Why Do Bush and Kerry Fear Hugo Chavez?
Katherine Lahey
The Venezuelan "Threat"
October 15, 2004
The US government and Presidential candidate John Kerry have announced that
President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is a threat to
the United States. What is most ironic is that while using a different
framework through which to analyze this statement, this is true. The
vision of Hugo Chavez and the strong community organizing of the Venezuelan people little by
little destroys the corrupt, imperialist, and repressive vision and practice
of the US government and its capacity to intervene in the affairs of the
people, minimizing their efforts to control the beloved nation
called Venezuela. In fact, it transforms their framework while resisting it- that is why recently
Colin Powell announced after the referendum that the US, while in
"disagreement" over policies and ideology, will find ways in which
to cooperate with the Venezuelan government. The work of the people makes it even more
impossible for the US government to execute its plan to rule by a foreign hand, buying
officials within while foreign banks come to partake in the fruits
of the capitalist machine of globalization that has destroyed so many lives and so many
countries. However, they continue to sing the cry of threat and
danger, their fingers pointed toward Hugo Chavez, the leader of the resistance against
neoliberalism and imperialism.
The importance of Venezuela as a political theme has increased as the long
awaited elections near in November in the United States. Of course, both
candidates George Bush and John Kerry are so similar that really there is no
difference; they are figures representing the same interests of
domination. The differences over which they continue to squabble are miniscule, yet
magnified in an effort by the private media to create more drama and to maintain the power of
the two-party system. They fundamentally agree in many areas, but one in
which they both agree particularly strongly: the threat of Hugo Chavez and the
Venezuelan people. Of course strategically, Venezuela means one thing to them-
oil. They don't see a people, a beautiful land rich with history and culture and
principled politics from which they could most certainly learn- they see
dollars and an opportunity, under the right conditions, to snag the
resources that belong to another people. But there's just one problem- the determination and
struggle of a people and a revolution that has already firmly planted its
roots, with a leader that will never ever sell his people nor his country nor
their sovereignty as a people. What's more, is that the beautiful and fierce
example of the Bolivarian Revolution doesn't just remain closed
within the borders of Venezuela. Each day it grows and extends itself throughout Latin America,
in Ecuador, in Bolivia, in Brazil, in Argentina, blossoming and creating a
more united people and a consciousness of the power possible in the roots of
community over empire. This is the threat which they actually
describe, the threat against them themselves and their project to conquer the world.
Of course, what they mean to say is that Chavez is a terrorist threat, that
he ideologically supports terrorists through his anti-imperialist resistance,
which means danger for the US homeland in the light of the September 11th
attacks. But in reality, it is that little by little, this resistance, in
combination with the empowerment of the Venezuelan people, damages
their own terrorist campaign and domination, and that they fear that this process will empower
and inspire other oppressed people to rise up, to organize, to reclaim their
humanity and their society. Because no longer does it work to pour billions of
dollars into opposition groups in hopes of generating another coup,
as they did through the NED, the National Endowment for Democracy, a right-wing group that
in the name of democracy funds opposition groups that promote US imperialist
interests in other countries throughout the world. This was one of the great
lessons of the August 15th referendum, that the power already belongs to the
people and it is impossible to take that away. That no longer can billions of
imported dollars save your oligarchy. The people have sung their message. They
have said, "No Volverán!", that they won't go back. And this is the threat.
http://www.canadiandimension.mb.ca/extra/d1015kl.htm====
Why John Kerry Must Retract his Position on Venezuela Thursday, Mar 25, 2004
By: Venezuelanalysis.com editors
Sign the petition asking Kerry to retract his statement at www.petitiononline.com/kerryven/
The Democratic candidate for President of the United States, John Kerry, published a statement on his web site this past March 19, setting forth his position on the political situation in Venezuela. In this declaration, Kerry relies on inaccurate information and repeats views identical to those of the Venezuelan opposition to democratically-elected President Hugo Chavez.
