The most galling part of this Quico interview of sorts is not the obvious points I made above. More can be noted, but for me the worse is the lack of understanding from each part on how the media works today in Venezuela, besides the already well known scarecrows duly and conveniently mentioned. Apparently in their arrogance, all in the media, from chavismo to characters such as The Pundit have a deficient knowledge of the function of what remote controls are for. If people in Venezuela watch Globovision or VTV it is because they actually want to watch it, the more so if they do it through a cable subscription which carries at the very least a couple of dozen of broadcast channels. Complaining that it is a scheme, that people allow themselves to be manipulated by such media misses the fact that the decried manipulation is eagerly sought by most.
I do detect an intellectual arrogance in the discussion of Quico and The Pundit about the type of media that should exist that I detect equally well in chavista reasoning when it pretends to impose on us its “hegemonia comunicacional” picked up in some Marxist treaty that I cannot be bothered to look for. It is the “we know what is best for you”. Maybe they do, but it does not work that way. The Pundit or Chavez are upset about the screams of people protesting against abuse of power and poor public services that seem to be in an endless loop at Globovision, which leads to the constant editorializing, but that is the reality of the country and that is what people want to watch when they watch the news. Maybe not in some Caracas effete circles where for snobbish reasons or political ones Globovision is pooh-poohed routinely but in the country side of Venezuela or in the dilapidated hills of Caracas people want to see their lives reflected.
Any media measurement, that I have been made aware of, shows consistently that the state communicational apparatus ranks well below the rest of the media in viewers. VTV, the flagship propaganda of Chavez media floats around a 5%, the other well below. Globovision by itself, with an open market limited to Caracas and Valencia only, often beats VTV which is available in all of the country. And if Venevision whose owner, very capitalist Cisneros, had no problem reach an arrangement with Chavez has good ratings it does not get them from its nightly news.
It is true that historically the media in Venezuela had chosen its political candidate. Chavez himself was given plenty or air time, way more than he deserved, and was all but flatly endorsed by newspapers that today are its most strident and even unreasonable opponents, such as El Nacional. At least El Universal has had the merit to oppose Chavez since 1992 and as such has a record of consistency and integrity unmatched by any other media or newspaper of Venezuela. But that historical awareness is not today’s problem. At all times the opposition had access to all the media, more or less perhaps, more or less favorably perhaps, but access at least through paid advertisement. The objective since 2003 is that any political opposition has as little access as possible while through cadenas the power has an overwhelming presence.
Try to put yourself in the shoes of a barrio inhabitant at, say, Caucaguita which I mentioned in this blog. They might turn on to Globovision to get a perverse weather forecast of which are the most dangerous areas of Caracas. But they are also subjected to hours and hours of Chavez cadenas filled up with relentless accusations and excuses. These people are simply not prepared to resist such a brutal aggression and find it simpler to keep voting for Chavez instead of starting questioning why is that Chavez still keeps them in the same misery after a decade. True, through free aspirin at a Barrio Adentro, some subsidized food at Mercal, their material well being might have improved some. But “well beings” qualified otherwise than material have not benefited at all. And yet, for all Chavez effort, his popular base is eroding at Caucaguita, slowly but surely.
Does that erosion come from The Pundit show? From Globovision nightly news? From the reality in the streets? The Pundit and Quico do not know what is going on in Caucaguita inhabitants mind. If they understood what I wrote above the tenor of Quico’s post would be very different and way more substantive. But they can find some comfort in that not even VTV understands today the Caucaguita mind.
For all its vices and our disgust at the debasing in news perhaps the harsh truth is that Caucaguita inhabitants liked to watch RCTV nightly news, liked to watch its tawdry game shows, liked to watch its silly novellas and like to watch Globovision today even if they might be forced to play it at low volume in their slums so that their chavista neighbor does not harass them the next day. But chavismo does understand one thing, that people must be deprived from watching what they want to watch, taste and intellectuality not being a consideration whatsoever when it is decided what is suitable watching.
Politics cannot be limited to a given blog, to a given newspaper, to a given media empire. All may have an effect at their local reach, but only local even for a brutal Chavez cadena of hours. It is disheartening to read the waste of time that the meeting between Quico and The Pundit was because when we read such stuff we understand that Chavez has still many happy days left for him at Miraflores. They say that Chavez has played with the media at will but they do not realize that he has played with them both equally well.
-The end-
The premise of the latest post from Quico, visiting Venezuela after many years of absence, is to meet with local media folks so as to catch up on the actual Venezuelan mood and what he has missed. And also to look for help to a project of his. “The Pundit” of said post who welcomes Quico to some bar where he is an habitué is apparently someone with a media show of sorts. The conclusion is that the Venezuelan media sucks and we can almost read in between lines that they had it coming, even if they make sure we know they deplore it. Many things might sound right but are in fact dead wrong.
For one thing in the XXI century, in an age of media speed and feeding frenzy, all private media in the world behaves more or less as the Venezuelan does. True, a case can be made that the Venezuelan media, in particular in 2001 and 2002 might have behaved worse that its peers elsewhere, but that is really irrelevant. We could start by pointing out that if private media bias can become insufferable, public media bias in places with no checks and balances is even more insufferable. For example, what has FOX being doing during the last US presidential election, and today? What about the extraordinary forgiveness by the Liberal media on the gaps of Obama's resume? Just to name a recent and well documented example.
The exercise that The Pundit gives in front of what we must call a naïve Quico is simply abuse. After all, The Pundit seems not only to live off well of a system he decries privately so strongly, but we do not get any sense of his own personal engagement, risk taking, at making things better. In other words there is absolutely nothing endearing in The Pundit, only personal agenda and vanity and we are forced to forgive Quico for not probing further since on his own admission he was seeking funds for his project.
The most galling part of this Quico interview of sorts is not the obvious points I made above. More can be noted, but for me the worse is the lack of understanding from each part on how the media works today in Venezuela, besides the already well known scarecrows duly and conveniently mentioned. Apparently in their arrogance, all in the media, from chavismo to characters such as The Pundit have a deficient knowledge of the function of what remote controls are for. If people in Venezuela watch Globovision or VTV it is because they actually want to watch it, the more so if they do it through a cable subscription which carries at the very least a couple of dozen of broadcast channels. Complaining that it is a scheme, that people allow themselves to be manipulated by such media misses the fact that the decried manipulation is eagerly sought by most.
I do detect an intellectual arrogance in the discussion of Quico and The Pundit about the type of media that should exist that I detect equally well in chavista reasoning when it pretends to impose on us its “hegemonia comunicacional” picked up in some Marxist treaty that I cannot be bothered to look for. It is the “we know what is best for you”. Maybe they do, but it does not work that way. The Pundit or Chavez are upset about the screams of people protesting against abuse of power and poor public services that seem to be in an endless loop at Globovision, which leads to the constant editorializing, but that is the reality of the country and that is what people want to watch when they watch the news. Maybe not in some Caracas effete circles where for snobbish reasons or political ones Globovision is pooh-poohed routinely but in the country side of Venezuela or in the dilapidated hills of Caracas people want to see their lives reflected.
Any media measurement, that I have been made aware of, shows consistently that the state communicational apparatus ranks well below the rest of the media in viewers. VTV, the flagship propaganda of Chavez media floats around a 5%, the other well below. Globovision by itself, with an open market limited to Caracas and Valencia only, often beats VTV which is available in all of the country. And if Venevision whose owner, very capitalist Cisneros, had no problem reach an arrangement with Chavez has good ratings it does not get them from its nightly news.
It is true that historically the media in Venezuela had chosen its political candidate. Chavez himself was given plenty or air time, way more than he deserved, and was all but flatly endorsed by newspapers that today are its most strident and even unreasonable opponents, such as El Nacional. At least El Universal has had the merit to oppose Chavez since 1992 and as such has a record of consistency and integrity unmatched by any other media or newspaper of Venezuela. But that historical awareness is not today’s problem. At all times the opposition had access to all the media, more or less perhaps, more or less favorably perhaps, but access at least through paid advertisement. The objective since 2003 is that any political opposition has as little access as possible while through cadenas the power has an overwhelming presence.
Try to put yourself in the shoes of a barrio inhabitant at, say, Caucaguita which I mentioned in this blog. They might turn on to Globovision to get a perverse weather forecast of which are the most dangerous areas of Caracas. But they are also subjected to hours and hours of Chavez cadenas filled up with relentless accusations and excuses. These people are simply not prepared to resist such a brutal aggression and find it simpler to keep voting for Chavez instead of starting questioning why is that Chavez still keeps them in the same misery after a decade. True, through free aspirin at a Barrio Adentro, some subsidized food at Mercal, their material well being might have improved some. But “well beings” qualified otherwise than material have not benefited at all. And yet, for all Chavez effort, his popular base is eroding at Caucaguita, slowly but surely.
Does that erosion come from The Pundit show? From Globovision nightly news? From the reality in the streets? The Pundit and Quico do not know what is going on in Caucaguita inhabitants mind. If they understood what I wrote above the tenor of Quico’s post would be very different and way more substantive. But they can find some comfort in that not even VTV understands today the Caucaguita mind.
For all its vices and our disgust at the debasing in news perhaps the harsh truth is that Caucaguita inhabitants liked to watch RCTV nightly news, liked to watch its tawdry game shows, liked to watch its silly novellas and like to watch Globovision today even if they might be forced to play it at low volume in their slums so that their chavista neighbor does not harass them the next day. But chavismo does understand one thing, that people must be deprived from watching what they want to watch, taste and intellectuality not being a consideration whatsoever when it is decided what is suitable watching.
Politics cannot be limited to a given blog, to a given newspaper, to a given media empire. All may have an effect at their local reach, but only local even for a brutal Chavez cadena of hours. It is disheartening to read the waste of time that the meeting between Quico and The Pundit was because when we read such stuff we understand that Chavez has still many happy days left for him at Miraflores. They say that Chavez has played with the media at will but they do not realize that he has played with them both equally well.
-The end-
Friday, May 08, 2009
Globovision threatened once again
And to close an already hectic day, the government had no better idea to confirm all the abuses it is accused to commit by foreign organizations (EU an IACHR just today) but to send once again papers to Globovision that should this time close it for 72 hours. Or worse.
We must remember that earlier this year Globovision was very threatened but the decision to proceed to a referendum cooled off chavismo impulses. But now that protests increase daily in Venezuela as the "economic Chavez miracle" is unraveling faster than expected, well, Globovision needs to be shut down so people do not know what is going on in the country, even if they know first hand anyway. Or so goes the chavista theory.
