martes, octubre 10, 2006

The Avalanche From Caracas

The Avalanche From Caracas
The political campaign of Manuel Rosales

Alfredo Ascanio (askain)

Published 2006-10-10

On Saturday, the great avalanche that supports the Venezuelan presidential candidate Manuel Rosales seized one of the longest avenues of Caracas, the Ave. of the Liberator.

Experts say that is possible that as many as 200,000 people turned out. This demonstration was as important as the first ones back in 2001 and 2002.

The slogan of the campaign is "Venezuelans dare to achieve the change!" And this avalanche has marked the political agenda of this campaign to elect a new president on Dec. 3. Political analysts say that it was the first demonstration of what will be the great change in Caracas

Journalists Carla Angola and Mirian Gutierrez interviewed people that went to the march with the following question: "What motivated you to participate today in this avalanche?"

Answers varied, but the greater number of them replied that they were demanding that greater attention be paid to the problems of the country and that the aggressive rhetoric always utilized by President Hugo Chavez be eliminated.

The people are demanding greater democracy. They want to eliminate the totalitarianism of the present government, which applies an ideological content that does not correspond to the Venezuelan political culture.

The youths are sure that Rosales is the best expression of sovereignty and of future for the country.

The people require a pluralistic country where all options or alternatives are possible. The political leaders supporting Rosales demand a true balance of power and adequate governing in order to solve the serious problems of unemployment, poverty, insecurity and corruption.

The emphasis was to reassure a country that was tired of a government that is already old and inefficient -- a government that had wasted $400,000 million in eight years of political propaganda.

The government of Chavez is faced with many weaknesses. The country has reserves of $35,000 million because of the high price of gas, but unemployment is at 15 percent and inflation at 12 percent.

Poverty has increased and the people have received only the populist speeches of Chavez as help. Problems facing the country have not been solved, as the president has only been dedicated to spending money out of the country to do political lobbying.

The international politics of this government is completely incomprehensible. The agenda is to insult the president of U.S. and to seek alliances with Islamic countries in opposition to the U.S. empire. That is why a position in the U.N. Security Council is being laboriously sought.

The purchase of weapons from Russia for example has been very high, while the country was expecting an improvement in its quality of life and its infrastructure. When Chavez came to power he said that there were too many departments (ministry) and a need to rationalize the executive power, but he only duplicated the departments and has even named many more vice ministers, which is increasing the bureaucratic load. In short, a corrupt and inefficient government.

Chavez, to hide his true ideology, has utilized the description of "Bolivarian" and said that his purpose was to achieve for the country "the Socialism of the 21st century." He is a mythomaniac and a liar. And besides, in a cynical speech, he had the boldness to say that the people have to be poor because being rich means being a part of wild capitalism.

I will change all this. The petroleum wealth must be utilized to benefit Venezuelans, especially the poor, through education, health, employment and dignity.

Therefore, I have offered a short-term solution while private investment is stimulated again and jobs are created: a card of debit (The Black Card) for the poorest. Thirty percent of it will be for family expenses and 70 percent for education, to buy tools of work, to start a small family business, to improve homes. In short, to invest.

That card of debit will be financed with a fifth of the petroleum budget. Although many say that it is insurance against unemployment or the financing of an enforced stoppage, it really is more than that: it is seeing that the poorest benefit from a resource that belongs to them but that today is being squandered on political propaganda inside and outside the country.

The public universities will do covenants with the private universities to incorporate many students that today are unable to continue their higher education. But in this matter of education, which Chavez wants to idealize so that it exists as a unique thought, we are not going to permit that type of abuse of the Venezuelan family.

We are at a crossroads: liberty or tyranny.

The march began at 12 noon and finished late that night. There was happiness, music and many artistic banners, examples of which can be seen here:
  • MANIFIESTA


  • During the march, protestors unfolded a great red, blue and yellow flag 400 meters long. Many people there were happy thinking about the change, in the possible future, when Chavez does not steal votes through the electronic fraud he has imposed in order to continue in power.

    OHMYNEWS-SOUTH KOREA

    Como un complemento vea esto:
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