When the rich protest

by Luis Britto Garcia

1

Colombian novelist William Ospina said that throughout the world the rich celebrate and the poor protest, while in Venezuela the poor celebrate and the rich protest. Our privileged people rebel against all those who win elections: in fourteen years, bolivarianism triumphed in 18 out of 19 indisputable elections. The opposition rejected all of them, except a referendum in which they got a Pyrrhic victory, or isolated victories in local elections. In the December 8, 2013 municipal elections, bolivarians won 240 out of 337 mayor's offices: it is not a surprise that disturbances had focused first in 18, then in 8 and finally in 6 opposition-governed areas with middle class population. It's not a big deal to block well-off neighbors with barriers of burning garbage under the attentive protection of local authorities and mayors. Some hired-killers shoot their own demonstrators from behind or bolivarian supporters from buildings. Fire has been set to half a hundred public buses and several power stations. Victims from the two sides fall down: for hired-killers, what matters is the victim; raw material for transnationals of misleading information. Devotees of murder hang effigies as those that announce the Sinaloa Cartel atrocities.

2

Alejandro Fierro shrewdly says that "If true the story of the international media about the glut of youth, Chavez should have been voted out long ago, since 60% of the Venezuelan population is under 30 years" (Other News, 2-20-2014). A recent survey by GIS XXI gives clarifying data: 79% of youth between 14 and 24 years are studying. 67% of them study in public and free institutions. 90% thinks studies give many or plenty of opportunities. 73% estimates that participatory bolivarian democracy is the best system; for 6% it's representative democracy, for 6% is dictatorship. 60% thinks the best economic system is socialism; 21% is capitalism. Let's add to it that nine million and a half of Venezuelans -one out of three- study and one out of ten are in Higher Education. If most of students support protests, the Government would be ousted in hours due to the pushing of a third of the population. But according to the Guinness Book of World Records 2008, in that year we are the happiest country of the world. According to the Gallup Poll 2010, we are the fifth most prosperous country in the world. According to Happy Planet Index, Venezuela has a level of experienced well-being by 7.5 out of a possible 10, which draws it to Switzerland and just a decimal below Norway. In a decade, we have decreased poverty by over 30 points; we are the country with the lowest social inequality in the capitalist Latin America. This is not a pattern of frustration or lack of expectation. Mass demonstrations of bolivarian women, students and peasants are crossing the country but international media does not record it. In Venezuela disturbs a minority mixing of violent lumpen with middle class that respects elections only when they win it.

3

Poll released on February 24 by Hinterlaces indeed casts more light. 42% of those polled thinks Maduro should complete his term; 29% thinks he should only be removed through recall referendum; only 23% chooses the option "going to the street": a majority of 71% supports then institutionality. About the country's economy, 35% claims "firm hand to hoarders and speculators;" 29% "an alliance between national government and private business;" again, only a minority 22% supports the President's "exit now."

4

The group of leaders in the forties who fosters riots not only does not represent the youth neither the majority of the country: they do not even represent the majority of opposition. Leopoldo Lopez, who unleashed violence on February 12, incited a crowd to destroy the Office of Public Prosecutions and he then disappeared; he came third in primary elections for presidential nominations. Maria Corina Machado, hectic supporter of warmongering lines, did not get not even 2% of the vote in that opportunity. The two of them are fighting for a leading role to snatch the far right leadership from Henrique Capriles, who declared that a government cannot be won over with riots in the streets, after he himself had convened one that resulted in a dozen of deaths. They do not respect democracy not even between them.

5

In 2002, employers' union Fedecamaras imposed its President as dictator for 72 hours through a coup d'état; it tried to break the country through a lock out of over two months and cut supply food off. The current wave of violence started after businesspeople vanished in dummy imports USD 50 billion that the government grants at privileged exchange rate; after businesspeople started an economic war with strategic shortage and usurious overpricing, and as soon as the government counteracted it with a Law on Fair Prices that set a maximum commercial profit margin of 30%. Do protests claim other vaporizable USD 60 billion? Legalizing profits by 1,500%? Or a new dictatorship?

6

Or are they desperately urging for a Coup d'état or foreign intervention? The latest and most violent point of riots is focused in some municipalities of bordering state of Trujillo, bridges of a long paramilitary infiltration. Excuse for an invasion that cause a secession in Venezuela's rich West? Colonizing again Bolivar's Homeland? Everything may be expected from those who think they have the right of all without the vote of anyone.

(AVN)