The excuse? That Globovision spoke before the government spoke after the mini quake of last Monday. Apparently that was an invitation to public disorder and an attack to the security of the state (anything that goes agaisnt chavismo these days seems to attempt agaisnt the security of the state). In other words the government is giving a new meaning to "shoot the messenger", where news are only news when they are announced by the state first. As an example of chavista stupidity, and meanness, it is nearly matchless.
-The end-
We must remember that earlier this year Globovision was very threatened but the decision to proceed to a referendum cooled off chavismo impulses. But now that protests increase daily in Venezuela as the "economic Chavez miracle" is unraveling faster than expected, well, Globovision needs to be shut down so people do not know what is going on in the country, even if they know first hand anyway. Or so goes the chavista theory.
The excuse? That Globovision spoke before the government spoke after the mini quake of last Monday. Apparently that was an invitation to public disorder and an attack to the security of the state (anything that goes agaisnt chavismo these days seems to attempt agaisnt the security of the state). In other words the government is giving a new meaning to "shoot the messenger", where news are only news when they are announced by the state first. As an example of chavista stupidity, and meanness, it is nearly matchless.
-The end-
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Frontline on Chavez: The Hugo Chavez show
I have been told about the Frontline report on Chavez coming up next week in PBS, but already up on the web. Unfortunately in San Felipe my broadband is hardly better than a good dial up on a good day. I have watched its chapters anyway, this whole evening before the election, and it is excellent. They have talked to the right people (and read certain blogs that shall remain nameless?).
My sole criticism, and a light one, was for the third segment. They did not quite get April 2002. They started that segment on Caracas poverty with a Direct TV antenna in the middle of the shanty they were filming. We would see more of these Direct TV dishes when they discuss the RCTV closing. No comments on that but viewers will be able to figure it themselves, I hope anyway. But they get so many things right that we can forgive them not to understand the legend woven April 2002. For example, they are clear about oil nationalized in 1976 and not as the PSF of the world want us to think: by Chavez in 2003. They also bring the boliburguesia "boligarchs" through its biggest figure, Ruperti. Very unflattering portrait. Discretely but surely they show that business sweet deals with he government is still at the core of Venezuela, revolution or not.... I loved it!
The cooperative chapter is brilliant. They compare the textile one that is shown to "political tourists" while they are sewing bunches of red clothing! And after they show a real cooperative, of the kind not shown to visitors, left on its own, without any business training, left to a slow death. And the end of that chapter they go on to housing construction cooperatives; we see the guy that is still waiting to get paid while the "la Suiza" subsidized development lays idle, stopped on its track once Chavez monitored the inauguration of the first building and moved on to some new interest. Fabulous! With savaged tractor bonus!
The chapter on freedom of expression is excellent at illustrating how freedom of expression is still exerted at least by some within the opposition (the self censorship issue is not addressed) but showing how such freedom of expression does not exist within chavismo ranks. We get two examples of awful scolding of chavista supporters, an activist humiliated in an Alo Presidente and Eleazar Diaz Rangel who shows to us that he accepts his scolding as the abject sycophant he has become. It is amazing that Diaz Rangel would have thought that he would have fooled Frontline with such lame excuses!!! But what is better is that Teodoro Petkoff explains clearly how the terrorizing of his supporters is an effective weapon for Chavez to control them. Fascism anyone?
The sketch on the general scolding in Barinas during an Alo Presidente is almost alien. The discomfiture of his ministers and local notables is pathetic. Colette Capriles tells us how Alo Presidente is used to show Chavez making all the good decisions while making sure that all believe his staff responsible for the bad ones. (my note: Yeah, it works up to a point because eventually people start wondering about why Chavez cannot get good help). That sketch is going to be devastating in the US where management principles are held seriously by employees and boss alike. I sure hope, if anything, that Obama watches that single minute of the show. As a contrast on how he is running his transition it cannot get any better!
Frontline also gets with simplicity to the Tascon list business without even needing to name the little man. Simply, a list came out and was used to destroy careers, showing how dangerous it was to oppose the bolivarian revolution. Clean, to the point, eliciting interest for the audience to find more about the subject. Quality documentary at work. No wonder Izarrita already protested the Frontline show. Wait for next Tuesday when it hits US TV.
There are other goodies too, such as when Rory Caroll was duly insulted in an Alo Presidente, with Europe along the way, by Chavez (which was also one of my memorable 2007 posts by the way, giving me the motivation to create that wonderful common project for readers to discuss the constitutional reform). Frontline points out that the Guardian is a "Liberal paper" to make sure that the US audience understands well that chavismo has long ceased to have anything to do with Liberal issues.
And they also get a teary interview of a victim from kidnapping and how his family did not get ANY help from officials. Never mind the pharmacist who runs his business behind a self imposed cage.
The show ends with the frame of two texts. Before it discussed the NO victory and the refusal by Chavez to gracefully acknowledge defeat. This was probably the time at which the documentary was run. Since then it went under editing but more things happened and FRONTLINE ends the documentary with two texts.
There, no allusions, no hints, Frontline says it all with facts, images and words, too many from Chavez himself to allow anyone to deny the conclusion. The Venezuelan embassy will have a conniption fit.
By all means, watch it and make sure as many acquaintances of yours watch it too. It will be shown on US TV on November 25. The Internet site also carries a Spanish language version. I have not checked how well translated it is but there is no reason to doubt that it will be good too.
The interview with the director/producer, Ofra Bikel, is well worth reading too. She does observe curiously:
-The end-
My sole criticism, and a light one, was for the third segment. They did not quite get April 2002. They started that segment on Caracas poverty with a Direct TV antenna in the middle of the shanty they were filming. We would see more of these Direct TV dishes when they discuss the RCTV closing. No comments on that but viewers will be able to figure it themselves, I hope anyway. But they get so many things right that we can forgive them not to understand the legend woven April 2002. For example, they are clear about oil nationalized in 1976 and not as the PSF of the world want us to think: by Chavez in 2003. They also bring the boliburguesia "boligarchs" through its biggest figure, Ruperti. Very unflattering portrait. Discretely but surely they show that business sweet deals with he government is still at the core of Venezuela, revolution or not.... I loved it!
The cooperative chapter is brilliant. They compare the textile one that is shown to "political tourists" while they are sewing bunches of red clothing! And after they show a real cooperative, of the kind not shown to visitors, left on its own, without any business training, left to a slow death. And the end of that chapter they go on to housing construction cooperatives; we see the guy that is still waiting to get paid while the "la Suiza" subsidized development lays idle, stopped on its track once Chavez monitored the inauguration of the first building and moved on to some new interest. Fabulous! With savaged tractor bonus!
The chapter on freedom of expression is excellent at illustrating how freedom of expression is still exerted at least by some within the opposition (the self censorship issue is not addressed) but showing how such freedom of expression does not exist within chavismo ranks. We get two examples of awful scolding of chavista supporters, an activist humiliated in an Alo Presidente and Eleazar Diaz Rangel who shows to us that he accepts his scolding as the abject sycophant he has become. It is amazing that Diaz Rangel would have thought that he would have fooled Frontline with such lame excuses!!! But what is better is that Teodoro Petkoff explains clearly how the terrorizing of his supporters is an effective weapon for Chavez to control them. Fascism anyone?
The sketch on the general scolding in Barinas during an Alo Presidente is almost alien. The discomfiture of his ministers and local notables is pathetic. Colette Capriles tells us how Alo Presidente is used to show Chavez making all the good decisions while making sure that all believe his staff responsible for the bad ones. (my note: Yeah, it works up to a point because eventually people start wondering about why Chavez cannot get good help). That sketch is going to be devastating in the US where management principles are held seriously by employees and boss alike. I sure hope, if anything, that Obama watches that single minute of the show. As a contrast on how he is running his transition it cannot get any better!
Frontline also gets with simplicity to the Tascon list business without even needing to name the little man. Simply, a list came out and was used to destroy careers, showing how dangerous it was to oppose the bolivarian revolution. Clean, to the point, eliciting interest for the audience to find more about the subject. Quality documentary at work. No wonder Izarrita already protested the Frontline show. Wait for next Tuesday when it hits US TV.
There are other goodies too, such as when Rory Caroll was duly insulted in an Alo Presidente, with Europe along the way, by Chavez (which was also one of my memorable 2007 posts by the way, giving me the motivation to create that wonderful common project for readers to discuss the constitutional reform). Frontline points out that the Guardian is a "Liberal paper" to make sure that the US audience understands well that chavismo has long ceased to have anything to do with Liberal issues.
And they also get a teary interview of a victim from kidnapping and how his family did not get ANY help from officials. Never mind the pharmacist who runs his business behind a self imposed cage.
The show ends with the frame of two texts. Before it discussed the NO victory and the refusal by Chavez to gracefully acknowledge defeat. This was probably the time at which the documentary was run. Since then it went under editing but more things happened and FRONTLINE ends the documentary with two texts.
In the summer of 2008 Chavez used a
special enabling act to push through 26 new laws,
12 of which had been part of the rejected reform.
In the local and regional elections to be held
on November 23, 2008, Chavez barred hundreds
of opposition candidates from running.
special enabling act to push through 26 new laws,
12 of which had been part of the rejected reform.
In the local and regional elections to be held
on November 23, 2008, Chavez barred hundreds
of opposition candidates from running.
There, no allusions, no hints, Frontline says it all with facts, images and words, too many from Chavez himself to allow anyone to deny the conclusion. The Venezuelan embassy will have a conniption fit.
By all means, watch it and make sure as many acquaintances of yours watch it too. It will be shown on US TV on November 25. The Internet site also carries a Spanish language version. I have not checked how well translated it is but there is no reason to doubt that it will be good too.
The interview with the director/producer, Ofra Bikel, is well worth reading too. She does observe curiously:
It's one country in which almost no one speaks English -- and I'm talking about editors, writers and journalists even, which is very unusual in Latin America.
Another thing is that there was nobody there who expressed any fondness for the United States in the way that you find in other countries.
-The end-
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Ripley's believe it or not! VN&V feels for Chavez
Tonight for the first time ever I actually felt sorry for Chavez. True, if this is amazing enough you will be even more amazed when you will know why: Chavez looked like a pathetic man when he almost sort of apologized from forcing on us cadenas. That is right, in one of the multiple cadenas he did today I heard when he was trying to explain lamely why he was doing a cadena, because the people had the right to know all the truth about what was going in Venezuela and well, it was his duty to call for cadenas to make sure people were informed.
The first rule when you are going to commit an abuse is to pretend at all times that it is not an abuse!!!! Or as one saying goes, if the lie is big enough it has a better chance to hold.
