Until now, I was with the opposition”: A Venezuelan’s change of heart

[Catherina]

Today, Venezuela faces another presidential election, its second in less than a year. And while many in the local and foreign private media are already calling it for Capriles like FUX Snooze did for Dubya in Florida 2000 (remember?), a very different truth is emerging on the ground. This week, Aporrea published an opinion piece from a former opposition supporter, María Alejandra Fernández, which caused a sensation on that site, becoming one of its most-read op-eds ever. It reveals some rather remarkable things that I doubt you will be seeing in our media up here, so I’ll take the liberty of reproducing it for you here:

“Until now, I was with the opposition”: A Venezuelan’s change of heart
April 14, 2013 — Sabina Becker

...

I never had a very good impression of Chávez from the outset. My conservative family called him things like a “violent lunatic” and at my age, I was unable to analyze this more deeply.

Well, I know that this publication will cause me serious problems with my family. It doesn’t matter to me. I have to say that I’m tired of it. I’m tired of how the opposition, for whom I voted so many times (including last October 7) lies at every moment, all the time, without any serious consequences.

...

When Chávez died, I was alone at home. I started to think: Was this man, really, deserving of all my hate? Wasn’t he, maybe, always coherent and sincere when it came to all his intentions and ideas? Didn’t he really live up to all the vows he made? With all these doubts, I confess, since I am a voracious reader and inveterate student, I decided to investigate and read in the most objective manner possible to recreate for myself a political criterion with the least possible bias.

...

I must confess that I am deeply sorry for having opposed his mandate and for having cursed him so. He was a man with flaws, but, definitively, Chávez changed the political history of my country and he changed it for the better. That is something objective, palpable, demonstrable.

After having been in that state of shock, I began to ask myself: How is it possible that for so many years, a person like me, who considered myself intelligent, graduated with honors, could have been deceived like that? Because yes, they deceived me.

...

PLEASE read the rest here: http://www.sabinabecker.com/2013/04/until-now-i-was-with-the-opposition-a-venezuelans-change-of-heart.html

María Alejandra is by no means alone. A few days ago I posted an article and some videos about some other former oppositionists who have also done some soul-searching and come to the same conclusion: The Bolivarian project is working, Venezuela is changing for the better thanks to Chávez, and the only “transition” that can occur now, the only one that should take place, is toward a deeper and more widespread form of the same.

Capriles not only can’t do that, he wouldn’t do anything but the opposite. His only plan is the same disastrous old one that threw Venezuela into the crisis that spurred Chávez to action in the first place, back in February of 1992. All Capriles wants to do is privatize everything that Chávez either nationalized or built from the ground up. Everything, including the children’s cardiological centre that saved the cousin’s daughter for no charge. In other words: Capriles would have forced María Alejandra’s cousin to do the same things that the privatized US healthcare system would: sell off all she had, go bankrupt…and still not get enough care for the little girl.

And to think the opposition media demonized Chavecito as a stealer of houses and children? What a joke.

...

PS: Looks like María Alejandra’s article was very impressive outside of Venezuela, too. Rafael Correa, the president of Ecuador, recently tweeted that everyone should read it. So there you go. What better endorsement do you need?

http://www.sabinabecker.com/2013/04/until-now-i-was-with-the-opposition-a-venezuelans-change-of-heart.html

[Demeter]

1. And it took a woman to speak the truth

Machismo isn't good for much, is it?

[Catherina]

2. I wish you could see my smile

I don't know I'm smiling, I just am lol...

This one's for the Machismos We're all in this together.

4/04/13

The National Opinion Party (OPINA), which belonged to the so-called Unity Table (MUD), and supported candidate Henrique Capriles in the October 7 elections, in which he lost, announced on Thursday that it has decided to separate from the opposition coalition and withdraw its support from the right-wing candidate.

“We wish to announce to the country our firm disposition to support Nicolás Maduro as candidate for the presidency of the Republic. We have made this decision very conscientiously, with full responsibility, bearing in mind the future of Venezuela, the need to develop and guarantee the process of change, and the transformations of our country. OPINA is a 51-year-old organization, which has Bolivarianism as its doctrine,” said the party’s secretary general for the capital region, Marcos Torres.

Accompanied by Omar Quiaragua and Rodrigo Carrizo, both members of the party directorate, Torres stated that the decision to withdraw support from Capriles Radonski follows an internal dispute which began three years ago, when the party split between those who supported President Hugo Chávez and those who supported the right.

However, following the death of the revolutionary leader, OPINA held an extraordinary meeting on March 16 to analyze the new political situation and as a consequence, the organization considered “that the process of revolutionary change initiated by President Chávez must continue in order to perfect the important achievements made in social, economic, and educative matters, in health, culture and sport, because they have benefited the majority of the Venezuelan people,” Torres explained.

...

http://www.contrainjerencia.com/?p=65061
translated by Sabina Becker http://www.sabinabecker.com/2013/04/the-ironies-of-the-venezuelan-opposition-part-15.html

[Judi Lynn]

4. How could anyone believe Capriles would be a good president, when he's a bad gov.?

Short, simple, and interesting.

This is a great article, so good to see.

Have to bookmark this one, it should be shared.

Thanks, Catherina.

[Judi Lynn]

5. Such good news for the Opina Party. Hope they will stick with their decision.

That's a very good sign, and a terrific article to read right after the original post at the top of this thread.

This is a time Venezuela's people need to start pulling together in earnest, to drive back the plans between the oligarchs and Washington to sell out the people and turn the whole thing back to being controlled by foreign powers again, while tearing the vital parts of the country out one more time, at the great expense and sorrow of the Venezuelan people.

They have supporters for their cause all over this world by GOOD people, not criminals like the opposition's backers.

[naaman fletcher]

3. "A man with flaws"

Please stop quoting fascists

[Bacchus4.0]

6. looks to me like alot more used to be chavistas and now are with the opposiiton n/t

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