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Venezuela: The Chávez Circus is coming to an end

By Gustavo Coronel, May 13, 2004

After six years of political, economic and social disasters; faced with an imminent referendum which will oust him from power according to the latest polls; discredited internationally; having placed our country in the league of rogue nations, the regime of Hugo Chávez is at the end of the road. As a result, it has started to invent the most implausible situations to delay the inevitable. Knowing that in a few more weeks he will have to face a new signature collection process monitored by international observers, which will most probably result in the referendum he fears so much, he has apparently resorted to staging an invasion by alleged Colombian mercenaries, "designed to kill him" (the ninth such accusation without one single culprit ever being convicted). This "invasion" by some 90 young and unarmed Colombians, was apparently an operation mounted by the Chávez government to justify a repressive action against the leaders of the opposition. The young Colombians were asked to wear Venezuelan military uniforms in order to appear as reservists at a Chávez event. The plan was to have the Colombians killed by the National Guard in operation "Red Dawn" thus giving the government the excuse needed to move against the opposition. Unfortunately for Chávez, the clumsy plot failed because the Colombians were captured earlier by the El Hatillo (a small town on the outskirts of Caracas) Municipal Police. Can you imagine such a modest police force capturing almost one hundred Colombian guerrillas? Some guerrillas! Once this unexpected event took place, the government had no other alternative than to go ahead with the farce. The feared guerrillas surrendered without a single shot being fired. At this point in time nobody knows how many are there, who they are and who recruited them. Can anyone think of a more improbable invasion?

This show has given Chávez the excuse to claim that his regime is being invaded by forces "answering to the US, Colombia and the Venezuelan opposition." I would ask our readers: Would it make any sense to stage such an "invasion" when the opposition is at the thresholds of a referendum that would be readily won? Who could be so stupid as to attempt to assassinate a corpse?

The urgency to survive has removed all remaining components of decor and dignity from the Chávez regime. Now they resort to lying in a desperate and open manner. This is the type of behavior that precedes the fall of all dictatorships or rotten political regimes. Although they know that the truth will emerge tomorrow or the day after they seem happy enough to buy, with a lie, the immediate present. Their philosophy is that, by surviving today, something is bound to happen to allow them to survive tomorrow.

However, reality is overpowering. The Chávez regime is coming to an end. In its last days, it will increase repression and might even take some innocent lives. I sincerely hope that the sensible members of the regime can convince Chávez that his "revolution" is doomed, that he should give up his insane dreams of a Cuban style society in our country, that he is not what our country wants or needs.

He should hear but I doubt that he will hear. Therefore, someone will have to tell him in a strong voice. Either his father, some close collaborator or a man with the guns at his disposal. Someone will have to convince Chávez that he has no legitimate leadership left, that the damage he has done to the country is far too great to be defined as part of the normal exercise of a Presidency. He has to be told that he is just an inept illiterate and that Venezuela deserves better leaders.

The Chávez revolution has proven to be a criminal revolution. This should never happen to us again.



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