The astounding thing here is that Chavez admits, ADMITS, that his communication policies have been a failure, at least considering whatever goals he had. For those late in the game a cadena is that privilege of Venezuelan executive to force SIMULTANEOUS broadcast on ALL TV and RADIO stations in the country, of its message, for as long as the government pleases to do so. Needles to remind folks that Chavez has been abusing this privilege in mind boggling ways, the more so when elections are near. Just today we are, if I understand well, already through our third cadena. There might be an explanation for that: narcissistic Chavez cannot stand that today the world, including chavistas, are glued on TV to see the first African American be elected the next US president. Chavez just cannot share the limelight.....
So there we are, a president who controls the two networks with the largest reach in the country (VTV and Tves), who has neutered two other nation wide networks (Venevision and Televen) who has created supplemental networks which are nothing but 24/24 pro Chavez propaganda (ViVe and ANTV), who has created hundreds of local media that faithfully follow his dictum against only a few dozens independent regional media, who has banished to cable the only two networks that are critical of him (RCTV and Globovision), who has the only radio allowed to broadcast nation wide (RNV), who has several radio groups under its thumb, who has been busy dismantling any private radio group, who does a cadena whenever the f%$% he wants it, is admitting that his message is not coming through!!!!!!! I mean, in at least half of the country if you have no cable you CANNOT GET ANY CRITICAL MEDIA!!!!! So tonight he must do a cadena because he must silence Globovision (RCTV is only cable so they escape cadena rules). He did not say it directly but that what it was, he is silencing Globovison, not even Venevision or Televen who at this time play soaps and games.
I remember in past comment section wars that a few silly to idiot defenders of Chavez tried to make all sorts of excuses for him closing up RCTV. There was even a brat that was throwing lines such as all the answers were in Chomsky. Whatever. The reply was always simple: you cannot fight the power of the remote control. If people do not watch Chavez incessant propaganda media, it is because they do not want to watch it. Force feeding them will only lead to them turning off their TV, with the same remote by the way. Apparently if these supporters are not understanding this basic rule of human freedom, choice, Chavez understands it very well and admits he wants to take it away form us. Blunt admission almost.
Clockwork Orange anyone?
-The end-
The first rule when you are going to commit an abuse is to pretend at all times that it is not an abuse!!!! Or as one saying goes, if the lie is big enough it has a better chance to hold.
The astounding thing here is that Chavez admits, ADMITS, that his communication policies have been a failure, at least considering whatever goals he had. For those late in the game a cadena is that privilege of Venezuelan executive to force SIMULTANEOUS broadcast on ALL TV and RADIO stations in the country, of its message, for as long as the government pleases to do so. Needles to remind folks that Chavez has been abusing this privilege in mind boggling ways, the more so when elections are near. Just today we are, if I understand well, already through our third cadena. There might be an explanation for that: narcissistic Chavez cannot stand that today the world, including chavistas, are glued on TV to see the first African American be elected the next US president. Chavez just cannot share the limelight.....
So there we are, a president who controls the two networks with the largest reach in the country (VTV and Tves), who has neutered two other nation wide networks (Venevision and Televen) who has created supplemental networks which are nothing but 24/24 pro Chavez propaganda (ViVe and ANTV), who has created hundreds of local media that faithfully follow his dictum against only a few dozens independent regional media, who has banished to cable the only two networks that are critical of him (RCTV and Globovision), who has the only radio allowed to broadcast nation wide (RNV), who has several radio groups under its thumb, who has been busy dismantling any private radio group, who does a cadena whenever the f%$% he wants it, is admitting that his message is not coming through!!!!!!! I mean, in at least half of the country if you have no cable you CANNOT GET ANY CRITICAL MEDIA!!!!! So tonight he must do a cadena because he must silence Globovision (RCTV is only cable so they escape cadena rules). He did not say it directly but that what it was, he is silencing Globovison, not even Venevision or Televen who at this time play soaps and games.
I remember in past comment section wars that a few silly to idiot defenders of Chavez tried to make all sorts of excuses for him closing up RCTV. There was even a brat that was throwing lines such as all the answers were in Chomsky. Whatever. The reply was always simple: you cannot fight the power of the remote control. If people do not watch Chavez incessant propaganda media, it is because they do not want to watch it. Force feeding them will only lead to them turning off their TV, with the same remote by the way. Apparently if these supporters are not understanding this basic rule of human freedom, choice, Chavez understands it very well and admits he wants to take it away form us. Blunt admission almost.
Clockwork Orange anyone?
-The end-
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Interpol "day after", a press review of Chavez links with the FARc and his histrionic abilities
[Updated]
Thus yesterday the Interpol confirmed that the Raul Reyes laptops carried indeed documents made, elaborated, handled by Reyes himself or his assistants and NOT by the Colombian government. Of course, well informed people did not need such a confirmation as all the evidence has been pointing out for a very long time to an affinity of Chavez for the FARC. The only real surprise yesterday was the totally, absolutely unhinged reaction of Chavez (including his tasteless attempt at ridiculing the journalist of France Press after she put the finger on the sore point of why Venezuela did not discuss the issue with he Interpol). I mean, after all, the Interpol ONLY said that the documents were not tampered with, that they were not put inside the computers by Uribe AFTER the lap tops were seized. The Interpol DID NOT say the documents were meaningful: after all they could have been made during episodes of boredom during long jungle nights when Reyes was fantasizing and writing the all Colombian FARC novel... Why would Venezuela not check on the work of Interpol?
Anyway, this morning during my cup of tea I decided to make a quick press review to see how people reacted to the Chavez Chow (that is how he has taken to pronounce the world show, as in media show).
In the US
Let's start with the Miami Herald, the paper most likely to be following closer LatAm issues. Alejandra Labanca writes a long article were she skips over the main Chavez insults, though noting that the pseudo press conference lasted 4 hours (see last post). Instead she already looks to the possible US reaction (or rather likely lack of reaction as oil is too important) and what will happen during the EU-LatAm summit to start today in Lima where she expects major leaders to say to Chavez "enough is enough" (a more diplomatic "Porque no te callas"?). It is also to be noted that the paper offers the long account by the AP of Chavez threats in case the US Ecuador Manta base is replaced by one in the Guajira. I suppose he can buy submarines to blockade Colombian harbors (submarines ARE NOT defensive weapons) but Colombia cannot post its allies where it pleases them.
The Wall Street Journal who already had two days ago a major "leak" on the implications of yesterday revelations limits itself to an editorial that ends in wondering what supporters of chavez in the US such as Delahunt will do. Interesting question indeed. Maybe likely Democrat nominee Obama will enlighten us about his positions since many of his supporters are Che/Chavez lovers?
At the Washington Post Juan Forero who has seen the light from his past as a Chavez supporter does not even pretend to be objective: he catches up with the previous WSJ revelations of Cordoba and relates the insults of Chavez towards the Interpol as his only retort to the whole scandal. Indeed, the Noble/ignoble disgusting bad pun to make for a sitting president had to be duly noted. He also mentions the very lame reply of Ecuador foreign minister. An important detail as Ecuador who is probably as compromised in the affair as Venezuela escapes the bulk of international criticism courtesy of the stupid tantrum of Chavez yesterday.
At the New York Times Simon Romero writes already from Lima, attending the serious business at hand. As usual he gallantly strains to be objective against all odds and omits the Noble/ignoble moment as a token conciliatory gesture. He also cites a Chavez supporter, Greg Grandin, for balance in guessing that the US will not sanction Venezuela for the time being. Greg Grandin by the way who has a bone with the NYT coverage of Chavez. But Romero does call it straight, "a set back for Chavez" and mentions his qualification of the Interpol release as a "show", something that even hacks like Grandin will have a hard time justifying.
In Europe
Over there they are not as sanguine and the event is even omitted from the pages of the London Times, or Paris Liberation who prefers to discuss how Sarkozy irritates Colombians with the French obsession for Ingrid Betancourt. But other papers do take up the story.
Le Monde starts with a picture of Chavez and Ivan Marquez, reminding thus that computer files or not, the links between Chavez and the FARC have been public knowledge for a long time as Uribe flushed skilfully Chavez late 2007 during his brief role as a mediator. Marie Delcas does not bother about objectivity: her article is simply a damning listing of some of the findings in the computers, something like the WSJ's Cordoba version for French public. At Le Monde Chavez is deciphered.
At the Guardian Rory Carroll writes a more neutral article that could have been equally written before or after Chavez press conference. I suppose that considering that the press conference of Chavez took place at the time where European editions were closing limited what he could say even though he knew very well what was coming. See, Rory Carroll has already been taken as a target by Chavez himself so he knows... Still, he is very clear in that Chavez has a lot of explaining to do and that at the Guardian it will be a very hard sell.
At El Pais we do get two articles like at the Herald. One deals with the Chavez press conference though El Pais, like the NYT, avoids writing down the worst insults of Chavez. I suppose that again it is the only way they can show some objectivity... El Pais has also a poll as to whether its readers think Chavez is in bed with the FARC: I recommend you vote here. But El Pais also looks ahead the Lima summit, clearly the next round as Chavez apparently has decided to put a Scarlett O'Hara moment, put his ball gown and face the gossiping crowd. But it will be tough: we learn that this summit not only will be problems plagued but that Angela Merkel has declined the conciliatory offer from Lula to smoothen a meeting with Chavez. She told that she can handle everyone on her own. Indeed, the ex victim of the Stasi is used to thugs who treat her of Nazi. Thus even Lula will arrive limping because of Chavez insults to Merkel, the fate of enablers while more straight shooters like Merkel, Uribe and Garcia apparently are hoping to enjoy the summit...
Update: I realized later that a conclusion of sorts was needed. And this one is very simple: not a single major paper tried to defend, justify, excuse, or give the benefit of the doubt to Chavez. Be they from the center right or the center left from any country mentioned. Only the NYT did cite Grandin, and not for an excuse of Chavez, clearly as a challenge to see if any pro Chavez guy would come up with anything credible. And even there, with such low expectations, it failed as the only thing cited from Grandin was that it did not matter whether Chavez was guilty or not, nothing would happen. Which, if you ask me, is a direct implication that Grandin thinks that Chavez messed up big time. In one year, since Chavez closed RCTV, he has lost any good will from the folks that count and even from inside his own camp where clearly some allies might not have not abandoned him but now seem unwilling to support him at any turn.
But even there Grandin might be wrong. If we look at another more hawkish paper, IBD, we can see that they are already focusing on the implications of yesterday events. Simply put, they regard with a cool eye the need to make do without Venezuela's oil. This will indeed cause problems for the US but infinitely worse problems for Chavez. for them, in spite of all the risks involved, it might be worth it to declare Venezuela a rogue state. I do not agree with that however there are plenty more documents coming from that computer now that the codes have been cracked. IBD might turn out to be right and at the very least, if Venezuela is not declared a rogue country its leaders should be issued international arrest warrants. I have in mind the present defense minister, the interior minister and Tachira current governor, just for starters. There is plenty of evidence from their own words. And of course Chavez who might have escaped jail in 1995 but who is doing all what he can to return there.
