National funeral of sorts for Danilo Anderson

The day keeps passing under the shade of the terrorist act of midnight.

Reactions have been pouring, from Amnesty International to the OAS. I think in Venezuela pretty much all serious sectors have condemned the crime unambiguously. There is an AP wire published in the Miami Herald where the Venezuelans in "exile" in Miami are pointed at as possibly behind that bombing. I quote:

Izarra [communications Minister] blamed Venezuelan exiles in Florida, echoing Chavez's earlier accusations that Cuban and Venezuelan "terrorists" were training in Florida to execute him and were using the media to call for his removal.

Meanwhile the government is wasting no time in canonizing its new martyr, helped along by the Venezuelan tradition to bury people as fast as possible. Sometimes people that die before 7 AM can be placed underground by 5 PM! Thus we had the remains of Danilo Anderson once he was identified, taken to the Prosecutor General office, in the picture below.

Then a huge march organized this late afternoon accompanied the remains to the National Assembly for an office of sorts. No buses where needed this time. Some brave opposition legislators braved the crowds to show their respect. Indeed, even if many do not mourn the death of Mr. Anderson, I would say that almost all of Venezuelans know that a line has been crossed today and we are all scared. This feeling could be easily gathered from both sides of the National Assembly session today. And was expressed quite clearly in Teodoro's editorial in Tal Cual.

El Nacional also has now a photo gallery. And El Universal publishes a bio of Anderson.

I have to hand a couple of kudos here:

• The government has displayed a remarkable restraint in pointing culprits. By these days standards the declaration form the AP quoted above is mild. The ones that count have been more controlled in their declarations, except Chavez of course, but that does not surprise anyone. Will this last? Will we get a real investigation?
• Globovision had already a black ribbon over its logo this morning. Alo Ciudadano has a fairly coherent and sympathizing coverage this afternoon. The hour is somber.

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PS: Note added a couple of hours later. I do not want to make this yet another post.

Chavez did a rambling cadena where he repeated himself several times, and managed to make it about himself bringing back April 2002 issues and what not. I suppose that some people got some consolation from it, but not me who worried more about his mental state...

Then, in a second cadena Izarra announced that we were having three days of National mourning. That is OK. Whether one liked Anderson or not we do need to think about what this assassination means for our future.

With this I leave this topic. I confess that I am very shaken by this day. I might not be mourning Anderson who is far from being the Golden hero that Chavez tried to create during his cadena. After all, instead of saying tonight "we did not protect him enough" he should have worried about spreading Anderson's political charges on several prosecutors while he was alive. He used him and thus bears responsability for having made poor Danilo such a great target. It is too late to give him the highest honor in the nation, and three days of mourning.

But I am quite shaken by the death spiral we have stepped in. We all know, from both sides of our great divide, that something broke today.

I will comeback to this topic only if real important news come again on this. As usual, I am not expecting much and Danilo will become also a victim of oblivion.

Who does benefit from the death of Danilo Anderson?

We are reeling from the most frontal terrorist act in our recent history. Because this is what the assassination by a bomb in the car of Danilo Anderson, prosecutor extraordinaire, is.

Of course it is too early to draw any conclusion as to whom, and why, though people interested in such a death and benefiting from it are scores, from all sides, from here and abroad. Perhaps a little listing might help.

The logic of authoritarian regimes

All authoritarian regimes, from the left of the right, end up sooner or later in this kind of mess. Chavez regime will not, is not, going to be the exception. One thing in these regimes is that they love to create symbolic personages. This is very useful because it does distract the attention some from the prominent power holder who needs a few lightning roads to protect his/her power. This started with the French Revolution and its Fouquier-Tinville. Who ended himself on the guillotine once his protectors fell.

Danilo Anderson actual murderer is not known. But accomplices can fearlessly be pointed out. It was not right to transform Danilo Anderson, a small time attorney into the foremost prosecutor of the regime. The cases where he was involved count by the hundred! All political, all high profile. Was he the ONLY prosecutor capable of assuming these cases?

