Tag Archives: MUD

Apr
17
2012
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Chavez Foreign Minister Criticizes Opposition with Anti-Gay Slurs

While Hugo Chávez bills himself as egalitarian, the progression of 2012 presidential campaign is quickly indicating that the politicians behind his government remain willing to exploit a number of prejudices to preserve their power. Soon after Venezuelan opposition candidate Henrique Capriles accepted the MUD’s nomination for president, he was subjected to a “barrage” of anti-Semitic attacks by Chávez’s allies in the government and the media. Capriles is a confirmed Catholic but is the grandson of Polish Jews who fled to Venezuela in the face of Nazi persecution.

Now, with conflicting reports of Chávez’s lead over Capriles, his allies are at it again. This time, however, the attacks come in the form of anti-gay remarks made by a high-ranking member of Chávez’s government. Foreign Minister Nicolás  Maduro, speaking at a commemoration of the 2002 failed coup attempt against Chávez, referred to Capriles’s opposition party as “little f**gots,” and “fascist.” See the video below:

His remarks were immediately denounced by the Venezuelan advocacy group LGBTI Network, but they preview the tactics that we can expect to intensify as the October 7 election nears. With the president stricken by cancer and polling numbers suggesting that Capriles has, in fact, gained ground on Chávez, the government and state-run media have sought regain their momentum by exploiting the ugliest prejudices.

“These expressions seem absolutely unacceptable, especially coming from a more senior representative of the State, simply because they detract from the constitutional commitments on human rights that the State has for sexual minorities,” said Jose Ramon Merentes Efe, a spokesman for LGBTI Network.

Given the disastrous state of Venezuela’s economy, one can hardly blame Chávez for wishing to change the subject. Yesterday, Maduro wilted to public outcry and apologized for his bigoted statements. Nevertheless, slurs such as these are likely to mark the opening salvos of an all-out attack on a challenger who Chávez perceives as a legitimate threat.

 
Apr
6
2012
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 4/6/12

In this week’s roundup… Hugo Chávez travels to Cuba to undergo radiation treatment, and returns Thursday to his home state of Barinas on Thursday; MUD candidate Henrique Capriles embarks on a three-month, “house-by-house” tour of the country; a poll shows Chávez and Capriles in a statistical tie ahead of the presidential election; the European Union bans Venezuelan airline Conviasa from flying in the EU due to “numerous safety concerns”; poor maintenance at the refineries of state-run oil company PDVSA raise safety concerns; cables released by Wikileaks show that Cuban spies with direct access to Chávez are playing a key role in supporting his regime; and the construction of a 170 feet tall mausoleum to hold the remains of Simón Bolívar causes confusion and outrage.

120404085229 chavez castro story top In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 4/6/12
Courtesy of: CNN

Venezuelan leader returns to Cuba for treatment, Associated Press

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez traveled to Cuba on Saturday for another round of cancer treatment, saying he will be in Havana for several days and then return home. Chávez boarded the presidential jet on Saturday night accompanied by one of his daughters. His aides and military chiefs saw him off at the airport.

Insight: The man who would beat Hugo Chávez, Reuters

In an uphill battle to end President Hugo Chávez’s 13-year grip on the South American nation at an election in October, Capriles has an ace card – youth – and he knows how to play it. The sinuous, 39-year-old governor of Miranda state has embarked on a three-month, “house-by-house” tour of the country designed as much to show off his energy as his ideas. Still trailing Chávez in all polls, he certainly needs it.

Venezuelan Leader Tied With Rival in One Poll, but Other Results Differ, Wall Street Journal

CARACAS—A recent slate of public-opinion surveys show widely varying assessments of the presidential election for Venezuela’s polarized electorate. Most of the polls have President Hugo Chávez in the lead, but one set of results shows him with a 30-percentage point advantage over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, while another had the rivals running neck-in-neck ahead of the Oct. 7 vote.

Venezuela Carrier Conviasa Banned by EU in New Blacklist Update, Bloomberg

The European Union banned Venezuelan airline Conviasa from flying in the 27-nation bloc under the latest changes to a list of unsafe carriers. The EU said “numerous safety concerns” resulting from accidents and European ramp checks justified the prohibition on Venezuela’s state airline.