Let's hope that some chavista read the news and understand them otherwise if no one reins in Chavez, Venezuela is running straight into major trouble.
-The end-
Thus yesterday the Interpol confirmed that the Raul Reyes laptops carried indeed documents made, elaborated, handled by Reyes himself or his assistants and NOT by the Colombian government. Of course, well informed people did not need such a confirmation as all the evidence has been pointing out for a very long time to an affinity of Chavez for the FARC. The only real surprise yesterday was the totally, absolutely unhinged reaction of Chavez (including his tasteless attempt at ridiculing the journalist of France Press after she put the finger on the sore point of why Venezuela did not discuss the issue with he Interpol). I mean, after all, the Interpol ONLY said that the documents were not tampered with, that they were not put inside the computers by Uribe AFTER the lap tops were seized. The Interpol DID NOT say the documents were meaningful: after all they could have been made during episodes of boredom during long jungle nights when Reyes was fantasizing and writing the all Colombian FARC novel... Why would Venezuela not check on the work of Interpol?
Anyway, this morning during my cup of tea I decided to make a quick press review to see how people reacted to the Chavez Chow (that is how he has taken to pronounce the world show, as in media show).
In the US
Let's start with the Miami Herald, the paper most likely to be following closer LatAm issues. Alejandra Labanca writes a long article were she skips over the main Chavez insults, though noting that the pseudo press conference lasted 4 hours (see last post). Instead she already looks to the possible US reaction (or rather likely lack of reaction as oil is too important) and what will happen during the EU-LatAm summit to start today in Lima where she expects major leaders to say to Chavez "enough is enough" (a more diplomatic "Porque no te callas"?). It is also to be noted that the paper offers the long account by the AP of Chavez threats in case the US Ecuador Manta base is replaced by one in the Guajira. I suppose he can buy submarines to blockade Colombian harbors (submarines ARE NOT defensive weapons) but Colombia cannot post its allies where it pleases them.
The Wall Street Journal who already had two days ago a major "leak" on the implications of yesterday revelations limits itself to an editorial that ends in wondering what supporters of chavez in the US such as Delahunt will do. Interesting question indeed. Maybe likely Democrat nominee Obama will enlighten us about his positions since many of his supporters are Che/Chavez lovers?
At the Washington Post Juan Forero who has seen the light from his past as a Chavez supporter does not even pretend to be objective: he catches up with the previous WSJ revelations of Cordoba and relates the insults of Chavez towards the Interpol as his only retort to the whole scandal. Indeed, the Noble/ignoble disgusting bad pun to make for a sitting president had to be duly noted. He also mentions the very lame reply of Ecuador foreign minister. An important detail as Ecuador who is probably as compromised in the affair as Venezuela escapes the bulk of international criticism courtesy of the stupid tantrum of Chavez yesterday.
At the New York Times Simon Romero writes already from Lima, attending the serious business at hand. As usual he gallantly strains to be objective against all odds and omits the Noble/ignoble moment as a token conciliatory gesture. He also cites a Chavez supporter, Greg Grandin, for balance in guessing that the US will not sanction Venezuela for the time being. Greg Grandin by the way who has a bone with the NYT coverage of Chavez. But Romero does call it straight, "a set back for Chavez" and mentions his qualification of the Interpol release as a "show", something that even hacks like Grandin will have a hard time justifying.
In Europe
Over there they are not as sanguine and the event is even omitted from the pages of the London Times, or Paris Liberation who prefers to discuss how Sarkozy irritates Colombians with the French obsession for Ingrid Betancourt. But other papers do take up the story.
Le Monde starts with a picture of Chavez and Ivan Marquez, reminding thus that computer files or not, the links between Chavez and the FARC have been public knowledge for a long time as Uribe flushed skilfully Chavez late 2007 during his brief role as a mediator. Marie Delcas does not bother about objectivity: her article is simply a damning listing of some of the findings in the computers, something like the WSJ's Cordoba version for French public. At Le Monde Chavez is deciphered.
At the Guardian Rory Carroll writes a more neutral article that could have been equally written before or after Chavez press conference. I suppose that considering that the press conference of Chavez took place at the time where European editions were closing limited what he could say even though he knew very well what was coming. See, Rory Carroll has already been taken as a target by Chavez himself so he knows... Still, he is very clear in that Chavez has a lot of explaining to do and that at the Guardian it will be a very hard sell.
At El Pais we do get two articles like at the Herald. One deals with the Chavez press conference though El Pais, like the NYT, avoids writing down the worst insults of Chavez. I suppose that again it is the only way they can show some objectivity... El Pais has also a poll as to whether its readers think Chavez is in bed with the FARC: I recommend you vote here. But El Pais also looks ahead the Lima summit, clearly the next round as Chavez apparently has decided to put a Scarlett O'Hara moment, put his ball gown and face the gossiping crowd. But it will be tough: we learn that this summit not only will be problems plagued but that Angela Merkel has declined the conciliatory offer from Lula to smoothen a meeting with Chavez. She told that she can handle everyone on her own. Indeed, the ex victim of the Stasi is used to thugs who treat her of Nazi. Thus even Lula will arrive limping because of Chavez insults to Merkel, the fate of enablers while more straight shooters like Merkel, Uribe and Garcia apparently are hoping to enjoy the summit...
Update: I realized later that a conclusion of sorts was needed. And this one is very simple: not a single major paper tried to defend, justify, excuse, or give the benefit of the doubt to Chavez. Be they from the center right or the center left from any country mentioned. Only the NYT did cite Grandin, and not for an excuse of Chavez, clearly as a challenge to see if any pro Chavez guy would come up with anything credible. And even there, with such low expectations, it failed as the only thing cited from Grandin was that it did not matter whether Chavez was guilty or not, nothing would happen. Which, if you ask me, is a direct implication that Grandin thinks that Chavez messed up big time. In one year, since Chavez closed RCTV, he has lost any good will from the folks that count and even from inside his own camp where clearly some allies might not have not abandoned him but now seem unwilling to support him at any turn.
But even there Grandin might be wrong. If we look at another more hawkish paper, IBD, we can see that they are already focusing on the implications of yesterday events. Simply put, they regard with a cool eye the need to make do without Venezuela's oil. This will indeed cause problems for the US but infinitely worse problems for Chavez. for them, in spite of all the risks involved, it might be worth it to declare Venezuela a rogue state. I do not agree with that however there are plenty more documents coming from that computer now that the codes have been cracked. IBD might turn out to be right and at the very least, if Venezuela is not declared a rogue country its leaders should be issued international arrest warrants. I have in mind the present defense minister, the interior minister and Tachira current governor, just for starters. There is plenty of evidence from their own words. And of course Chavez who might have escaped jail in 1995 but who is doing all what he can to return there.
Let's hope that some chavista read the news and understand them otherwise if no one reins in Chavez, Venezuela is running straight into major trouble.
-The end-
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The Chavez media predictable failure
Today is Easter and also the end of two weeks away from easily accessible internet. Thus, since it is Easter, and according to my counter most readers have deserted the blog for the week, I decided to restart posting with a piece of good news: evidence that the media communication offensive of Chavez is destined to failure, no matter how many millions he sinks in or how many media he manages to close. He might manage at best to reduce the flow of information that proves the failure of his regime but he will not be able to stop it. The evidence came to me surprisingly examining a set of pictures that I took at day break on my way to the airport for Mexico. Taking advantage of my new zoom lens I wanted to picture the huge slums that are on the Planicie Tunnel, to show how little things have changed after 9 years of chavismo.
From this picture it is clear that this chavista hardcore electorate area has not had much improvement in its day to day life. Perhaps a few Barrio Adentro modules that allow for free aspirin and cough syrup, but the trudge up and down the hill is still the same, the water supply problem is still the same, the food supply problem is still the same and we can guess that from the closeness the crowding and personal security problem are still the same. I am optimist, I wrote "still the same" when in fact it might have gotten worse, for example when people must walk twice as much for a single kilo of essential powder milk.
But if the above picture speaks for itself as to chavismo overall failure, another one gave me quite an hindsight as to how fed up people are with Chavez cadenas.
In this image where I was trying to illustrate from closer the living conditions, the first thing that struck me was the amount of satellite TV dishes, Venezuelan Direct TV. After all the precarious existence of the dwellers is obvious, again after 9 years of chavismo. What is less obvious is the amount of satellite dishes, something that did not exist there 9 years ago. How come at the very least 10-20% (I was able to distinguish 24 dishes, marked with a pink dot next to them) of these homes are paying the most expensive cable system in Venezuela? Click to enlarge and to see if you can find more dishes than I did.
On the practical part, land line cable is simple very difficult to set up in such areas. Besides investment cannot be recouped for the very simple reason that illegal connection will bloom as soon as a network is set up. Chavismo has been terribly lax with property, material or intellectual, and cable systems are simply defenseless against piracy in Venezuela. Thus the inhabitants have only two options: Direct TV of free open broadcast signal.
Unfortunately open broadcast is less and less of an option. RCTV was closed last year and as such it created a major "entertainment" problem in that it was a major source of soap operas. These days the major news network Globovision is under serious threat of been closed in turn. But the other two private networks have censored themselves a lot on the news front and have not been able to step in to replace RCTV in entertainment as people simply resent the fact that they have no more choice between soaps: there is only the Venevision soaps, the Brazilian soaps of Televen and that is that.
But the key factor here is the constant intromission of the government in the broadcast system. First there is the "cadena" problem where the government hijacks ALL TV and RADIO signal SIMULTANEOUSLY for AS LONG AS IT WISHES to pass any propaganda or speech of Chavez. These can last several hours and that night, well, there is nothing on TV but the same vociferating Chavez in any dial number. If that was not bad enough, the government has barred new private networks to emerge while it has increased the state owned networks. From the original VTV in in 1998, now we have also ViVe and ANTV, Tves upon the ruins of RCTV, and in Caracas Avila TV, the nationalization of one small operator into Telesur, and some other local stuff, plus some private but cryptic pro Chavez such as Canal i. In other words, as the private sector is squeezed out of media, the state increase its presence with mostly propaganda, political programming and lousy entertainment.
So what is the harassed worker to do, the worker who had to leave the hight of his hill before day break and who probably returns past sunset to his home? He wants entertainment, mindless or not, and VTV will not give it. Thus he needs to scrap all the money he can to get a satellite dish.
Now this is very bad news for Chavez because banning for example Globovision from open air broadcast in Caracas will not work. First, if the closing RCTV was a PR disaster, the closing of Globovision will be the official end of freedom of expression in Venezuela. The national and international consequences this time will not be as easily avoided.