Thus the people that promoted him, from cowardly Isaias Rodriguez to upper echelons power holders are guilty of having created Danilo Anderson and having allowed him to grab the spotlight. He became the natural target for any terrorist attack that might be attempted. Even a much, much better and media savvy target than his direct boss Isaias Rodriguez, for example.

Does it benefit the opposition?

Of course? The cases under Anderson’s investigation can be taken by any other prosecutor. At best the opposition suspects gained time in their defense. But with the Venezuelan legal system, it is easy to gain time, you need not kill the prosecutor. Unless Anderson was personally involved into some shady deal to prosecute a give personality, few benefits can be collected by the opposition. Besides, how can the opposition have access to Danilo Anderson’s car to place such a bomb? This is a question whose answer is crucial! Unless this is a plain act of revenge from the opposition (the disappearing of Bustillos for example?), at this point there is little to be gained by this crime.

Does it benefit the government?

Much more. It has now a bona fide martyr. One that can make people forget a little bit about all the people whose human rights have been abused: Fort Mara soldiers, Semeruco’s night evacuations under gas attack, torture cases of February 27 2004 and following days, those deaths of April 11, and 12 and 13, etc, etc….. Nothing like a high profile terrorist attack on you to make people forget the “routine” elsewhere.

Also at a time where the doubts on August 15 are not going away, at a time were the October result 31 allows folks to wonder about the state of democracy in Venezuela, at a time where international public opinion battle is losing ground with such things as the “gag law”, the limitations of decentralization, the loss of judicial independence, at a time where foreign eyes have now more time to focus their attention on you, etc… it is rather convenient to have a terrorist attack against one of your guys so people stop looking into your dirty laundry. Besides, recently Mr. Anderson had been questioned about “failing” some of his cases. After all Capriles Radosnki is free. Llaguno shooters are free. The Carmona decree prosecutions makes for good TV but there is no result in sight, while the High Court ruling on the power vacuum still stands. Mr. Anderson simply might have outlived his usefulness.

I am not saying of course that the government had something to do with this terrorist attack. That terrosit act was too efficient if you ask me and other actions from chavismo were not very clean, not professional enough to hint at their ability to direct such a well conducted crime. I am just saying that the main benefits from this crime are on the governmental side. And chavismo has been fostering enough crazy people, right and left, to have among us a group take such a nefarious initiative.

Meanwhile us folks in the street are left scared that Colombia has arrived to our shores.

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Not very relevant note added. A friend of mine happened to know Danilo Anderson in his years as environmental prosecutor. He was courteous and very sparse with his words when receiving my friend for the business at hand, which by the way was requested by my friend seeking redress. Anderson seemed a little bit odd but he certainly did not seem that he was the kind of person that raised spontaneous antagonisms against him. All folks that have come out of Anderson’s interviews/interrogations never complained on his methods. Perhaps his private life connections are the cause of that bomb but at least he showed always that he was keen in separating private from public and except an occasional streak of violence in him, he seems to have known how to behave.

Note: the last paragraph has been slightly reworded 3 hours after posted to make it clearer. I report this as my policy is never to erase a post, and never to correct it, once posted, except for an occasional grammatical mistake. This time I had to add some words and replace another one. It does not change at all the meaning originally intended.

The Carter Center chimes in, and so does COFAVIC Liliana Ortega

Well, even the Carter Center came to the news. They condemn terrorism under any guise and urge dialogue between the parties.

Well, what did they think would have happened after their quick bailing out in August? What do they think is the price to be paid for not even reporting and condemning all the electoral campaign abuses prior August 15? They validated the strong arm tactics of Chavez and they are just hypocrites chiming in now. What are they going to do to solve this mess? Again, yet another lost golden opportunity to shut up...