We examine below Kerry's statement in more detail:
Referendum
Kerry urges President Chavez to allow the recall referendum against his mandate to occur. The reality is that the President has no legal means, to either impede or permit a recall referendum. It can only be achieved if those requesting the referendum collect the number of valid signatures required by the regulations.
The Senator states that, "the international community cannot permit President Chávez to subvert this process, as he has tried to do up until now." Nevertheless, Kerry does not specify how the President has tried to subvert this process. Kerry conveniently omits the fact that it was President Chávez who proposed to include the possibility of these referenda in the new Constitution that was drafted by a Constitutional Assembly elected by popular vote. Chávez has called for a review of signatures collected by the opposition because, as per numerous credible reports, there appears to have been substantial fraud committed during the signature drive. What is so terrible about denouncing fraud and calling for an investigation of hundreds of thousands of petitions filled out by the same handwriting? Kerry surely would expect the same type of investigation to occur if there were evidence of fraud in any electoral process he was a part of.
As it stands, those whose signatures appear on petitions that were filled out by the same handwriting will soon have the chance to confirm their identity and intention to sign the petition requesting a recall referendum. It is the opposition that has opposed this process. Chávez has repeatedly stated that he will respect whatever decision is made by the nation's electoral authorities regarding a referendum.
Democratic Institutions
Kerry states that Chávez has undermined democratic institutions with extra-judicial measures that include politically-based arrests in order to consolidate his power. Kerry omits the fact that Chávez has won two presidential elections by large margins and that the political parties supporting Chávez control the National Assembly because voters overwhelmingly chose to elect those party representatives.
Political Prisoners
During five years of Chavez's presidency, there have been absolutely no political prisoners. Those detained during recent disturbances, whom the opposition claimed were political prisoners, were arrested lawfully on charges brought by a Public Prosecutor, and the majority of them have been released. Those who remain detained have been arrested on charges such as illegal possession of arms and, in many cases, for illegally carrying weapons of war. Trials for those arrested have not yet taken place.
Kerry repeats the discourse of the Venezuelan opposition that refers to those arrested for carrying illegal arms as political prisoners, yet he has never declared that those arrested for protesting peacefully in front of the School of the Americas in Georgia are political prisoners.
Relationship with Fidel Castro
Kerry states that Chavez's relationship with President Fidel Castro is evidence that Chávez is not committed to governing democratically. If a democratically elected leader's relationship with an undemocratically elected leader places the credibility of the democratic leader in jeopardy, then the democratic credentials of all US presidents should be questioned.
Detrimental Policies
"The policies of President Chávez have been detrimental to our interests and those of our neighbors," claims Kerry. The Senator may be referring to the interests of multinational corporations who have contributed to his campaign and Senatorial reign. Chavez's opposition to the FTAA and the WTO, his support of indigenous and workers' struggles and his fight for the self-determination of Latin American nations, may be considered to go against the interests of multinational corporation and in favor of the interests of the people of Latin America and the United States. US workers have seen their salaries diminish and have lost millions of jobs due to policies that Kerry has supported and those that Chávez opposes. Chavez's position in relation to these issues has earned the support of millions of progressives in Latin America, who view him as a leader in the struggle for social justice.
Fight against the illegal trafficking of drugs
In terms of the issue of the fight against illegal drug trafficking, Kerry is completely misinformed and again is repeating the Venezuelan opposition's line of reasoning without even reviewing facts and statistics. The Bush Administration has continuously praised the Chávez government in this fight. "Venezuela has achieved notable advances in the interdiction of drug trafficking...The confiscation of illegal drugs has increased drastically", Robert B. Charles, Sub-Secretary of State for International Narcotrafficking Affairs stated at the beginning of March. Additionally, a U.S. report evaluating 195 countries in the fight against narcotrafficking in 2003 states that "the levels of heroin confiscation have remained the same as those in 2002, in half a ton, the highest level in South America for the fourth consecutive year."