Venezuelan refineries only receive 19% of maintenance, El Universal

The poor condition of oil facilities is among the criticisms made of the current management of state-run oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa). Frequent events in oil refineries have been attributed to their employees’ incompetence or lack of maintenance. Maintenance works were affected in 2011 by the shortage of inputs and materials.

WikiLeaks: Cuban spies support Chávez’s regime, El Universal

Cuban spies with direct access to President Hugo Chávez play a key role in supporting his regime. These spies constantly inform the president on the opposition’s moves, any rumors in the barracks and any sign of potential treason within revolutionary lines, say reports from WikiLeaks quoted by the New Herald. These reports include information from the United States Department of State and analysis from the private intelligence firm Stratfor.

Chavez returns to Venezuela after radiation treatment, CNN

President Hugo Chavez returned to Venezuela early Thursday morning after a second round of radiation treatment in Cuba. Appearing healthy and walking unaided, Chavez held court on the tarmac of the airport in Barinas, telling well-wishers who had gathered to welcome him that his treatment went well. “So far there has been no adverse reaction to the treatment; the body has assimilated it well,” Chavez said. He was greeted by members of his family, government officials and supporters.

Ramp? Mall? Ship? No, a Titan’s New Tomb, The New York Times

The 17-story-tall white-tiled mausoleum being built to hold the remains of the national hero Simón Bolívar looks to many people here like the world’s biggest skateboard ramp. To others, it evokes a parking garage, a shopping mall, a bridal veil, a sailing ship or a drive-in movie screen. Some simply call it an outrage. But to its creators, it is an eloquent tribute to the father of the nation, the quasi-mythical inspiration for President Hugo Chávez’s socialist revolution.

 
Mar
22
2012
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In Monagas: Happy World Water Day (Don’t Drink the Water)

Venezuela’s Supreme Court Celebrates World Water Day by Censoring Coverage About Water Safety

In a not-so-fitting tribute to the United Nation’s World Water Day, Venezuela’s Supreme Court has banned stories about potential water contamination caused by a massive oil spill in Monagas state last month. The court’s decision said that the media may only report stories supported by a “technical” water quality report, which the government itself has approved. Venezuelan journalists, union leaders and public officials have condemned the decision, which comes only a month after a pipeline rupture sent hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil into the drinking water supply of the city of Jusepin.

MUD Presidential Candidate Henrique Capriles today also criticized the government’s decision to suppress coverage, telling Venezuelans that “the contamination of rivers is not resolved by court action,” but by a “responsible government” that investigates a potential health risk and corrects the situation. He said that the real problem “is not what the press says, the problem is [the government] wanting to hide the information.”

On February 4th a pipeline at Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.’s Jusepin oil complex in Venezuela’s Monagas state ruptured, propelling a geyser of oil 300 feet into the air and into the adjacent Guarapiche river. Officials shut down the water pumps in the city of Jusepin, which draws its water from the Guarapiche. Several weeks after the incident, however, with some reports suggesting that patches of oil remained in the river, Monagas Governor Jose Gregorio Briceno was ordered to restart the pumps.

It was then that Governor Briceno, who has long been a loyal Chávez supporter and PSUV member, says he broke ranks with his party to protect his state’s citizens. “Just 24 hours after the start of the leak, with significant quantities of oil still pouring into the Guarapiche, senior officials asked me to open the water plants … Of course, I did not accept this because it was too risky,” explained Briceno.

Yet even while Chávez is absent, the PSUV do not suffer dissent. Chávez’s top deputy in the Congress, National Assembly President Cabello, quickly suspended Gov. Briceno and wrested control of Monagas state. Oil spills, such as the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, can be catastrophic. Monagas produces more oil than any other Venezuelan state, giving Chávez’s state-run oil company PDVSA a powerful incentive to keep news of the spill’s consequences out of the headlines.

Venezuela’s media, however, continued to report the story as the public health issue which it is.

vaso de agua lleno In Monagas: Happy World Water Day (Don’t Drink the Water)
Courtesy of: El Universal

According to some reports, as many as 300,000 barrels of oil had spilled into the Guarapiche, potentially endangering the half a million residents for whom the river supplies water. It lead to substantial media coverage, including satirical cartoons like the one on the left.

As journalists and elected officials warned that the drinking water in Jusepin may not be safe, Chávez accused them of staging a “terror campaign,” and directed his Attorney General and Supreme Court to take action. The Supreme Court’s edict to censor all coverage of the potential health risks came soon after.