But second and more important, hiding information that exposes the badly manged country will not be possible. While I was away we had the fabulous border concert organized by Juanes for peace in Latin America. Well, if you looked at any of the state media listed above you would had never known that such a concert took place, and even less of its success. Unfortunately for Chavez such news reaches the population. So, even for those who do not have access to Direct TV, those who cannot afford it, they will still manage to know those who have access to Direct TV and in time of trouble will ask them what is really going on, or bring a six pack of beer to split with the dish owner at news time. With only 10% of barrios already having a satellite dish, news cannot be hidden anymore, CNN is not subjected to cadena, RCTV neither and if Globovision is kicked out of open air broadcast it will also be exempt from following cadenas. Only open signal networks are subject to cadenas. Paradoxically information might circulate better, have more impact as even hardcore chavistas will start to suspect that government is really trying to hide stuff.
No matter what minister Izarra is saying trying to justify his job to Chavez, chavismo will either fail or will be forced into suppression of freedom of expression.
-The end-
From this picture it is clear that this chavista hardcore electorate area has not had much improvement in its day to day life. Perhaps a few Barrio Adentro modules that allow for free aspirin and cough syrup, but the trudge up and down the hill is still the same, the water supply problem is still the same, the food supply problem is still the same and we can guess that from the closeness the crowding and personal security problem are still the same. I am optimist, I wrote "still the same" when in fact it might have gotten worse, for example when people must walk twice as much for a single kilo of essential powder milk.
But if the above picture speaks for itself as to chavismo overall failure, another one gave me quite an hindsight as to how fed up people are with Chavez cadenas.
In this image where I was trying to illustrate from closer the living conditions, the first thing that struck me was the amount of satellite TV dishes, Venezuelan Direct TV. After all the precarious existence of the dwellers is obvious, again after 9 years of chavismo. What is less obvious is the amount of satellite dishes, something that did not exist there 9 years ago. How come at the very least 10-20% (I was able to distinguish 24 dishes, marked with a pink dot next to them) of these homes are paying the most expensive cable system in Venezuela? Click to enlarge and to see if you can find more dishes than I did.On the practical part, land line cable is simple very difficult to set up in such areas. Besides investment cannot be recouped for the very simple reason that illegal connection will bloom as soon as a network is set up. Chavismo has been terribly lax with property, material or intellectual, and cable systems are simply defenseless against piracy in Venezuela. Thus the inhabitants have only two options: Direct TV of free open broadcast signal.
Unfortunately open broadcast is less and less of an option. RCTV was closed last year and as such it created a major "entertainment" problem in that it was a major source of soap operas. These days the major news network Globovision is under serious threat of been closed in turn. But the other two private networks have censored themselves a lot on the news front and have not been able to step in to replace RCTV in entertainment as people simply resent the fact that they have no more choice between soaps: there is only the Venevision soaps, the Brazilian soaps of Televen and that is that.
But the key factor here is the constant intromission of the government in the broadcast system. First there is the "cadena" problem where the government hijacks ALL TV and RADIO signal SIMULTANEOUSLY for AS LONG AS IT WISHES to pass any propaganda or speech of Chavez. These can last several hours and that night, well, there is nothing on TV but the same vociferating Chavez in any dial number. If that was not bad enough, the government has barred new private networks to emerge while it has increased the state owned networks. From the original VTV in in 1998, now we have also ViVe and ANTV, Tves upon the ruins of RCTV, and in Caracas Avila TV, the nationalization of one small operator into Telesur, and some other local stuff, plus some private but cryptic pro Chavez such as Canal i. In other words, as the private sector is squeezed out of media, the state increase its presence with mostly propaganda, political programming and lousy entertainment.
So what is the harassed worker to do, the worker who had to leave the hight of his hill before day break and who probably returns past sunset to his home? He wants entertainment, mindless or not, and VTV will not give it. Thus he needs to scrap all the money he can to get a satellite dish.
Now this is very bad news for Chavez because banning for example Globovision from open air broadcast in Caracas will not work. First, if the closing RCTV was a PR disaster, the closing of Globovision will be the official end of freedom of expression in Venezuela. The national and international consequences this time will not be as easily avoided.
But second and more important, hiding information that exposes the badly manged country will not be possible. While I was away we had the fabulous border concert organized by Juanes for peace in Latin America. Well, if you looked at any of the state media listed above you would had never known that such a concert took place, and even less of its success. Unfortunately for Chavez such news reaches the population. So, even for those who do not have access to Direct TV, those who cannot afford it, they will still manage to know those who have access to Direct TV and in time of trouble will ask them what is really going on, or bring a six pack of beer to split with the dish owner at news time. With only 10% of barrios already having a satellite dish, news cannot be hidden anymore, CNN is not subjected to cadena, RCTV neither and if Globovision is kicked out of open air broadcast it will also be exempt from following cadenas. Only open signal networks are subject to cadenas. Paradoxically information might circulate better, have more impact as even hardcore chavistas will start to suspect that government is really trying to hide stuff.
No matter what minister Izarra is saying trying to justify his job to Chavez, chavismo will either fail or will be forced into suppression of freedom of expression.
-The end-
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
A follow up to Rory Caroll in Alo Presidente
Late Sunday I wrote on that day's Alo Presidente and how it announced the unfolding of Chavez campaign for the next weeks at least. But I also noted how Chavez treated the few attending press who thought that, well, maybe Chavez attended to press questions. Namely I am talking of Rory Carroll who today gave his report on last Sunday in the Guardian. Chavez did not make a friend. Read the article, no additional comment needed from yours truly, except from some self patting on my back.
-The end-
-The end-
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Corruption in Venezuela and Argentina: the media role
The "maletagate" scandal keeps going apace. Each time I am trying to get some update, new elements arrive that stop me from writing more on it. Thus, considering that I am too busy to post the 20 links I should be posting, I will instead limit myself tonight to a general observation: the scandal in Argentina is having results in governmental actions because the press and the media there are much more lively than in Venezuela. In fact, many observers are slowly converging on that scary notion: Chavez has been so successful in castrating the media and the press in Venezuela that we had to wait for such a major scandal to observe how self censored the media is in Venezuela.
In Argentina from the major newspapers to the media, with the provision that there is also an electoral campaign going on, there has been a general desire to examine this affair of the 800 000 USD. All want to know why, how, how often such entries of cash happen in Argentina.
It is important to note that the Kirchner administration, as a good old fashioned Peronist ersatz, deals with the press in hardly better terms than Chavez. However Kirchner has not been as diligent at silencing the press and the media as Chavez has been. Perhaps it is due to a tough journalism corporation who had to survive the awful dictatorships that came and went in Argentina. Perhaps it is due to a better general level of education of Argentinean citizens. Perhaps it is due to a genuine basic respect on freedom of information. Whatever it is, the Argentina media have managed to put enough pressure on the Kirchner administration and have forced him to investigate and take sanctions. Oh! Not as much as some would have liked to: for example it seems that there is some difficulty in finding a judge who is willing to take over the case, a difficulty rumored to be due on strong governmental pressure as a swift and benign decision is wished for before the Cristina Kirchner campaign goes South, literally...
But when the chips are down, one minister assistant is out, one minister is in trouble, an arrest warrant for Antonini is issued and more is expected to be unveiled (not to mention that Argentina is demanding answers to Venezuela). In fact, we, in Venezuela, are learning a lot of things about our own affairs through Argentinean or Uruguayan journalists investigations. The Fourth Power is working there.
But in Venezuela there is only some provincial newspapers, Globovision, El Universal , El Nacional and mostly Tal Cual that are on top of it. Chavismo media (dozens of radio stations and TV) are ignoring the affair of if they allude to it is to denounce the whole thing as an imperialist plot, the standard fare for ANYTHING that goes wrong in Venezuela. The alleged "independent" media, from Ultimas Noticias to Televen or Venevision, barely touch the subject, if at all. In fact some commentators are even wondering whether the affair is dealt with at all in Venezuela just because of the fuzz in Argentina.
I have to admit that I agree with these observations, the bulk of the media has stopped any strong criticism, and investigative work in depth such as we see in Argentina. In fact most of the investigative stuff we watch or read is usually mediocre. Self censorship? "Give up" syndrome?
Or is it a general sensation in the country, a resignation to the Chavez imposition? People just cannot be bothered, too involved in a daily life each day more and more time consuming with road traffic, difficulty in finding supplies and services, a sense of nothing can be done about it anyway so why bother.
Or perhaps even worse, the Gag Law, the modification of the penal code, the subservience of the judicial power to chavismo, the violence against journalists, the constant stonewalling of any public servant have finally taken their toll, have finally made the press to self censor. Has Chavez managed to eliminate the freedom of information in Venezuela? Is freedom of expression still a reality in Venezuela, or is it reserved to a small group of individuals that do care? Has the high oil price and the slow percolating of part of it (what is not stolen by the Antoninis and Kirchners of the world) manage to remove a social conscience from Venezuelans?
We will see. But if some awakening does not happen after such a scandal at home, then we will only get what we deserve when Chavez changes the constitution soon. Moral eunuchs always have it coming.
-The end-
In Argentina from the major newspapers to the media, with the provision that there is also an electoral campaign going on, there has been a general desire to examine this affair of the 800 000 USD. All want to know why, how, how often such entries of cash happen in Argentina.
It is important to note that the Kirchner administration, as a good old fashioned Peronist ersatz, deals with the press in hardly better terms than Chavez. However Kirchner has not been as diligent at silencing the press and the media as Chavez has been. Perhaps it is due to a tough journalism corporation who had to survive the awful dictatorships that came and went in Argentina. Perhaps it is due to a better general level of education of Argentinean citizens. Perhaps it is due to a genuine basic respect on freedom of information. Whatever it is, the Argentina media have managed to put enough pressure on the Kirchner administration and have forced him to investigate and take sanctions. Oh! Not as much as some would have liked to: for example it seems that there is some difficulty in finding a judge who is willing to take over the case, a difficulty rumored to be due on strong governmental pressure as a swift and benign decision is wished for before the Cristina Kirchner campaign goes South, literally...
But when the chips are down, one minister assistant is out, one minister is in trouble, an arrest warrant for Antonini is issued and more is expected to be unveiled (not to mention that Argentina is demanding answers to Venezuela). In fact, we, in Venezuela, are learning a lot of things about our own affairs through Argentinean or Uruguayan journalists investigations. The Fourth Power is working there.