Kerry accuses Chávez of helping insurgency groups in Colombia. Nevertheless, General James Hill of the Southern Command of the US Army has stated publicly that there is no evidence that the Venezuelan government has aided insurgency groups in Colombia.
Agreements with the OAS and the Carter Center
Kerry states that Chávez must be pressured to comply with the agreements that he signed with the OAS and the Carter Center regarding a recall referendum. The agreements signed last year between the government and the opposition do not mention specifically that a recall referendum will take place, but rather put forth a commitment to respect the Constitution in seeking a peaceful solution to the political crisis. Respecting the Constitution implies that in order to request a referendum, the required amount of valid signatures must be collected according to the regulations.
Kerry asks that freedom of expression be respected in Venezuela. It is widely known that in Venezuela, every person is free to express his/her opinion without fear of reprisal or imprisonment, as has happened during prior governments. There are no journalists in prison nor have media outlets been shut down by the Chavez administration, as was common in prior administrations. The current government has not censured the media whatsoever as all prior governments, despite being democratically elected, have done in the past.
Seeking for the Right's Vote
It is almost unexplainable that Kerry, as a Democrat, maintains almost the same positions as Bush and his ultra-conservative cabinet. Many in the progressive community had hoped that Kerry could bring a fundamental change to the foreign policies implemented by Bush towards Latin America. Statements such as this lead us to believe that there may be little change in the arrogant US government foreign policy, and unfortunately, mistrust and resentment towards the United States in Latin America would probably continue to grow as a result.
Without offering any evidence, Kerry, follows the line of the Venezuelan opposition, accusing Chavez of aiding the Colombian guerrilla forces, permitting narcotrafficking, undermining democratic institutions, attempting to impede a possible recall referendum on his mandate, and of implementing policies that are detrimental to US interests.
Chavez is a President who has been elected twice by clear majorities in democratic elections, and who, at this time, still enjoys one of the highest levels of popularity amongst Latin American leaders. Chavez's policies have earned him the support of millions of progressive and liberal voices throughout Latin America as well as in North America.
Kerry's recent statement makes it clear that he has taken the side of the Venezuelan opposition, an opposition which is unequivocally responsible for the political instability in Venezuela due to its failure and refusal to accept Chavez as the President of Venezuela, despite his clear support by a majority of Venezuelans proven through numerous electoral victories.
The fact that in his statement Kerry suggests Bush has not put enough pressure on Chávez, completely ignores the ample evidence of the millions of dollars the Bush administration has given the Venezuelan opposition through the National Endowment for Democracy. Such substantial financing has been used numerous times in attempts to oust Chávez from office through extra-constitutional means.
We must demand that Kerry retract his position on Venezuela, and get better informed about Venezuela and Latin America before issuing such biased opinions and we should warn him not to underestimate the support of progressives, who in the past election voted for candidates such as Ralph Nader, in the face of a democratic platform that clearly failed to meet their expectations.
Please call and send emails or faxes to the Kerry headquarters, demanding that Kerry be more informed about Venezuela and Latin America so that he will not commit the same errors of prior administrations whose thoughtless actions have increased anti-American sentiments throughout the region.
At the same time, we must insist he respect progressive and liberal voices, and make him understand that positions such as those he has expressed against President Chávez, give us more reason why we should seek alternatives to the Democratic Party.
Contact Kerry:
General Commentary: info@johnkerry.com
Webmaster: webmaster@johnkerry.com
Questions: meetup@johnkerry.com
Campaign Headquarters:
John Kerry for President, Inc.
901 15th Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005
202-712-3000
202-712-3001 (fax)
California Office 6100 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 300
Finance: Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323-935-7034
323-935-2979 (finance)
323-935-3579 (fax)
Links:
Kerry Statement on Venezuela
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0319d.html Senator Kerry, You Are Wrong on Venezuela
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1138 A Rebuttal to Senator Kerry's Statement on Venezuela
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1136 Kerry says Bush is soft on Chávez
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/8253700.htm Kerry Attacks Venezuela's Chavez
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4626832 http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1140
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