Liliana Ortega of COFAVIC as usual is the clear mind in this type of human rights disaster. Her words are worth a translation.


Ortega expressed “an abominable assassination that we must all condemn”, but asked that investigation are done “with a lot of prudence since this is an event that marks Venezuelan history”

She insists that fingers cannot be pointed out randomly and hoped that the institutions must demonstrate their worth even though it would seem that “some violent deaths are more important than others”.

The woman knows what she is talking about, having dedicated her life at human rights violations never fully investigated by ALL the governments that go through Miraflores Palace. the Carter Center woudl have been well advised to talk to her a little more during their sloppy electroal work this summer. She could have warned of the consequences...

Danilo Anderson confirmed dead

UNIONRADIO reproduces the declarations of Interior Ministry as to the forensic confirming that the remains in the bombed car are those of Danilo Anderson.

Public reactions are cascading.

Opposition party are condemning the assasination. Which does not stop the newly appointed director of Caracas security to accuse the opposition of the crime. Well, Barreto gets to demonstrate 5 days after his swearing in what he is made of.

The governmental authorites are gathering fast at the National Assembly. This even includes CNE president Carrasquero. Goes to tell you how scared the establishment is!

The US embassador condemned the agression. But on TV foreign interests are pointed out by some chavista personalities. Sure, why not?

And a popular march is called to honor the new political martyr of the regime.

Esto pica y se extiende!

Danilo Anderson gets bombed

Or his car at least, since the body has not been officially identified. But it is likely to be Mr. Anderson as this one has not reappeared and it is already 8 AM.

This blogger of course joins in the chorus that finds this act truly deplorable, useless. An act that brings us closer to the Colombian way of life from which there no easy way out.

But this blogger must also address the issue.

Who was Danilo Anderson?


He was the star prosecutor of the regime. That is, he was the one involved in almost all the marquee political cases, from Capriles Radonski, to the Llaguno bridge shooters. Though not particularly successful, but that wasn't the point as there was evidence that the"failures" might have been welcome...

It was a truly remarkable thing to see. The prosecutor appointed for environmental crime prosecution was the one ALWAYS available when an action had to be undertaken against a given opponent of the regime. Well, maybe, but such high profile role makes of course the person the prime target for any attack, an attack that can come from any side by the way since Mr. Anderson had become a symbol.

Lately Mr. Anderson was the one prosecuting the 200+ (for now) list of the people that happened to go sign the Carmona decree of April 12, or just happened to sign in the entry book that day. Which of course would allow that 200 to balloon to any number that is convenient for the regime.

Who committed that crime?

At this hour the question is of course ridiculous. We are not even sure that it was Mr. Anderson in the car. But one thing is certain, this assassination is good for a lot of people, be it from within the government or from outside. After all, the elimination of a high flying prosecutor is simply dealt with by the judiciary in sharing, as it should have been, the different cases among different prosecutors and thus limiting exposure. Italy had to go through such a difficult time during the Red Brigades years when so many judges were killed. Thus killing Mr. Anderson is not going to protect for long anyone that was into his dossiers. Unless Mr. Anderson was doing investigations himself and did not write down stuff he found, but there is no evidence that this was his style; after all he did like the cameras, like many high profile prosecutors.

For once Ismael Garcia, a particularly repulsive politician said one thing quite appropriate: he did not think that the opposition was behind that crime. And he added that it was probably a small group that could attack people from either side so as to create chaos in the country. I am surprised, I must admit, that he has come out this fast to say such wise words! It must be quite an important event.

And I would like to add something. Danilo Anderson, which in a way I did admire, was a rather troubled person, immature in some of his behaviors (gun wielding in public more than once, for example). Who knows what company he kept. This is not character assassination, what I mean is that a personal mobile is not to be discarded as a hypothesis on that vile crime passing it on Danilo Anderson keeping contacts with some extreme political or criminal groups, people that might suddenly undertake any action if it serves their interests.