But in Venezuela there is only some provincial newspapers, Globovision, El Universal , El Nacional and mostly Tal Cual that are on top of it. Chavismo media (dozens of radio stations and TV) are ignoring the affair of if they allude to it is to denounce the whole thing as an imperialist plot, the standard fare for ANYTHING that goes wrong in Venezuela. The alleged "independent" media, from Ultimas Noticias to Televen or Venevision, barely touch the subject, if at all. In fact some commentators are even wondering whether the affair is dealt with at all in Venezuela just because of the fuzz in Argentina.
I have to admit that I agree with these observations, the bulk of the media has stopped any strong criticism, and investigative work in depth such as we see in Argentina. In fact most of the investigative stuff we watch or read is usually mediocre. Self censorship? "Give up" syndrome?
Or is it a general sensation in the country, a resignation to the Chavez imposition? People just cannot be bothered, too involved in a daily life each day more and more time consuming with road traffic, difficulty in finding supplies and services, a sense of nothing can be done about it anyway so why bother.
Or perhaps even worse, the Gag Law, the modification of the penal code, the subservience of the judicial power to chavismo, the violence against journalists, the constant stonewalling of any public servant have finally taken their toll, have finally made the press to self censor. Has Chavez managed to eliminate the freedom of information in Venezuela? Is freedom of expression still a reality in Venezuela, or is it reserved to a small group of individuals that do care? Has the high oil price and the slow percolating of part of it (what is not stolen by the Antoninis and Kirchners of the world) manage to remove a social conscience from Venezuelans?
We will see. But if some awakening does not happen after such a scandal at home, then we will only get what we deserve when Chavez changes the constitution soon. Moral eunuchs always have it coming.
-The end-
Monday, June 11, 2007
Venezuela News and Views exposure
Well, it was going to happen with the closing of RCTV and the end of freedom of information. Venezuelan blogs exposure had to increase. This blog has done rather surprisingly good. In no particular order.
It all started with a BBC podcast. The same Radio 5 live of previous podcasts.
Then there is another podcast with the Shire Network. I got a call from this conservative, anti Islamic Fundamentalist group and I wondered by curiosity how it would work out. After all, I have that Euston Manifesto badge on the right and I wondered how any conservative blog could be calling me. The interview part went fine in fact, no agenda, just seeking information. Unfortunately the sound quality was not great on occasion, and I was still somewhat asleep (they called from Australia).
To balance this visit to the right, Index on Censorship, a UK magazine, that seems to be from the Labor side has recently opened a web site to include more information and asked me for a comment there, to explain what the RCTV closing meant. I was honored to oblige here.
And we also have translations. Well, I did them for the "Week the Bolivarian Revolution died" helped by readers to improve the style (you know who you are).
There was first the French translation posted at Agoravox, a major center left to left forum in France. I submitted it and they published it. For those who can mange some French I invite you to visit the comment section: you will see comments of a harshness that make some of the local Anglo PSF seem quite tame in comparison :) It was great fun to deal with them.
And the Spanish translation could not be missing an it is up at Noticias 24. 38 comments in barely one hour. The chavista comments of course did not get the point of the post at all.
-The end-
It all started with a BBC podcast. The same Radio 5 live of previous podcasts.
Then there is another podcast with the Shire Network. I got a call from this conservative, anti Islamic Fundamentalist group and I wondered by curiosity how it would work out. After all, I have that Euston Manifesto badge on the right and I wondered how any conservative blog could be calling me. The interview part went fine in fact, no agenda, just seeking information. Unfortunately the sound quality was not great on occasion, and I was still somewhat asleep (they called from Australia).
To balance this visit to the right, Index on Censorship, a UK magazine, that seems to be from the Labor side has recently opened a web site to include more information and asked me for a comment there, to explain what the RCTV closing meant. I was honored to oblige here.
And we also have translations. Well, I did them for the "Week the Bolivarian Revolution died" helped by readers to improve the style (you know who you are).
There was first the French translation posted at Agoravox, a major center left to left forum in France. I submitted it and they published it. For those who can mange some French I invite you to visit the comment section: you will see comments of a harshness that make some of the local Anglo PSF seem quite tame in comparison :) It was great fun to deal with them.
And the Spanish translation could not be missing an it is up at Noticias 24. 38 comments in barely one hour. The chavista comments of course did not get the point of the post at all.
-The end-
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Believe it or not section: making a fool of oneself in Brasilia
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.
Brazil is slowly splitting itself from the excesses of Chavez, in spite of the obvious sympathy between Lula and Chavez. First it was the hug between Lula and Bush. Strained hug perhaps but hug nevertheless. And followed a few days after by an official intention to cooperate in developing ethanol as an alternate fuel.
Chavez is on record on suddenly changing his opinion on ethanol and even stopping all the projects that had been launched on that matter with Cuba in Venezuela. Now the Brazilian press is not afraid to print articles with such delicious words who do not request translation:
OK, that was already good enough for a laugh but today we went a step further. The communication minister of Brazil was discussing creating a state TV in Brazil and some people are not agreeing on the idea. Well, the Minister, a certain Helio Costa, said that people should not be worry, that the model was certainly not what was seen in Cuba or Venezuela. It would be a public TV but not a state TV (or some sort of equal subtlety). I picked up Recife's Jornal do Comercio transcript, at random in the Brazilian press:
My translation (I could not resist posting a little bit of Brazilian Portuguese first which I can understand more or less):
The Venezuelan ambassador in Brasilia, Garcia Montoya, was so upset that (following instructions from Caracas?) he complained loudly. Though the ambassador declarations were not taken by the Brazilian press at this time, at least not on Google news, which goes to tell you how important the Venezuelan embassy is considered in Brasilia. Thus we are limited to Venezuelan press notes so far. At any rate, the ambassadors words demonstrate again that truth hurts a lot, or where it itches one must scratch- OK, that was to be expected from a military named ambassador and whose main title to glory was to finance a Bolivar float at the Rio carnival of 2006. To justify the title of this post, let me post what the ambassadors added:
I think that the one that has no idea how TV works in Venezuela is the ambassador, unless he is stonewalling us, and the knowledgeable Brazilian public, AND its communication minister that surely knows better. If the ambassador, or any reader, has a doubt I would suggest to visit a recent post where the government lists with great pride on how all the state networks will broadcast SIMULTANEOUSLY a replay of the Barbara Walters interview to Chavez (1).
It is amazing that when the state control of Venezuela of networks is now vox populi and publicly criticized at electoral time by serious international observers, at a time where the Chavez incessant cadenas are meeting more and more reprobation, when international press organizations are increasing pressure against the closing of RCTV considered a crass censorship measure, that the stupid ambassador is willing to volunteer such a lame, and unnecessary declaration. In fact, a perfect opportunity to stay silent was lost. But then again Chavez is mad at Lula and the declaration might simply reflect the wish to put pressure on Lula, to back off from any US deal or any less than vigorous support of Chavez.
We will see.
--- --- ---
1) Apparently the Barbara Walters that went on air in the Us was a shorter version than the Venezuelan one and it did not include all the attacks on Bush that Chavez freely used. Interesting... (hat tip devoted reader who prefers to remain anonymous)
Brazil is slowly splitting itself from the excesses of Chavez, in spite of the obvious sympathy between Lula and Chavez. First it was the hug between Lula and Bush. Strained hug perhaps but hug nevertheless. And followed a few days after by an official intention to cooperate in developing ethanol as an alternate fuel.
Chavez is on record on suddenly changing his opinion on ethanol and even stopping all the projects that had been launched on that matter with Cuba in Venezuela. Now the Brazilian press is not afraid to print articles with such delicious words who do not request translation:
O presidente da Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, é o arquiinimigo da maior cooperação Brasil-Estados Unidos.
OK, that was already good enough for a laugh but today we went a step further. The communication minister of Brazil was discussing creating a state TV in Brazil and some people are not agreeing on the idea. Well, the Minister, a certain Helio Costa, said that people should not be worry, that the model was certainly not what was seen in Cuba or Venezuela. It would be a public TV but not a state TV (or some sort of equal subtlety). I picked up Recife's Jornal do Comercio transcript, at random in the Brazilian press:
O ministro das Comunicações, Hélio Costa, dice que a TV do Executivo, proposta por ele na semana passada, não é uma TV estatal. “Absolutamente não. TV estatal é o que o Chávez faz”, disse, referindo-se ao presidente da Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, que tem liderado movimento de estatização das redes de TV naquele país.
“TV estatal é o que se faz em Cuba; é o que se fazia na Polônia e na antiga União Soviética. E eu estive em todos esses lugares para saber perfeitamente a diferença entre estatal e pública”, disse o ministro, em entrevista sobre a implantação do rádio digital no País.
My translation (I could not resist posting a little bit of Brazilian Portuguese first which I can understand more or less):
The minister of the Communications, Helio Costa, said that the TV in the government proposal of last week, is not a state TV. “Absolutely not. State TV is what Chavez makes”, he said, mentioning the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, who has led a movement of nationalization of the TV networks in that country. "State TV is what is done in Cuba; it is what was done in Poland and the old Soviet Union. I have been in all these places to know perfectly the difference between state and public TV", said the minister, in an interview on the creation of digital radio in the Country.Wow!
The Venezuelan ambassador in Brasilia, Garcia Montoya, was so upset that (following instructions from Caracas?) he complained loudly. Though the ambassador declarations were not taken by the Brazilian press at this time, at least not on Google news, which goes to tell you how important the Venezuelan embassy is considered in Brasilia. Thus we are limited to Venezuelan press notes so far. At any rate, the ambassadors words demonstrate again that truth hurts a lot, or where it itches one must scratch- OK, that was to be expected from a military named ambassador and whose main title to glory was to finance a Bolivar float at the Rio carnival of 2006. To justify the title of this post, let me post what the ambassadors added:
The Venezuelan state networks do not belong to president Chavez and in addition in Venezuela the state does not claim exclusivity in telecommunications services, nor does it use them for presidential or personal marketing.Gasp! I mean, how "cara dura" can one be, or how naive or how uninformed....
I think that the one that has no idea how TV works in Venezuela is the ambassador, unless he is stonewalling us, and the knowledgeable Brazilian public, AND its communication minister that surely knows better. If the ambassador, or any reader, has a doubt I would suggest to visit a recent post where the government lists with great pride on how all the state networks will broadcast SIMULTANEOUSLY a replay of the Barbara Walters interview to Chavez (1).
It is amazing that when the state control of Venezuela of networks is now vox populi and publicly criticized at electoral time by serious international observers, at a time where the Chavez incessant cadenas are meeting more and more reprobation, when international press organizations are increasing pressure against the closing of RCTV considered a crass censorship measure, that the stupid ambassador is willing to volunteer such a lame, and unnecessary declaration. In fact, a perfect opportunity to stay silent was lost. But then again Chavez is mad at Lula and the declaration might simply reflect the wish to put pressure on Lula, to back off from any US deal or any less than vigorous support of Chavez.
