Venezuelan Opposition Now Opposes The People
A pro-government supporter wears a T-Shirt with image of Venezuelas late
President Hugo Chavez, as he waits for results during congressional
elections in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015.
By María Páez Victor, www.counterpunch.org
July 25th, 2017
5
Above Photo: AP Photo/Alejandro Cegarra
The leaders of the violent protests -that for 3 months have violated the
peace of Venezuelans- are the very same who in 2002 supported the coup
detat against President Chávez. During those tense 48 hours, one of the
very first things they did was to abolish the Constitution of 1999: the one
they now purport to defend.
During 18 years, the opposition has denigrated the Constitution. So intense
has been this revolt against it that even after winning the majority at the
National Assembly they insisted the government was illegitimate, ignored the
rule of law, disregarded sentences of the Supreme Court, refused to
legislate, and declared the main purpose of the Assembly was to get rid of
Maduro.
These paragons are now pretending to be arbiters of democracy and opposing
any constitutional amendment by an elected Constitutional Assembly. They are
now opposing, not the government, but the people themselves.
The day of reckoning has come.
The opposition orchestrated economic sabotage, corporate smuggling, black
market currency manipulations, full scale hoarding of food and essential
products. They closed highways, burned public buildings including a packed
maternity hospital, from a helicopter dropped grenades on to the Supreme
Court offices, have assaulted, lynched and even burned alive young men of
dark skin who looked Chavista. This is a violent opposition steeped in
racism and classism against their own people and in the service of foreign
powers and Big Oil.
After demanding the government negotiate with them, a Peace and Dialogue
Table was set up facilitated by 2 former presidents of Latin America and one
of Spain. They then refused to negotiate demanding the presence of the
Vatican. When the Nuncio arrived, they still refused to dialogue. Pope
Francis himself stated the dialogue failed because the opposition would not
participate. President Maduro then concluded that if the opposition would
not negotiate with the government, they would have to negotiate directly
with the people and called for a Constitutional Assembly to amend the
constitution.
They are now terrified to face the people.
Constitutional articles 347, 348, 349 and 350 clearly indicate that the
president has the right to call a Constitutional Assembly to amend the
constitution. It is undisputedly a legitimate process. President Chávez
himself spoke of the need to see the constitution as a living work, to be
able to be amended in order to face whatever new circumstances may come in
future. President Maduro has called for an amendment now, at this time
because it is the very last resort towards a peaceful solution to the
violence in the streets that to this day the opposition continues to
promote.
Amendments are needed because in 1999, Venezuela was not facing the series
of dangers it is facing now with a seditionist National Assembly that
refuses to legislate to counter these challenges. In 1999, paramilitary
forces were not rampant on its western borders, there was no terrorism on
the streets causing horrific killings of innocent people, there was no
economic and financial war against the economy, a post-oil economy was not
seriously contemplated, government employees were not being targeted and
assassinated, opposition mayors and governors were not harboring street
violence, the Attorney General was not actively supporting impunity of
crimes, there was no blatant abuse of parliamentary immunity, with officials
openly asking foreign powers for their intervention to overthrow the
government, there was scant attention to the environmental and climate
dangers of the country and the Planet. These have now become serious issues
pertaining to the security of the State.
The representatives to the Constitutional Assembly will be elected on July
30 by a direct and secret vote that has electronic, paper and digital
safeguards against fraud. Former US president and Nobel Prize winner, Jimmy
Carter declared this electoral process as: the best in the world. The
opposition propaganda machine is spreading absurd rumors that the amendments
will make Maduro president for life and eliminate elections forever.
These are blatant lies. It will deliberate nine specific areas:
* Mechanisms for peace: to counter those who carry out violence, reaffirm
mechanisms for justice
* Promote a new post-petroleum economy that is productive, diversified, a
safeguard against economic war
* Enshrine anti-poverty programs (misiones) securing the states social
investment
* Revise the justice, security and protection system, promote a preventative
and investigative police system and penitential system, a stronger penal
code against rape, kidnapping and homicide, strengthen the fight against
terrorism, paramilitaries, narco-traffic and impunity
* Promote further participatory democracy by strengthening communal councils
and communes
* Promote a sovereign foreign policy to defend the integrity of Venezuela
* Promote the new Venezuelan identity and spirituality based on
pluri-cultural and diversity of the people, art and culture
* Guarantee the future for youth, their social rights: cultural,
educational, and labour
* Counter climate change and protect the environmental conditions of life in
the Planet.
The biggest challenge to Venezuela is that powerful international forces
could back the opposition with paramilitary groups to overthrow the
government. Big Oil lobbys the USA and its allies because they want to
solely control the largest oil reserve in the planet that lies in Venezuela.
THAT IS THE CORE OF THE VICIOUS INTERNATIONAL ANTAGONISM AGAINST VENEZUELA:
THEY WANT ITS OIL. With a former CEO of Exxon Mobil at the head of the US
State Department, the danger to Venezuela became greatly magnified. The
wealthy upper classes of Venezuela are playing the role they have always
historically played since Independence: being the lackeys of whatever world
power is dominant. Their country is money and they want to control the oil
revenue that flows to the state. When they ruled Venezuela during 40 years,
the equivalent of 15 Marshal Plans disappeared into their pockets.
The Bolivarian Revolution of Venezuela has three key strengths:
* As long as the government is defending the people, their human rights,
sovereignty, participation in democracy and promoting equality and social
justice, it will have their support.
* President Chávez transformed the armed forces no longer is their main
function a repressive one but as defender of the people and Constitution
with their identity set as heirs of Bolívars liberation army.
* Venezuela has amply proven to be a real Good Neighbour with ALBA,
Petrocaribe, Telesur, UNASUR and CELAC. It is organically linked to its
region and its fate has a powerful impact on Latin America and the
Caribbean. It has developed close relations with Russia, China, India,
Africa and parts of Europe: it is no longer a backwater country. The USA may
have undisputable military might, but any direct attack on Venezuela would
create significant international and internal domestic strife for the USA.
The opposition itself cannot overthrow the government without strong support
of the majority, without backing of the Armed Forces and without
international help. That is the sane, rational view. However, the USA Empire
has a dangerously ignorant and erratic president at its helm who could take
the insane path of arming the opposition to provoke a full scale civil war,
possibly with Colombian troops. My prediction is that such an evil
adventure, while painful, will ultimately fail. The Spanish Empire also
consistently underestimated the resiliency and resolve of the Venezuelan
people not for nothing they are called el bravo pueblo.
