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| Venezuelan Opposition Leader Manuel Rosales |
Posted on 02/01/2007 4:19:43 PM PST by StJacques
(12:07 p.m.) Rosales announces front against authoritarian pretensions of the government
Caracas. - The Governor of the State of Zulia and ex-presidential candidate, Manuel Rosales, warned the national government today that the Venezuelan people will fight to safeguard their democratic principles when facing the coming presidential announcements which they are awaiting.
The leader assured everyone that the citizens are not so defeated as they would make themselves out to be and he guaranteed that he will work jointly and in an organized way against any authoritarian pretension.
He said that the activity of an organized society with clear objectives will guarantee success and will serve as a containing wall of the so-called Socialist Project of the XXI Century, which proposes to perpetuate "an indefinite kingship" of Hugo Chavez through limitless reelection.
Rosales bluntly pounded the nationalizations which the national government intends to undertake, especially those which they are planning to make in the electric and telecommunications sectors, beginning with the CANTV and Electricity of Caracas companies.
He explained that the transition to state ownership of Electricity of Caracas -- a process that will cost nearly 15 billion dollars -- only will translate itself into poor handling of a service which does not function adequately in those states where it is already controlled by the state.
He recalled the constant cuts and rationing of electricity which the east and south of the country suffer, where the operating company of the service pertains to the state.
The director of A New Time1 condemned the government's intentions of transforming the national geography by means of a political-territorial restructuring.2
Rosales equally warned of the decision to close the RCTV television station, a channel he described as "a patrimony of all Venezuelans" with its 53 years of existence. He called upon the citizenry to rebel against that measure which only attempts to clip freedom of expression and to strengthen a state-run monopoly.
Massive organization
As part of a first series of actions, Rosales called people to the massive organization of community councils, associations of parents and representatives, as well as fronts for the defense of municipalities and freedom of expression.
He asked Venezuelans to quit complaining and to move on to action through the conformation of any of the instances of resistance which he called upon them to undertake.
"We are going to go out in the street for the engine of the people, the true engine for the solution of problems," he stated.
To parents and representatives he recommended going out from this very day to their respective educational communities and schools to activate the parents and representatives societies to defend the right to education of their children.
He recalled that one of the principal objectives of the government for guaranteeing the penetration of its so-called "Socialism of the XXI Century" is to act in the early stages of the formation of a child.
He announced that in the coming days, he will present an education project based on a model of equity, human development, and the overcoming of poverty.
He also exhorted everyone to create fronts for the defense of municipalities and for the decentralization of the [national] territory.3
In the urban and suburban neighborhoods they will create 30,000 fronts for the protest and the fight for public services,4 quality of life, and freedom of information expression in all Venezuela, he said.
All these groups will form themselves into networks to organize the struggle, Rosales commented.
"Starting today, we will all integrate ourselves and create communal councils the length and width of all Venezuela in mobilization, for the struggle and the work," he stated.
Rosales affirmed that the first part of the strategy is "to go down [to the grassroots level] to construct the popular networks" and when they are built we will carry out large protests all over the country, in order "to go out democratically but with a lot of civility, to say to the world that Venezuela has a dignified people that does not surrender, that is not beaten, and that we all are going to recover the things that were lost."
He informed everyone that starting next week they will distribute throughout the national press, by means of letters, the proposals which they handle as input for the discussion in each one of these areas.
Rosales was critical of the fact that with the approval of the Enabling Law "for 18 months we will have 167 parliamentary deputies collecting pay without working as the worst of a country and a society's bad examples."
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1 Refers to the UNTC, acronym for Un Nuevo Tiempo Contigo (A New Time with You), Rosales' reform coalition organzation.
2 Among the important changes Chavez plans to implement is a redrawing of the political map of Venezuela, which would set aside existing state and local governments across the country and replace them with new territorial political entities; i.e. states, local and municipal governments, whose members he would appoint. From the perspective of the opposition, Chavez will be completely removing all opposition lawmakers at a stroke and replacing them with his own supporters.
3 Again, Rosales is referring to the threat of the territorial restructuring plan described in footnote #2 immediately above.
4 When Rosales states "public services" he is referring to continuing the ownership of major service industries such as electricity and telecommunications in private hands, distinguishing "public" from "state" ownership.
Good for you. I appreciate your keeping us informed. The people of Venezuela are not the only ones for whom this is a very bad thing.
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| Venezuelan Opposition Leader Manuel Rosales |
Looks like the devil is moving from Cuba to the mainland.
Sad.
God protect Manuel Rosales.
I hope they have good life insurance!
We are asleep behind the wheel on this one as usual and when we finally decide to address it he will be firmly entrenched.
Notables: He asked Venezuelans to quit complaining and to move on to action through the conformation of any of the instances of resistance which he called upon them to undertake.
"We are going to go out in the street for the engine of the people, the true engine for the solution of problems," he stated.
To parents and representatives he recommended going out from this very day to their respective educational communities and schools to activate the parents and representatives societies to defend the right to education of their children.
He recalled that one of the principal objectives of the government for guaranteeing the penetration of its so-called "Socialism of the XXI Century" is to act in the early stages of the formation of a child.
**end snips.
"Oaxaca" comes to mind.
I don't predict a happy end to Chavez's life, but I fear it might be a long one. Too long for the good of the people of Venezuela.
Commendable, but sad. It's simply too late. This poor man is pissing against the wind. And he probably won't be around for long, either.
The American Left needs to take a lesson from Rosales. THIS is what courage looks like. Protesting Bush does not take an iota of courage - it has been proven time and again that you can call the President of the US anything you want, no matter how vile or disgusting, and absolutely nothing will happen to you in any way, shape or form. Rosales, by contrast, is now in danger. He can expect formal repression by the dictatorial state of Chavez. He will be attacked verbally, financially, and physically both by government and "private" entities. If he survives two years, I will be pleasantly surprised. This is what courage looks like, NOT JANE FREAKING FONDA.
Amen. Mega-dittoes.
I liked Henry Fonda. Too bad Jane was dropped on her head as an infant.
Thanks for doing this, it's very valuable.
Thanks for posting. Every ray of hope.....
Chavez has been President for Life since the moment he took the podium on inauguration day, 1998. He is playing for keeps. Reading between the lines, I believe Rosales is also.
Thats what its going to take.
As has been famously pointed out, what matter in an election is "who" counts the votes. Chavez has learned that lesson, and so has Rosales. Democracy died in 1998, but it took a while for the last true believer to get the message. And maybe it was necessary for Rosales to go through the motions, and I admire him for the way he has handled himself so far. He was right not to contest the election on election day. There was no point. But once you realize that the polls are meaningless, you are through the looking glass, you either accept the new totalitarian reality, you get your family out of the country, or you face the fact that your new role is to lead the revolution.
Rosales' life is on the line now. May God bless and preserve him.
And too early. This will all end, of course, but its just that the easy paths back from the edge have been closed. The only paths left are forward, offering only various degrees of suffering for Venezuelans.
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