What next?

The opposition was quick in condemning the crime. All sorts of personalities have already declared, and many have even showed up where the body is kept, such as Baruta's mayor Capriles Radonski. Though the hot heads were prompt to declare also, and to be condemned as quickly.

The government is of course shell shocked but is not falling into the accusation trap. Chavez suspended his trip to Costa Rica, which goes to tell. At least I hope that they will have learned their lesson and that they will know that creating star prosecutors is not the best way to obtain justice. Let's hope that the administration will not use this case further political gains...

PS: Added in proof

El Universal has already a photo gallery of the bomb scene! This has gotta be real big news!

La Chiquinquirá in Maracaibo

I did not realize that I would be commenting on the Zulia results today, day of La Chinita, or Virgen de la Chiquinquirá, the patroness of Maracaibo and Zulia state. One of the 4 principal veneration images of Venezuela with La Coromoto for all of Venezuela, La Divina Pastora for Lara and Yaracuy and La Virgen del Valle for Margarita and the Eastern part of the country.

The celebrations of La Chiquinquirá hold a particular place in Venezuela as it opens officially, for all practical purposes, the Christmas season. In Zulia state business is pretty much over from now until mid January. For the rest of the country from now on "gaitas" will occupy our air waves and bring out our equivalent to Christmas spirit. And a blog entry from a Venezuelan blog written in Maracaibo for the local flavor.

Tonight I will limit myself to salute the Zulia people in their day, congratulate them for resisting Chavez and I will wait for tomorrow to post my electoral analysis for the region.

An image of the reliquary of the sacred wood tablet where the miraculous icon appeared in 1709, or so does the legend tells us. It came floating from the lake to an elderly woman doing her laundry. The Miracle was when the image appeared. Our own version of the Guadalupe.



Salve regina!

Let's discuss our wild economy

Today the Venezuelan Central Bank, BCV, issued its third trimester report. In it we find a few interesting things.

First the GNP increase in comparison to the third quarter of 2003 (after the devastating oil strike) is 15.8% when that last one had a 7.1% drop respective to 2002. This would be very good on its face value. And indeed things are going much better than one year ago. But let's be a little bit more inquisitive in our lecture of the recent economic numbers.

The sector that showed the largest recovery was construction, the one comatose since 2002. IT increased in the third quarter by a whopping 40.3%! How come? Well, in the purest of Venezuelan political tradition, the government released a lot of cash to build quickly popular housing that it could have built earlier. But it makes for better photo-ops when the president himself goes to open a few dozen subsidized housing here and there. Yet we can read that the construction sector is still 40% below its 2001 level, which was not that great to begin with.

More good news, in large part due to the extraordinary electoral spending so decried through this blog since early this year. General consumer demand increased by 29.2%!!! And the jobless rate is still 14.5% and the underemployed (street vendors and the like) is still hovering at 50%. No big change there. So how come people have money suddenly? Cash grants from a mision or another?

Still the BCV is careful and gives a 12% for the whole year in spite of such a gleaming third quarter. Do they know something we do not know? Like a sudden slow down in the 4th quarter?

Elsewhere we read that the increase in accounts balances towards a surplus is due to an increase of 37.1% of oil price. Yet the National Assembly issues a new debt emission of 500 million USD against the objections of the BCV!

And from CEDICE with have a Cassandra voice announcing that the current oil plenty has a déjà vu feeling all over again.

And to reassure your doubts about the good management of the country, the BIV, one of the two "commercial banks" which is state owned, has a bad debt roll of 34.3%, the highest within the Venezuelan banking system whose average is 2.4%. That is, a whopping 1/3 of the loans issued by the BIV (many to associates of the regime) are bad debt that probably will never be recovered. Imagine that!

And supposedly we should cheer up the GNP increase in the third quarter. One wonders what would that GNP be if we had a better managed country and not the corrupt mess that we are putting up with.