We will see.
--- --- ---
1) Apparently the Barbara Walters that went on air in the Us was a shorter version than the Venezuelan one and it did not include all the attacks on Bush that Chavez freely used. Interesting... (hat tip devoted reader who prefers to remain anonymous)
Monday, February 12, 2007
The Venezuelan autocracy: building it up (part 2: a brave new Venezuela)
Once the new leaders and new speech are starting to come forward, it is also time to create the new country and educate its people as to the new thought standard. This must be done on several fronts. Rewriting the past makes the present look less of a perversion. Changing the power structure of the country makes it more disperse and more dependent of the central power. Educating the young with revolutionary precepts should ensure the long term stability of the ideological regime. It has all been tried before, it has failed everywhere, but it will be tried again by people unable to understand history and the human nature that shapes it.
The new country
This is rather easy to explain: a revolution must bring changes and what could be easier to do to convey the impression of change but to change the internal borders. This artifact has been employed from the extreme right to the extreme left with some success, at least at first.
One of the questions that were left unresolved from the 1999 constitutional assembly was the geographical repartition of Venezuela. For example there was the major administrative problem of Caracas: with a third of the population of the country the city sprawls over two states and a federal district. That was not settled, the constitution leaving an ersatz called “cabildo metropolitano” who far from solving problems in fact allowed for a further atomization of Caracas administration. There were also some significant imprecision in the borders between states that could have been settled once and for all. Unfortunately the new constitution did not bother about settling those disputes and did not even tried to create a mechanism to do so. There was also the rather chaotic municipal distribution where some states (Tachira) have a plethora of small and inefficient municipal councils when compared to monstrosities such as the Irribaren district of Barquisimeto or the Libertador of Caracas.
There were two reasons for the less than august constitutional assembly to ignore such important matters. The first set of explanations is that its objective was to ensure immediate presidential reelection, extension to a 6 years term and control on the judiciary. The second reality that made the assembly desist of territorial redrawing at the time was the existence of strong local feeling (Caracas and Zulia in particular). Considering that then the distribution of popular support for chavismo was far from established, it was advisable to postpone any intervention in redefining regions.
But now that the basic political objectives of Chavez have been reached and that Zulia was able to mount a strong offensive against Chavez last year, it is time to disrupt this network of local loyalties which is what makes the cultural wealth of a nation. Cultural wealth is of course anathema to socialism as it is understood in Cuba or the Soviet Union where all men are equal in language and culture and where remains of original local traditions are only dusted for show to the outside world when not banned outward as a form of capitalist exploitation. When all are equal and think equally, what use is it to have regional variations?
The official project has not been introduced yet but it is quite explicit in the “five motors of the socialist revolution” that supposedly started December 4 2006. There is open talk of redrawing border districts and even getting rid of governors and possibly mayors. Now the basic popular district will deal directly with Caracas. Chavismo without any sense of ridicule, without any shame, ignoring all of human history, pretends to present this as the ultimate decentralization of power when we all know that it is the ultimate form of centralization: all connected to the great leader, and thus all dependent on him!
At any rate, the final project might take years to clearly apply but in the very near future expect that the first districts to be redrawn and gerrymandered will be those where the opposition still has some strength. These mini bastions will be diluted as needed and local leadership clearly erased as its power base will be disrupted in any possible way.
The new power structure
The tool to redraw the map of Venezuela has been set: popular participation through communal councils. All is vague but what is not vague is the atomization sought through them. How will this operate? Well, let say that San Felipe is redrawn. Thus the city which has an electoral population of roughly 35 000 will be divided in “consejos comunales” that will have from 1000 to 5000 participants (I am assuming such numbers as there is notable lack of precision, the only thing we are certain is that these new councils will rule).
Roughly these councils would gather to decide such things as which school will be renovated first, or which street needs to be batched. The inter neighborhood decisions concerning such matters as local hospitals or campuses will still be left to some town hall or state system, but the objective is that eventually all decision power will be shared between the local councils and the central government who will allocate money to feasible projects. The people supposedly will decide which contractors will be hired and will supervise the correct pursuit of contracts.
All very obviously confusing since from the start it is very difficult to see who will decide when there is a conflict between a certain district and the central administration. But still, one could conceive of systems to solve such situations: maybe the leaders of individual councils could gather in special assemblies? Referendums could become a frequent occurrence?
But that is not at all the objective sought by the government: these councils will in fact be controlled tightly by chavista agents, and when that cannot be obtained, the recalcitrant councils will be easily quarantined. How will this happen?
To begin with there is the participation problem. Chavismo has been the great beneficiary of abstention, no matter what some sectors of the opposition might claim. The less the people participate the more chavismo will control the situation. In a country where life conditions are everyday more and more difficult from the high crime rate to deficient public services, folks will simply do not have time to attend the constant flow of meetings that the new system will require. If you have no town hall, then the people are the ones who must debate since you cannot even hire someone to do the job for you. Only those in the public administration will have the time, and the duty, to be regulars to these meetings and slowly but surely will impose their ways.
But let’s assume that indeed many do show up. Then there is the second secret weapon for chavismo: open air democracy. See, the debates will be carried supposedly among neighbors and supposedly for the sake of convenience voting with raised hands will be a frequent occurrence, when not the norm. When there is a chavista governmental representative attending and suggesting (implying?) that the government would like a given project to include or exclude this and that who will dare to vote against? See, after the Tascon List this type of situation is one that most Venezuelans are weary of. At these assemblies it will be incredibly easy for the government to label friends and foes. In districts were chavismo is a weak majority or even a strong minority, the exercise of this “popular” democracy will ensure that chavismo will become quickly a strong majority.
Certainly if the CNE were to do its duty and if any communal vote had to be through secret ballots maybe the debate might not affect the community since the leaders of each side should present their arguments as in any normal democracy, people deciding then according to their interests and conscience in the privacy of the poll both. But the CNE has neither the man power nor the will to control all garbage collection votes of the country. Soon the tendency will be toward raised hand voting and democracy will be gone.
As for the opposition districts? Well, a few will remain, those where the opposition represents at the very least 60% of the voters. These districts will certainly not account for the 37% who voted against Chavez, but more likely will represent at the very most 20% of the population of Venezuela. They will be limited in the resources received as a major pressure tool from the central autocracy. And they will be the last remaining fig leave to show that Venezuela is still a democracy. But the best part for chavismo is that these districts will be too weakened to be able to generate an opposition leadership that could one day successfully challenge the establishment. Or so they will hope anyway.
The new history of Venezuela: passing the message
Last but not least there is an element that could either be included into the creation of the new Venezuelan man, or in the new power and territorial distribution: it is rewriting history and rewriting the educational system. This is a much more nebulous area than the ones described above. But the evidence is already there. It is fit to include it here since it is a tool under creation for future usage. Also, there is the necessary corollary, the need to control better the freedom of expression left so that no counter message may reach the lower classes upon which the glorious revolution is based.
Rewriting history
This can be seen everyday; it is obvious to any semi informed observer. Hugo Chavez is diligent in reinterpreting what Bolivar did and meant. Now this oligarchy scion of the Venezuelan colonial elite, this son of the enlightenment is fast becoming some “mestizo” who was socialist before Marx and Engels. I will not offend the leader intelligence discussing the intellectual implications of such “desproposito” (Out of subject? Incoherence?).
But this is not enough. For eight years Chavez has been trying to inject to the Bolivarian heritage, made revolution, all sorts of anachronistic ideas. The indigestible hodgepodge he is creating is starting to affect the country psyche, and even Chavez’s one. So he has decided to push forwards and settle on his own what is true of false, a new Trofim Lysenko of the historical academy this time. Thus he determined on his own the Venezuelan flag, changed the coat or arms, revisited Zamora impact, pondered Miranda role, meditated which are the real borders of the country (meaning that he keeps dreaming of a new Gran Colombia), decided who are the heroes and villains at any historical moment, etc… And this is about to be enshrined in the new Bolivarian education.
The new school curriculum
It is obvious that to make all these untrue asseverations and opinions of the new Conducator, Chavez needs to rewrite Venezuelan education, in a way that slowly but surely the volk will agree with its Supremo. But this not as easy as it might seem: parents might be very willing to vote for Chavez to keep their governmental job or privileges, but when brain washing starts at school it might become another story. The government has realized this quite well, to the point that the only big item that was left out of the enabling law was the never ending discussion of the new education law.
But it is a priority of the government. Taking over private education and independent public universities is a must for the regime. Private education is an obvious target for any autocracy as private schools might be forced to follow the official curriculum but can interpret the ideology as they please to dampen the effect of the official garbage, and even add additional course to undo any brain damage.
The attack on higher education is more visible. Right now several measures have already been taken such as creation of deficient new higher education organizations who are nothing more than political education centers that will grant deficient degrees that will not be marketable on the private sector market and thus will doom its graduates to keep bloating the new bureaucratic caste in Venezuela. Such a caste will depend more than ever on Chavez for its relevance.
But perhaps independent universities are even more of a target for chavismo. It remains a fact that in internal elections within these few privileged campus chavismo candidates or propositions have always failed, and most of the time miserably. It is a fact of life in Venezuela that the intellectual elite of the country, as meager as this one might be, has become overwhelmingly anti Chavez, and will remain even more so as autocracy rears its ugly head. The autonomy of these universities is threatened and it is just a matter of time until the old campuses of Venezuela will be taken over. Within a year or two it is quite possible that the only independent universities remaining will be the Jesuit colleges (UCAB) or the Metropolitana in Caracas. All the other campuses will have rectors imposed by the regime with the consequences that we can all foresee clearly.
Unless of course people awaken to the threat.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
PS: Controlling the media
I am adding this as foot note because that process had already started before 2006. With the infamous Ley RESORTE the government has already obtained a very significant self censorship in the broadcast media. Major opposition journalists have been evicted from their talk show on Televen and Venevision who have become "neutral" TV stations. Provincial radio, heavily dependent on governemtal advertisement are all but neutralized or gone to the dark side. Only the press is still free and lively (though not as vigourous as it used to be as they exert some discrete self imposed restraint).
But now the government has announced that it will push up the ante. To begin with there will be massive investment in media. CMT, a local Caracas TV station was bought by a chavista business group. Purchase of local radio stations will keep apace. New TV stations are promised, all run by the governemt or local allies. Andres Izarra of Telesur was verty explicit when he declared that the message of the government must be intense and reach everywhere, overwhelming any counter message that might appear (stopping short of shutting the anti message?).
The new intensification of the media wars was the announcement that RCTV, the venerable TV station that survived all sorts of political abuses in the past will be shut. The reasons are strictly political, strictly because Chavez said so as there is no legal basis to even start a punitive action! But it is also a test to see how the international community reacts. If we only see weak complaints you can be certain that Globovision will be next in line.
And then we will have only newspapers left. However self censorhip is easy to establish there: you can fine journalists for all sorts of minor faults, you can send the SENIAT on a regular basis, you can limit acces to controlled dollars to buy printing paper, etc... Chavismo has never lacked creativity when it needs to harass whomever disagrees...
The new country
This is rather easy to explain: a revolution must bring changes and what could be easier to do to convey the impression of change but to change the internal borders. This artifact has been employed from the extreme right to the extreme left with some success, at least at first.
One of the questions that were left unresolved from the 1999 constitutional assembly was the geographical repartition of Venezuela. For example there was the major administrative problem of Caracas: with a third of the population of the country the city sprawls over two states and a federal district. That was not settled, the constitution leaving an ersatz called “cabildo metropolitano” who far from solving problems in fact allowed for a further atomization of Caracas administration. There were also some significant imprecision in the borders between states that could have been settled once and for all. Unfortunately the new constitution did not bother about settling those disputes and did not even tried to create a mechanism to do so. There was also the rather chaotic municipal distribution where some states (Tachira) have a plethora of small and inefficient municipal councils when compared to monstrosities such as the Irribaren district of Barquisimeto or the Libertador of Caracas.
There were two reasons for the less than august constitutional assembly to ignore such important matters. The first set of explanations is that its objective was to ensure immediate presidential reelection, extension to a 6 years term and control on the judiciary. The second reality that made the assembly desist of territorial redrawing at the time was the existence of strong local feeling (Caracas and Zulia in particular). Considering that then the distribution of popular support for chavismo was far from established, it was advisable to postpone any intervention in redefining regions.
But now that the basic political objectives of Chavez have been reached and that Zulia was able to mount a strong offensive against Chavez last year, it is time to disrupt this network of local loyalties which is what makes the cultural wealth of a nation. Cultural wealth is of course anathema to socialism as it is understood in Cuba or the Soviet Union where all men are equal in language and culture and where remains of original local traditions are only dusted for show to the outside world when not banned outward as a form of capitalist exploitation. When all are equal and think equally, what use is it to have regional variations?
The official project has not been introduced yet but it is quite explicit in the “five motors of the socialist revolution” that supposedly started December 4 2006. There is open talk of redrawing border districts and even getting rid of governors and possibly mayors. Now the basic popular district will deal directly with Caracas. Chavismo without any sense of ridicule, without any shame, ignoring all of human history, pretends to present this as the ultimate decentralization of power when we all know that it is the ultimate form of centralization: all connected to the great leader, and thus all dependent on him!
At any rate, the final project might take years to clearly apply but in the very near future expect that the first districts to be redrawn and gerrymandered will be those where the opposition still has some strength. These mini bastions will be diluted as needed and local leadership clearly erased as its power base will be disrupted in any possible way.
The new power structure
The tool to redraw the map of Venezuela has been set: popular participation through communal councils. All is vague but what is not vague is the atomization sought through them. How will this operate? Well, let say that San Felipe is redrawn. Thus the city which has an electoral population of roughly 35 000 will be divided in “consejos comunales” that will have from 1000 to 5000 participants (I am assuming such numbers as there is notable lack of precision, the only thing we are certain is that these new councils will rule).
Roughly these councils would gather to decide such things as which school will be renovated first, or which street needs to be batched. The inter neighborhood decisions concerning such matters as local hospitals or campuses will still be left to some town hall or state system, but the objective is that eventually all decision power will be shared between the local councils and the central government who will allocate money to feasible projects. The people supposedly will decide which contractors will be hired and will supervise the correct pursuit of contracts.
All very obviously confusing since from the start it is very difficult to see who will decide when there is a conflict between a certain district and the central administration. But still, one could conceive of systems to solve such situations: maybe the leaders of individual councils could gather in special assemblies? Referendums could become a frequent occurrence?
But that is not at all the objective sought by the government: these councils will in fact be controlled tightly by chavista agents, and when that cannot be obtained, the recalcitrant councils will be easily quarantined. How will this happen?
To begin with there is the participation problem. Chavismo has been the great beneficiary of abstention, no matter what some sectors of the opposition might claim. The less the people participate the more chavismo will control the situation. In a country where life conditions are everyday more and more difficult from the high crime rate to deficient public services, folks will simply do not have time to attend the constant flow of meetings that the new system will require. If you have no town hall, then the people are the ones who must debate since you cannot even hire someone to do the job for you. Only those in the public administration will have the time, and the duty, to be regulars to these meetings and slowly but surely will impose their ways.
But let’s assume that indeed many do show up. Then there is the second secret weapon for chavismo: open air democracy. See, the debates will be carried supposedly among neighbors and supposedly for the sake of convenience voting with raised hands will be a frequent occurrence, when not the norm. When there is a chavista governmental representative attending and suggesting (implying?) that the government would like a given project to include or exclude this and that who will dare to vote against? See, after the Tascon List this type of situation is one that most Venezuelans are weary of. At these assemblies it will be incredibly easy for the government to label friends and foes. In districts were chavismo is a weak majority or even a strong minority, the exercise of this “popular” democracy will ensure that chavismo will become quickly a strong majority.
Certainly if the CNE were to do its duty and if any communal vote had to be through secret ballots maybe the debate might not affect the community since the leaders of each side should present their arguments as in any normal democracy, people deciding then according to their interests and conscience in the privacy of the poll both. But the CNE has neither the man power nor the will to control all garbage collection votes of the country. Soon the tendency will be toward raised hand voting and democracy will be gone.
As for the opposition districts? Well, a few will remain, those where the opposition represents at the very least 60% of the voters. These districts will certainly not account for the 37% who voted against Chavez, but more likely will represent at the very most 20% of the population of Venezuela. They will be limited in the resources received as a major pressure tool from the central autocracy. And they will be the last remaining fig leave to show that Venezuela is still a democracy. But the best part for chavismo is that these districts will be too weakened to be able to generate an opposition leadership that could one day successfully challenge the establishment. Or so they will hope anyway.
The new history of Venezuela: passing the message
Last but not least there is an element that could either be included into the creation of the new Venezuelan man, or in the new power and territorial distribution: it is rewriting history and rewriting the educational system. This is a much more nebulous area than the ones described above. But the evidence is already there. It is fit to include it here since it is a tool under creation for future usage. Also, there is the necessary corollary, the need to control better the freedom of expression left so that no counter message may reach the lower classes upon which the glorious revolution is based.
Rewriting history
This can be seen everyday; it is obvious to any semi informed observer. Hugo Chavez is diligent in reinterpreting what Bolivar did and meant. Now this oligarchy scion of the Venezuelan colonial elite, this son of the enlightenment is fast becoming some “mestizo” who was socialist before Marx and Engels. I will not offend the leader intelligence discussing the intellectual implications of such “desproposito” (Out of subject? Incoherence?).
But this is not enough. For eight years Chavez has been trying to inject to the Bolivarian heritage, made revolution, all sorts of anachronistic ideas. The indigestible hodgepodge he is creating is starting to affect the country psyche, and even Chavez’s one. So he has decided to push forwards and settle on his own what is true of false, a new Trofim Lysenko of the historical academy this time. Thus he determined on his own the Venezuelan flag, changed the coat or arms, revisited Zamora impact, pondered Miranda role, meditated which are the real borders of the country (meaning that he keeps dreaming of a new Gran Colombia), decided who are the heroes and villains at any historical moment, etc… And this is about to be enshrined in the new Bolivarian education.
The new school curriculum
It is obvious that to make all these untrue asseverations and opinions of the new Conducator, Chavez needs to rewrite Venezuelan education, in a way that slowly but surely the volk will agree with its Supremo. But this not as easy as it might seem: parents might be very willing to vote for Chavez to keep their governmental job or privileges, but when brain washing starts at school it might become another story. The government has realized this quite well, to the point that the only big item that was left out of the enabling law was the never ending discussion of the new education law.
But it is a priority of the government. Taking over private education and independent public universities is a must for the regime. Private education is an obvious target for any autocracy as private schools might be forced to follow the official curriculum but can interpret the ideology as they please to dampen the effect of the official garbage, and even add additional course to undo any brain damage.
The attack on higher education is more visible. Right now several measures have already been taken such as creation of deficient new higher education organizations who are nothing more than political education centers that will grant deficient degrees that will not be marketable on the private sector market and thus will doom its graduates to keep bloating the new bureaucratic caste in Venezuela. Such a caste will depend more than ever on Chavez for its relevance.
But perhaps independent universities are even more of a target for chavismo. It remains a fact that in internal elections within these few privileged campus chavismo candidates or propositions have always failed, and most of the time miserably. It is a fact of life in Venezuela that the intellectual elite of the country, as meager as this one might be, has become overwhelmingly anti Chavez, and will remain even more so as autocracy rears its ugly head. The autonomy of these universities is threatened and it is just a matter of time until the old campuses of Venezuela will be taken over. Within a year or two it is quite possible that the only independent universities remaining will be the Jesuit colleges (UCAB) or the Metropolitana in Caracas. All the other campuses will have rectors imposed by the regime with the consequences that we can all foresee clearly.
Unless of course people awaken to the threat.
--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
PS: Controlling the media
I am adding this as foot note because that process had already started before 2006. With the infamous Ley RESORTE the government has already obtained a very significant self censorship in the broadcast media. Major opposition journalists have been evicted from their talk show on Televen and Venevision who have become "neutral" TV stations. Provincial radio, heavily dependent on governemtal advertisement are all but neutralized or gone to the dark side. Only the press is still free and lively (though not as vigourous as it used to be as they exert some discrete self imposed restraint).
But now the government has announced that it will push up the ante. To begin with there will be massive investment in media. CMT, a local Caracas TV station was bought by a chavista business group. Purchase of local radio stations will keep apace. New TV stations are promised, all run by the governemt or local allies. Andres Izarra of Telesur was verty explicit when he declared that the message of the government must be intense and reach everywhere, overwhelming any counter message that might appear (stopping short of shutting the anti message?).
The new intensification of the media wars was the announcement that RCTV, the venerable TV station that survived all sorts of political abuses in the past will be shut. The reasons are strictly political, strictly because Chavez said so as there is no legal basis to even start a punitive action! But it is also a test to see how the international community reacts. If we only see weak complaints you can be certain that Globovision will be next in line.
And then we will have only newspapers left. However self censorhip is easy to establish there: you can fine journalists for all sorts of minor faults, you can send the SENIAT on a regular basis, you can limit acces to controlled dollars to buy printing paper, etc... Chavismo has never lacked creativity when it needs to harass whomever disagrees...
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